Characterisation of health status parameters in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) from highly polluted areas (cadmium, lead, and PCBs) compared with areas of low pollution. II. Parasitation and histopathological findings

In this study the impact of a high contamination of the soil with the heavy metals cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) as well as with organochlorine compounds (PCB) on selected health status parameters in free-living roe deer was exa mined. In the second part the parasitic infestation and histopathological f indings in the liver and kidney were investigated. As in the first part the results from roe deer from extremely highly polluted areas (regions of Bit terfeld [B] and Harz [H]) were compared with those of nearly nonpolluted ar eas (regions in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern [MVP] and Schleswig Holstein [SH]). In the unpolluted areas roe deer show significantly more abomasal helminths than in the polluted areas. Moreover, in the unpolluted areas a greater nu mber of roe deer have a higher worm burden than in the polluted areas. A po ssible explanation for this correlation could be a higher moisture content in the soil of the SH and MVP regions, because an increased moisture conten t positively effects the development of external stages (e. g. eggs, larvae ) of several species of abomasal helminths in roe deer (e. g. Ostertagia sp p). The unpolluted areas (MVP, SH) have a proportion of 13.4% water space w hereas in the polluted areas there is only 5.6%. However, within the group of one-year-old roe deer, individuals with a higher Cd contamination and a higher worm burden at the same time can be found more frequently. The incom plete immune competence in this age group could possibly explain why one-ye ar-old roe deer react particularly sensitively. Concerning histopathological findings, lesions of the renal cortex such as tubulonephrosis, interstitial infiltration and glomerulopathy have been rep orted to be associated with toxic effects of cadmium. Roe deer of all three age groups showed several of these alterations, which, however, were not v ery pronounced. Even though, histopathological findings were observed in ap proximately half of the animals in each group. However, these findings were not statistically correlated to the measured cadmium levels. The two param eters gave no hint of a reduced health status of roe deer due to cadmium co ntamination.