Between 1991 and 1993, 295 lizards, comprising 21 species in 2 families (Gekkonidae, Scincidae) from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Palau, Takapoto, and Vanuatu in the South Pacific, were examined for Cryptosporidium oocysts. Only 6 lizards (2%) were found to be passing Cryptosporidium oocysts in their feces, including 2 of 30 (7%) Oceania geckos, Gehyra oceanica, from Rarotonga, Cook Islands, and 4 of 26 (15%) Pacific blue-tailed skinks, Emoia caeruleocauda, from Efate Island, Vanuatu. This represents the largest survey for Cryptosporidium in Pacific island lizards, and we document 2 new host and 2 new locality records for this parasite genus.
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2013 |
|---|---|
| Title | New host and distributional records for Cryptosporidium sp. (Apicomplexa: Cryptosporidiidae) from lizards (Sauria: Gekkonidae, Scincidae) from the Cook Islands and Vanuatu, South Pacific |
| DOI | 10.1654/4646.1 |
| Authors | Chris T. McAllister, Donald W. Duszynski, Robert N. Fisher |
| Publication Type | Article |
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Series Title | Comparative Parasitology |
| Index ID | 70125321 |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | Western Ecological Research Center |