International meeting on sarcoptic mange in wildlife, June 2018, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

Abstract

Sarcoptic mange is a globally distributed disease caused by the burrowing mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which also causes scabies in humans. A wide and increasing number of wild mammal species are reported to be susceptible to mange; however, the impacts of the disease in wildlife populations, mechanisms involved in its eco-epidemiological dynamics, and risks to public and ecosystem health are still unclear. Major gaps exist concerning S. scabiei host specificity and the mechanisms involved in the different presentations of the disease, which change between individuals and species. Immunological responses to the mite may have a relevant role explaining these different susceptibilities, as these affect the clinical signs, and consequently, the severity of the disease. Recently, some studies have suggested sarcoptic mange as an emerging threat for wildlife, based on several outbreaks with increased severity, geographical expansions, and novel wild hosts affected. Disease ecology experts convened for the “International Meeting on Sarcoptic Mange in Wildlife” on 4–5 June 2018, hosted by the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA. The meeting had a structure of (i) pre-workshop review; (ii) presentation and discussions; and (iii) identification of priority research questions to understand sarcoptic mange in wildlife. The workgroup concluded that research priorities should be on determining the variation in modes of transmission for S. scabiei in wildlife, factors associated with the variation of disease severity among species, and long-terms effects of the mange in wildlife populations. In this note we summarize the main discussions and research gaps identified by the experts.

A Serosurvey of Multiple Pathogens in American Black Bears (Ursus americanus) in Pennsylvania, USA Indicates a Lack of Association with Sarcoptic Mange

“…The potential role of co-infections in cases of clinical sarcoptic mange is incompletely understood in any animal or human host [61]. In this study, the presence of antibodies to several common pathogens in bears was not associated with sarcoptic mange.…”

A review of sarcoptic mange in North American wildlife

“…In some reports, morphological features specific to S. scabiei were not thoroughly described, and there is possibility of mis-identification. Astorga et al (2018) also provide a map showing the distribution of hosts in North America documented to have sarcoptic mange.

Fig. 3North American mammals with clinical sarcoptic mange.

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Sarcoptic mange; an emerging threat to Chilean wild mammals?

“…Data also support an increasing number of species observed with abnormal alopecia and a potential increment of cases within specific taxa. This suggested trend follows the current global emergence of sarcoptic mange in wildlife (Astorga et al, 2018;Niedringhaus et al, 2019).…”

“…Indeed, this mite is continuously reported in new species (Gonzalez-Astudillo et al, 2018), it can devastate populations of wild species (Martin et al, 2017) and it is currently considered a global emerging threat for wildlife conservation (Astorga et al, 2018). Further, S. scabiei may interact with other conservation threats or it could generate fragmented populations susceptible to stochastic events.…”

“…Further, the globally emerging sarcoptic mange (Astorga et al, 2018), caused by the burrowing mite Sarcoptes scabiei, has been anecdotally reported in wild mammals of Chile (Alvarado et al, 2004;Verdugo et al, 2016), including within protected areas (PAs; Cunazza and Diaz, 2014;López Jiménez, 2018). Worryingly, this skin disease can have catastrophic effects on wild populations as seen in other places around the world (Martin et al, 2017).…”