A Survey of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Faecal of Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus) at Selected Area of Sarawak and Sabah

• Main Author: Siti Nuraqila, Abd Ra'auf
• Format: Final Year Project Report
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS) 2015
• Subjects: QL Zoology; QR355 Virology
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/34261/2/Siti%20Nuraqila%20%20%28fulltext%29.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/34261/

Proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus) are endemics to Borneo islands and serve as an important iconic species for Malaysia. However little study known about their health status especially on their gastrointestinal parasite. Therefore, this study was aimed to survey the composition and the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in the faecal specimens of proboscis monkey and also to compare the species diversity of the parasites between four different sampling locations. Sukau Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary and Klias Forest Reserves from Sabah while Samunsam Wildlife Sanctuary and Bako National Park from Sarawak. A total of three different classes of Nematodes, Trematodes and Cestodes of gastrointestinal parasites were detected with ten genera, including Trichuris sp., Ascaris sp., Oesophagostomum sp., Trichostrongylus sp., Strongyloides sp., Ancylostoma sp., Diphyllobothrium sp., Hymenolepsis sp., Fasciola sp. and an unidentified nematode species. The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites was determined with Trichuris sp., Ascaris sp., Oesophagostomum sp., Trichostrongylus sp. and Ancylostoma sp. were the most commonly detected gastrointestinal parasites species for all the sampling locations. Faecal samples from Sarawak show higher diversity of gastrointestinal parasites species compared to Sabah. Bako NP has the highest species diversity compared to all four different sampling locations. The findings of composition and prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites are necessary for future references of the possibles risk and disease assesment for the conservation of proboscis monkey.