Further Evidence for the Long Distance Dispersal of Taeniid Eggs

Autopsy of Soay Sheep on St. Kilda revealed the presence of cysticerci of Taenia hydatigena despite the absence of the definitive host on the island. Both the intensity of infection and the prevalence increased with age implying that the sheep did not acquire immunity to reinfection or superinfection. The sheep on average ingested approximately 2.4 eggs per annum. This is far below that expected if an infected dog had visited the island even on a single occasion. The data provide evidence that taeniid eggs are being transported against the prevailing wind by wildlife from at least the nearest inhabited land mass to St Kilda some 60 km distant.