Do wind energy installations alter gastrointestinal parasite infection patterns in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) in central Poland?

Pyziel, A.; Slivinska, K.; Sałamatin, R.; Werszko, J.; Kloch, M.; Świątek, M.; Zhytova, O.; Klich, D. (2026). Do wind energy installations alter gastrointestinal parasite infection patterns in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) in central Poland?. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 31, 101300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2026.101300

@article{Pyziel-2026-,
author = {Pyziel, A and Slivinska, K and Sałamatin, R and Werszko, J and Kloch, M and Świątek, M and Zhytova, O and Klich, D},
title = {Do wind energy installations alter gastrointestinal parasite infection patterns in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) in central Poland?},
journal = {International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife},
year = {2026},
month = {dec},
publisher = {Elsevier},
volume = {31},
pages = {101300},
doi = {10.1016/j.ijppaw.2026.101300},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221322442600115X},
keywords = {Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Habitat Change, Terrestrial Mammals},
}

TY - JOUR
TI - Do wind energy installations alter gastrointestinal parasite infection patterns in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) in central Poland?
AU - Pyziel, A
AU - Slivinska, K
AU - Sałamatin, R
AU - Werszko, J
AU - Kloch, M
AU - Świątek, M
AU - Zhytova, O
AU - Klich, D
T2 - International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
AB - The European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) is a widespread cervid in Europe and an important reservoir of gastrointestinal helminths. Although environmental and host-related drivers of parasite communities have been extensively studied, the effects of anthropogenic infrastructure on host-parasite interactions remain poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize gastrointestinal helminth diversity in roe deer from central Poland and to evaluate the influence of wind farms on parasite infections. A total of 102 roe deer collected between 2022 and 2024, hunted in accordance with local management plans, were examined for helminths in the abomasum, small intestine, and large intestine. The effects of wind farm presence on parasite abundance were assessed using generalized linear models with a negative binomial distribution. The gastrointestinal helminth community was diverse, comprising seven species in the abomasum, seven in the small intestine, and five in the large intestine. Haemonchus contortus dominated the abomasal community, whereas Chabertia ovina was the most prevalent species in both intestinal sections. Tapeworms of the genus Moniezia were additionally detected in the small intestine of four animals. With the exception of Ch. ovina and Trichuris sp., helminths were generally more abundant in roe deer from wind farm areas, which also harbored greater species richness than animals from control areas. Wind farm presence was a significant predictor in four of seven models explaining nematode abundance, with nematodes consistently more abundant in wind farm areas. Sex was included in most models, indicating lower nematode abundance in females than in males, whereas study area and age were retained only in selected models and showed less consistent effects. Overall, these findings indicate differences in gastrointestinal helminth communities between roe deer inhabiting wind farm and control areas and suggest that the presence of wind farms may be associated with variation in parasite infections.
DA - 2026/12//
PY - 2026
PB - Elsevier
VL - 31
SP - 101300
UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221322442600115X
DO - 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2026.101300
LA - English
KW - Wind Energy
KW - Land-Based Wind
KW - Habitat Change
KW - Terrestrial Mammals
ER -