PARASITES OF

NEWFOUNDLAND
CARIBOU, RANGIFER
TARANDUS CARIBOU: AN
INTRODUCTION TO
ELAPHOSTRONGYLUS
RANGIFERI AND ITS
EFFECTS

Mammalogy 4630
March 7th, 2011
Kendra Dawe
 Caribou in Newfoundland
 Rangifer tarandus caribou is the
woodland caribou, and is native to
the province
 There are currently 9 herds on the
island
 Like nearly all wild animals, R.
tarandus caribou suffer from a
variety of parasites including:
 Fly infestations: Warble Fly and Throat
Bots
 Tapeworm Cysts: found in the liver,
lungs and muscle tissue Figure 1: Male woodland caribou, Rangifer
 Nematodes: Elaphostrongylus tarandus caribou
rangiferi causes CSE affecting the
Central Nervous System and muscle
tissue
A Brief History
 Caribou have always played an important role to the people
inhabiting the island
 In late 19th Century caribou populations began to dwindle
quickly due to over hunting
 Solution: 1908, brought 300 reindeer from Norway to St.
Anthony to supplement the population
 1950’s first record of illness in animals
 1976: major outbreak and illness was associated with E.
rangiferi
 1990’s: E. rangiferi infected the last herds that were
previously uninfected, reaching the Avalon
 Distribution of Herds

St. Anthony

Northern Peninsula

Gaff Topsails

Middle Range Bay de Verde

Avalon
Cape Shore

Merasheen Island

Figure 2: Caribou herd distribution in Newfoundland

E. rangiferi and CSE
 Illness caused by E. rangiferi is known as Cerebrospinal
Elaphostrongylosis, CSE
 CSE causes changes in behaviour such as:
 Self-isolation
 Staying in one location for long periods of time
 Appearance of being disoriented
 Walking in circles
 Overly tame towards humans
 Also can cause severe muscle and nerve damage:
 Weakness in hindquarters
 Abnormal posture and gait
CSE in Caribou

Figure 3: A caribou suffering from

CSE. Note the weak and altered
hindquarters and the unnatural posture.
Lifecycle of E. rangiferi
 Two host lifecycle
 First Phase: larvae of the nematode infect the foot
of slugs and snails that pass over infected fecal
pellets
 The snails & slugs are accidentally eaten by the
caribou when grazing
 Then once in the digestive tract the larvae penetrate
the intestinal wall, make way to spinal cord and
travel to brain to mature
Lifecycle of E. rangiferi con’t
 Once young adults, the worms then travel back
down the spinal cord, through the CNS, then the
peripheral nervous system to the large flat muscles
around the shoulder blades and the hindquarters
 This traveling through the CNS and the PNS causes
nerve damage resulting in the typical symptoms
mentioned
Lifecycle of E. rangiferi con’t
 To finish the lifecycle, female lay eggs which enter
the blood stream and travel to the lungs
 In the lungs the eggs hatch, the larvae crawl up the
windpipe and are swallowed
 Once in the digestive tract the larvae are expelled
in the fecal pellets, starting the cycle over again
Figure 4: Lifecycle of E. rangiferi
Conclusion
 Currently, E. rangiferi poses no known threat to
other species in Newfoundland, however, sister
species have been found in other cervids including
moose and deer
 North American E. rangiferi is only found in
Newfoundland
 In countries, such as Norway, the nematode has
evolved to also infect other semi-domesticated
animals including sheep and goats
Sources
 Ball, M.C., Lankester, M.W., and Mahoney, S.P. 2001. Factors affecting the distribution and
transmission of Elaphostrongylus rangiferi (Protostrongylidae) in caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)
of Newfoundland, Canada. Canadian Journal of Zoology 79:1265-1277
 Daoust, P.Y. 1989. Elaphostrongylus cervi pathogenic leasions and effects. Presented at Newfoundland
Wildlife Disease Conference 1989.
 Fong, D. 1989. Elaphostrongylus cervi findings in Newfoundland. Presented at Newfoundland Wildlife
Disease Conference 1989.
 Handeland, K., Gibbons, L., and Skorping, A. 2000. Aspects of the life cycle and pathogenesis of
Elaphostrongylus cervi in Red Deer (Cervus elaphus). Journal of Parasitology 86: 1061-106
 Polluck, B., Penashue, B., McBurney, S., Vanleeuwen, J., Daoust, P.Y., Burgess, N.M., and Tasker,
A.R. 2009. Liver parasites and body condition in relation to environmental contaminants in Caribou
(Rangifer tarandus) from Labrador, Canada. Arctic 62: 1-12
 Whitney, H. 1999a. Newfoundland Agriculture: Wildlife disease factsheet. Parasites of caribou (2): fly
larvae infestations. Publication AP010 April 21 1999.
 Whitney, H. 1999b. Newfoundland Agriculture: Wildlife disease factsheet. Parasites of caribou (3):
tapeworm cysts. Publication AP009 April 22 1999.
 Whitney, H. 2004. Newfoundland Agriculture: Wildlife disease factsheet. Parasites of caribou (1):
brainworm. Publication AP006 July 27 2004.