Moose are an essential part of Maine\u2019s ecosystems, cultural identity and outdoor economy. As ecosystems rapidly change, moose face an increased risk of infection by parasites and disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Researchers at the University of Maine are researching new ways to study and monitor the parasites that plague Maine\u2019s moose in order to best help and manage the population. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
University of Maine third-year Alden Falardeau of Saco, Maine, is leading the team in testing new methods of monitoring for parasites in moose. Advised by associate professor of animal health Pauline Kamath, Falardeau is focusing on lungworm (Dictyocaulus spp.<\/em>) and gastrointestinal parasites. Lungworms weaken a moose\u2019s immune system and hamper its ability to fight off external stressors like winter ticks. Gastrointestinal parasites also can weaken moose, making them more susceptible to other parasites, some of which may cause emaciation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Falardeau, an animal science major, is investigating whether lungworm infections can be detected through DNA analysis of moose lung tissue, while identifying the gastrointestinal parasites present in their fecal pellets. Her team is testing these methods using samples from live captures and hunter harvests. Better detection can improve monitoring and understanding of parasite prevalence among moose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For the lungworm, the team extracted DNA from lung tissue samples. Researchers then evaluated them for traces of lungworm using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which amplifies a unique section of lungworm\u2019s DNA where signs of this parasite can be found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf we can verify lung tissue as a sample to detect lungworm, that could help with future research,\u201d said Falardeau. \u201cIt can also help get the community more involved in research if we are able to use hunter harvested samples for identifying infections like lungworm.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Current research on lungworm in moose relies on visually examining moose lungs or waste, the efficacy of which can be dependent on a range of factors. Genetic data, in contrast, may allow scientists to identify traces of lungworm faster and with greater accuracy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding what gastrointestinal parasites they should be looking for will allow for better detection and management in future. \u201cEssentially, we are looking to identify and quantify the parasite eggs and larvae that are present in fecal samples,\u201d said Falardeau. Crucially, this approach is not invasive, which is great for the moose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This project was made possible by funding from 91¸£Àû\u2019s Center for Undergraduate Research and has provided Falardeau valuable hands-on experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve learned so much, from lab techniques to experimental design, and I\u2019ve had the opportunity to be involved in meaningful conservation research,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This research is rooted in the One Health approach, which recognises that people, animals and the environment are interconnected. It also highlights the importance of monitoring wildlife disease for broader ecological well-being. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As Maine\u2019s moose remain a vital part of the state\u2019s identity, efforts to better understand parasite impacts are critical to ensuring the long-term health of this iconic species and the ecosystems of which they are a part. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Story by Sophie Knox, research media intern<\/em> Contact: Daniel Timmermann, daniel.timmermann@maine.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Research<\/a> \/ School of Food and Agriculture<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Moose are an essential part of Maine\u2019s ecosystems, cultural identity and outdoor economy. As ecosystems rapidly change, moose face an increased risk of infection by parasites and disease. Researchers at the University of Maine are researching new ways to study and monitor the parasites that plague Maine\u2019s moose in order to best help and manage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2406,"featured_media":7928,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","spc_primary_category":0},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wildlife"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":59,"label":"Wildlife"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/98\/2026\/05\/Moose13-scaled-e1778098746100-1024x577.jpg",1024,577,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"lhecker","author_link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/author\/lhecker\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":59,"name":"Wildlife","slug":"wildlife","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":59,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":44,"count":33,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":59,"category_count":33,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Wildlife","category_nicename":"wildlife","category_parent":44}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2406"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7925"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7931,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7925\/revisions\/7931"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}