Journal of Wildlife Diseases最新文献

{"title":"Leprosy in Missouri, USA: Are Armadillos Carrying the Causative Agent Mycobacterium leprae ?","authors":"Lynn W Robbins, Jonathan A Dyer, Gillian A Warner, Barbara M Stryjewska, Maria T Pena, Ramanuj Lahiri","doi":"10.7589/JWD-D-25-00050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-25-00050","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Mexican long-nosed nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus mexicanus) has continued to expand its range since it was first documented in Texas, US, in the mid-1800s. It dispersed north and east and was found in Missouri, US, starting in the 1980s. This species is known to contract leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Infected armadillos are considered to be a zoonotic source of leprosy in the US. A recent case (2021) of leprosy in a native Missourian who had a history of contacts with armadillos appears to have been locally acquired. However, no data were available on the presence or prevalence of leprosy in wild armadillos from Missouri. We sampled various tissues from 64 armadillos, 39 road killed and 25 hunter killed/culled, from southwestern and central Missouri in summer 2022 to determine the local prevalence of M. leprae. Two animals were PCR positive for M. leprae, providing evidence that this pathogen is moving northward along with the range expansion of Mexican long-nosed armadillos.</p>","PeriodicalId":17602,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144732014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterizing the Performance of Multiple Testing Modalities to Detect Emydomyces testavorans in Blanding's Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii).","authors":"Kaitlin A Moorhead, Dylan M Burke, Laura A Adamovicz, Gretchen C Anchor, William Graser, Gary Glowacki, Matthew C Allender","doi":"10.7589/JWD-D-25-00001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-25-00001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Emydomyces testavorans is a recently described fungus associated with significant shell disease in chelonians, including Illinois state-endangered Blanding's turtles (Emydoidea blandingii). Characterizing the epidemiology of this pathogen requires accurate detection; however, E. testavorans is challenging to detect and optimal antemortem sampling strategies have not been identified. In total, 90 juvenile Blanding's turtles from two populations naturally infected with E. testavorans were used to determine the detection performance of different testing approaches and establish optimal sampling strategies in the context of commonly encountered clinical and management scenarios. Turtles received comprehensive physical examinations and computed tomography scans to document grossly apparent and/or radiographic shell lesions. Multiple sample types were tested for E. testavorans via quantitative PCR (qPCR), including shell swabs, combined cloacal-oral swabs, combined cloacal-oral-shell swabs (COSSs) swabs, and tank water samples. Latent class modeling was used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of each detection method in the absence of a gold standard test. Using multiple tests often increases information available to decision-makers; therefore, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated for two E. testavorans detection methods interpreted either in series or in parallel. Latent class modeling demonstrated that COSS and water qPCRs were highly sensitive (98.0 and 94.0%, respectively) and adequately specific (74.9 and 88.3%, respectively) for E. testavorans; thus, these testing methods are recommended for routine surveillance where use of multiple methods is not possible. In wild and head-started Blanding's turtle populations where false negatives are costly, qPCR testing of two COSS samples interpreted in parallel maximized sensitivity (sensitivity=100%, specificity=56.1%) and is recommended for E. testavorans surveillance when multiple tests are available. This study provides objective measures to guide effective E. testavorans testing and inform future epidemiologic studies, support chelonian medicine, and empower conservation managers, ultimately safeguarding turtle health in managed care and wild settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":17602,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144732013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hematologic and Biochemical Analytes in Free-Ranging Marsican Brown Bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus) in the Central Apennines, Italy.","authors":"Leonardo Getuli, Giammarco Quaglia, Michela Toro, Nausica D'Aurelio, Daniele Giansante, Vincenza Di Pirro, Valentina Zenobio, Daria Di Sabatino, Fabrizio De Massis, Leonardo Gentile","doi":"10.7589/JWD-D-24-00029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-24-00029","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We investigated blood from 39 free-ranging Marsican brown bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus), a critically endangered brown bear subspecies. Bears were 1-15 yr old and sampled from January 1991 to May 2023. We found significantly lower mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume in subadults than in adults (P<0.10) and higher cholesterol (P<0.10) in males than in females.