Some important parasitic and other diseases of lion, Panthera leo, in the Kruger National Park.

Abstract

Lions in the Kruger Park have been found affected by a variety of parasitic and other disease conditions, including trichinosis, filariasis, sarcoptic mange, pentastomiasis, echinococcosis, taeniasis, hepatozoonosis, anthrax, babesiosis and rickets. Six of these may be directly or indirectly transmissible to man or are, at least, closely related to human parasites or disease. Nine of these diseases, or closely related conditions, are also known to infect domestic animal species. The opposite may, of course, also be true--man and his domestic animals may, under certain circumstances, transmit certain diseases to lions, presumably sometimes with fatal results.