OUTBREAKS OF CLINICAL CEREBROSPINAL ELAPHOSTRONGYLOSIS IN REINDEER (RANGIFER-TARANDUS-TARANDUS) IN FINNMARK, NORWAY, AND THEIR RELATION TO CLIMATIC CONDITIONS
K. Handeland et T. Slettbakk, OUTBREAKS OF CLINICAL CEREBROSPINAL ELAPHOSTRONGYLOSIS IN REINDEER (RANGIFER-TARANDUS-TARANDUS) IN FINNMARK, NORWAY, AND THEIR RELATION TO CLIMATIC CONDITIONS, Journal of veterinary medicine. Series B, 41(6), 1994, pp. 407-410
Outbreaks of clinical cerebrospinal elaphostrongylosis (CSE) in reinde
er (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Finnmark county, northern Norway, w
ere summarized for the period 1960-1993 and compared to meteorological
data. Disease outbreaks occurred during autumn and winter of seven di
fferent years. They were highly associated with high temperatures and
moderately associated with heavy rainfall during the preceding summers
. Mean summer temperatures for years with and without subsequent disea
se outbreaks were 1.5-degrees-C above and 0.4-degrees-C below the over
all mean for the observation period. Summer temperatures above mean se
em to be required to induce the mass development of infective Elaphost
rongylus rangiferi larvae in the intermediate gastropod hosts that sub
sequently leads to severe infection and clinical CSE in reindeer in Fi
nnmark. After hot summers, the nematode may cause epidemics with heavy
losses, especially among calves.