TURK 2025

Sarcoptic mange is a widespread parasitic disease caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which affects domestic and wild mammals. In Kyrgyzstan, S. scabiei was first reported in Capra sibirica by Vyrypaev. In 2022–2023, official cases were registered by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic in Siberian ibex populations in the Naryn region. The Siberian ibex is widely distributed across Central and South Asia and is "Endangered". The clinical, epidemiological, and demographic aspects of host-mite interactions remain poorly studied. This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of Nobuto© filter paper strips for the detection of antibodies to S. scabiei in wild ungulates of Kyrgyzstan and to determine the seroprevalence of sarcoptic mange among Siberian ibex and Ovis ammon. Biological samples were collected during the international trophy hunting seasons of 2019–2023 in the Issyk-Kul and Naryn regions of the Kyrgyz Republic by rangers of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision. Blood samples from legally hunted ibex and argali were collected onto Nobuto© filter paper strips. A modified ELISA protocol using a biotin-avidin amplification system based on the commercial Sarcoptes-ELISA 2001® DOG kit, previously validated for Capra pyrenaica, was used. The Samples included Nobuto© FP eluates from 132 individuals of Siberian ibex and 27 individuals of argali. The adapted ELISA method demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity (≥93%) for different sample types. The overall seroprevalence of sarcoptosis among the wild ungulates of Kyrgyzstan was determined, with marked differences by region and species: higher in Naryn compared to Issyk-Kul, and higher in Siberian ibex than in argali. Nobuto© filter paper strips proved to be an effective, practical, and reliable method for sample collection and serological investigation of sarcoptic mange. This study provides valuable data on the seroepidemiological status of S.scabiei among wild ungulates in Kyrgyzstan.