</p>","PeriodicalId":17602,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144707957","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Detection of Rickettsia-Infected Argas (Persicargas) giganteus on Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) from the Northeastern USA.","authors":"Michael J Yabsley, Alec T Thompson, Nicholas Friedeman, Kevin C Richmond, Ian Gereg, Nicole L Chinnici, Destiny Sample Koon Koon, Håkon H Jones, Andrea Howey-Newcomb, Erica A Miller","doi":"10.7589/JWD-D-25-00036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-25-00036","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus), piscivorous raptors with extensive global distributions, can undergo extensive migrations. Migratory species can transport ectoparasites, including ticks, to new regions. Many soft ticks (Argasidae) are ornithophilic and occur in bird nests, occasionally causing nest abandonment and chick mortality through pathogen transmission, blood loss, or paralysis. Argas spp. soft ticks are distributed worldwide, with several species in the US, predominately in the western US. Argas (Persicargas) giganteus, has been documented on numerous passerine and raptor species in the western US and parts of Mexico. We detected A. giganteus on two Ospreys from Pennsylvania and Washington, DC, US, representing a significant recognized range expansion. Genetic analysis confirmed that ticks from both birds were A. giganteus: internal transcribed spacer 2, 12S rRNA, and 16S rRNA gene sequences were 100, 100, and 99.7% similar to A. giganteus, respectively. Most ticks tested (7/8, 88%) were Rickettsia spp. positive; six sequences were Rickettsia hoogstraalii, with one most similar (99.5%) to Rickettsia monacensis. Although A. giganteus is not known to infest people, R. monacensis is a cause of spotted fever rickettsiosis; the pathogenicity of R. hoogstraalii in humans is poorly understood. Furthermore, A. giganteus can probably cause tick paralysis in raptors, especially in young birds. Therefore, continued surveillance for A. giganteus and Rickettisa spp. is warranted, particularly because this tick and associated pathogens seem to be emerging in the eastern US.</p>","PeriodicalId":17602,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144675171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Influenza A Virus infection in Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus), USA, 2022.","authors":"Mark W Cunningham, Justin Brown, Rebecca Hardman, Suzan Loerzel, Bryan M Kluever, Trevor T Zachariah, Kyle A Donnelly, Rebecca L Poulson, Nicole M Nemeth, Kyle Van Why, Robert Sargent, Cindy P Driscoll, Amy K Tegeler, Lijuan Zhou, Veronica Guzman-Vargas, Julianna Lenoch, Mark G Ruder, Y Reddy Bommineni, David E Stallknecht","doi":"10.7589/JWD-D-24-00214","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-24-00214","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mortalities in Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) caused by A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 2.3.4.4b lineage highly pathogenic (HP) influenza A virus (IAV) H5N1 (HP H5N1) were detected in Florida, USA, on 14 February 2022. By the end of 2022, at least 2,674 and 5,707 deaths where HP H5N1 infection was confirmed or suspected had been documented in Florida and the USA as a whole, respectively. Reported vulture mortalities at die-off locations nationwide ranged from 1 to 700. In Florida and Pennsylvania, USA, antibodies to both H5 and N1 subtypes of IAV were detected in apparently healthy Black Vultures sampled ≤12 mo after mortality events. Antibodies to these subtypes were not detected in Black Vultures at sites in Kentucky and Tennessee, USA, where HP H5N1 was not detected, nor in Pennsylvania vultures sampled before HP H5N1 introduction into North America. Infections in vultures probably originated through scavenging of infected bird carcasses, but once in the vulture population, HP H5N1 infections may have been maintained by conspecific scavenging. Black Vultures can serve as an indicator species for HP H5N1 in North America, and they may sustain an outbreak after infection rates have declined in other species.</p>","PeriodicalId":17602,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144608704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fatal Infection in a Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) with Leptospira interrogans Related to the Australis Serogroup in France.","authors":"Nathan Thenon, Marine Le Guyader, Anouk Decors, Bruno Degrange, Karin Lemberger, Florence Ayral, Rozenn Le Net","doi":"10.7589/JWD-D-25-00009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-25-00009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We necropsied a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) with gross and histologic lesions suggestive of leptospirosis, with intralesional argyrophilic bacteria. Real-time PCR detected Leptospira spp. in multiple organs. We identified Leptospira interrogans related to the Australis serogroup by typing the 16S rRNA and Lfb1 genes and by multilocus sequence typing.</p>","PeriodicalId":17602,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144553819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-year Occurrence of Ranavirus and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Anurans from Central, Southeast, and Coastal Regions of Texas, USA, 2012-19.","authors":"Andrea Villamizar-Gomez, Trina Guerra, Shashwat Sirsi, William L Farr, Michael R J Forstner, Dittmar Hahn","doi":"10.7589/JWD-D-24-00186","DOIUrl":"10.7589/JWD-D-24-00186","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ranaviruses (Iridoviridae) and chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium spp.) cause globally reportable diseases affecting a wide array of amphibians. Both pathogens are well documented in the US and have caused local or regional scale mortality events for susceptible amphibians. Over a period of 8 y (2012-2019), we tested salvaged amphibians collected during amphibian audio survey work across the central, southeastern, and coastal areas of Texas, US. Individuals of 7/8 anuran taxa tested positive for either or both pathogens, as did individuals in counties with large sample sizes (i.e., n>25) across taxa. Ranavirus prevalence was high in 2012 (67%) but decreased to 5% by 2019. Conversely, chytrid fungus prevalence started low in 2013 (4%) but increased to 20% by 2019. The detection of both pathogens in any individual was consistently rare throughout the period. Although salvage of specimens during annual fieldwork adds permitting requirements, handling time, and curation effort, we argue that this additional effort significantly contributes to regional pathogen surveillance. Therefore, it should be considered a standard approach for the extensive array of roadway-based herpetofaunal surveys conducted each year.