CLINICAL DISORDERS OBSERVED IN ANTEATERS (MYRMECOPHAGIDAE, EDENTATA) IN CAPTIVITY

The major health problems found in 103 captive lesser anteaters (Taman dua tetradactyla) and giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), famil y Myrmecophagidae, are presented and correlated with management. The m ost common of 200 recorded clinical disorders involved the digestive s ystem (26%), nutritional deficiency (20%), injury (15.5%), respiratory system (10%), skin (7%) and circulatory system (4.5%), but 13% of the cases were inconclusive. Parasites were identified in 48.5% of faecal samples, mainly the eggs of nematodes (40%), of which the commonest w ere Trichuris spp (28%) and Strongyloides spp (11%); protozoa (16%), o f which the commonest were Eimeria spp (10%), Entamoeba spp (5%) and G iardia spp (1%); and cestodes (8%) and acanthocephalids (1%). Bacteria cultured from the various materials included Salmonella enteritidis, S. cholerasuis, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Streptococcu s spp and Staphylococcus spp. The ectoparasites found were Amblyomma s pp and Otodectis spp (Arthropoda, Acaridae).