</p>","PeriodicalId":17602,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Diseases","volume":" ","pages":"749-755"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144120021","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dogs can Generalize from Cotton Training Aids to Fecal Matter in Chronic Wasting Disease Detection.","authors":"Amritha Mallikarjun, Clara Wilson, Ila Charendoff, Madison B Moore, Elizabeth Nguyen, Abigail J Hendrzak, Michelle Gibison, Cynthia M Otto","doi":"10.7589/JWD-D-24-00093","DOIUrl":"10.7589/JWD-D-24-00093","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion-associated transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that causes fatal neurodegeneration in cervids. One promising method for CWD surveillance is the use of detection dogs trained to differentiate between fecal matter from CWD-positive (infected) and CWD-negative (noninfected) deer. However, using actual fecal matter during the training process confers a biohazard risk. Chronic wasting disease detection dogs trained on fecal matter can differentiate between CWD-positive and CWD-negative training aids, including cotton aids, which are inexpensive and simple to use. However, as most dogs in an applied setting would instead be trained on aids and tasked with finding actual fecal matter in the field, this study examined 1) the extent to which dogs initially trained on CWD-incubated cotton can discriminate between fecal samples from CWD-positive and CWD-negative deer; and 2) the impact of substrate form (cotton ball or cotton roll) on the dogs' detection accuracy. Results show that dogs (n=5) maintained an accuracy of >80% during training while discriminating between cotton ball training aids that had been incubated (noncontact) with deer fecal samples confirmed as either CWD-positive or CWD-negative. When tested with cotton ball training aids incubated with novel samples, dogs (n=4) showed 73% sensitivity and 77% specificity. When presented with deer fecal samples, dogs showed a sensitivity of 50% and a specificity of 90%. The type of cotton (ball or roll) did not significantly influence performance. In sum, cotton aids can be used to train dogs to detect the CWD odor profile effectively. However, an initial reduction in sensitivity suggests that integrating exposure to target fecal matter may enhance detection performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":17602,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Diseases","volume":" ","pages":"600-608"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144127994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High Prevalence of Antigens of and Specific Antibodies Against Various Viral Pathogens in European Wildcats (Felis silvestris) from Southwest Germany, 2020-22.","authors":"Sarah Pauline Stubbe, Johannes Lang, Nicole Nagler, Simon Franz Müller, Michael Lierz","doi":"10.7589/JWD-D-24-00191","DOIUrl":"10.7589/JWD-D-24-00191","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The recent expansion of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) and increasing numbers of domestic cats in Germany are leading to more interactions between domestic cats and wildcats. Not only hybridization, but also the reciprocal transmission of pathogens may occur. This could threaten wildcat populations, or they may act as a reservoir for their domestic relatives. In this study, 102 effusion fluid samples collected from wildcats found dead between 2020 and 2022 in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate were serologically tested for antigens of and specific antibodies against viral pathogens typically found in domestic cats (feline herpesvirus [FHV], feline calicivirus [FCV], feline parvovirus [FPV], feline immunodeficiency virus [FIV], feline coronavirus [FCoV], and feline leukemia virus [FeLV]). Antigens of and/or specific antibodies against at least one virus were detected in 59% of the wildcats. Detected prevalences of specific antibodies against FHV (22.5%), FCV (20.6%), FPV (13.7%), FIV (0%), and FCoV (17.6%) were each 0-22.5%. The prevalence of antigens of FeLV was 28.4%. The high prevalence detected for FeLV antigens possibly shows that wildcats form a reservoir for this virus, as the prevalence in domestic cat populations is significantly lower.</p>","PeriodicalId":17602,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Diseases","volume":" ","pages":"663-673"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144150894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Moderate Neospora caninum Detection in Wild Dog Populations in Southeast Australia.","authors":"Eliza K Stott, Jose L Huaman, Teresa G Carvalho, Christina McCowan, Chloe J Fingland, Jade F Hammer, Alana Websdale, Lee F Skerratt, Carlo Pacioni","doi":"10.7589/JWD-D-24-00149","DOIUrl":"10.7589/JWD-D-24-00149","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Neospora caninum is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes hind-limb paralysis in dogs and abortions in cattle. Recurrent storms of abortions in cattle in Australia are estimated to cause an economic loss of AU$100 million each year, but the source of infection in cattle (i.e., via wild or domestic definitive hosts) remains to be established. We aimed to determine potential sources of horizontal transmission of N. caninum after recent evidence that wild dogs (Canis familiaris) shed N. caninum oocysts in Victoria, Australia. To determine infection levels among wild dogs, samples were collected from three sites in Victoria (n=52) in areas of high wild dog population density (Mansfield, Swifts Creek, and Tallangatta), and N. caninum detection was determined by PCR analysis of blood and duodenal samples. Based on the PCR assay of combined duodenal samples (flotation of duodenal content and just duodenal content), this study detected N. caninum in the fecal material of 11% of wild dogs in Mansfield and 21% of wild dogs in Swifts Creek. This study provides further insight into the possible role of wild dogs as a reservoir of N. caninum in Victoria.</p>","PeriodicalId":17602,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Diseases","volume":" ","pages":"714-718"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144010794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}