Prevalence of antibodies against Brucella spp. in West Greenland polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and East Greenland muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus)

Sonne, Christian; Andersen-Ranberg, Emilie; Rajala, Elisabeth; Agerholm, Jørgen Steen; Bonefeld-Jörgensen, Eva Cecilie; Desforges, Jean‐Pierre; Eulaers, Igor; Gustavson, Kim; Jenssen, Bjørn Munro; Koch, Anders; Rosing‐Asvid, Aqqalu; Schmidt, Nils Martin; Grøndahl, Carsten; Mosbacher, Jesper Bruun; Siebert, Ursula; Tryland, Morten; Mulvad, Gert; Born, Erik W.; Laidre, Kristin L.; Wiig, Øystein; Dietz, Runé; Magnusson, Ulf

doi:10.1007/s00300-018-2307-4

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Greenland was grouped as a special territory. A seroprevalence of 6.25% was reported in 96 polar bears, and 0% was reported in 32 muskoxen examined by serology and without confirmation by culture examination in 2018 [ 67 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Brucellosis in European Terrestrial and Marine Wildlife Species and Its Regional Implications

et al. 2022

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Brucellosis is an important bacterial zoonosis of domestic and wildlife species. This disease has a significant public health concern and is characterized by reproductive failure resulting in economic losses in the livestock industry. Among thirteen known species, B. abortus, B. melitensis, B. suis, and B. canis are human pathogens. Brucellosis has been extensively investigated in humans and domestic animals. However, the situation in wildlife is still not completely reported and studied. Therefore, a systematic literature search and screening were done to clarify the situation of brucellosis in wildlife in Europe. Sixty-five articles from a total of 13,424 reports published between 1991 and 2021 were selected, applying defined inclusion criteria. Wild boars and brown hares were the most often studied terrestrial wildlife species, whereas seals and porpoises were the most often investigated marine wildlife. Poland, Croatia, and Belgium showed the highest seroprevalences of wild boars caused by B. suis biovar 2. In marine wildlife, brucellosis was mainly caused by B. ceti and B. pinnipedialis. Most samples were from carcasses. Thus, sera could not be collected. It is worrisome that B. abortus and B. melitensis were reported from both terrestrial and marine wild animals, posing a zoonotic threat to people exposed to wild animals. Currently, there is no approved vaccine available for wild animals. The main challenges are the development of specific diagnostics and their validation for use in wildlife.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Brucellosis in European Terrestrial and Marine Wildlife Species and Its Regional Implications

et al. 2022

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“…However, data on the distribution of zoonotic pathogens in Arctic key subsistence animals are limited (AMAP, 2015 ), and studies on zoonotic agents in humans and terrestrial mammals from Greenland are few and scattered (e.g. Carlsson et al., 2019 ; Clausen & Hjort, 1986 ; Møller et al., 2010 ; Raundrup et al., 2015 ; Sonne et al., 2018 ). Specifically, no data are available on the prevalence of Giardia duodenalis , Cryptosporidium spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zoonotic pathogens in wild muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) and domestic sheep (Ovis aries) from Greenland

Berg

Stensvold

Jokelainen

et al. 2021

Veterinary Medicine & Sci

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The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of zoonotic pathogens Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., Toxoplasma gondii and Erysipelothrix in muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) and sheep (Ovis aries) from Greenland. In 2017 and 2018, faecal samples were collected from wild muskoxen from three distinct populations (Zackenberg, Kangerlussuaq, and Ivittuut) and from domestic sheep from southwest Greenland.Blood samples were collected from muskoxen from Kangerlussuaq and Ivittuut and from sheep. Faecal samples were tested for specific DNA of G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp., and blood samples were tested for antibodies against T. gondii and Erysipelothrix. The estimated prevalence of G. duodenalis was 0% (0/58), 17% (7/41) and 0% (0/55) in muskoxen from Zackenberg, Kangerlussuaq and Ivittuut, respectively, and 37% (16/43) in sheep. The estimated prevalence of Cryptosporidium was 0% (0/58), 2%(1/41), 7% (4/55) in muskoxen from Zackenberg, Kangerlussuaq, Ivittuut, respectively, and 2% (1/43) in sheep. Neither Giardia nor Cryptosporidium were detected in winter samples (0/78). Of the positive samples, Giardia from one muskox sample only was successfully typed as G. duodenalis assemblage A, and Cryptosporidium from two muskoxen was successfully typed as C. parvum, subtype IIdA20G1e. The estimated T. gondii seroprevalence was 2% (1/44) and 0% (0/8) in muskoxen from Kangerlussuaq and Ivittuut, respectively, and 1% (1/155) in sheep. The estimated Erysipelothrix seroprevalence was 2% (1/45) and 13% (1/8) in muskoxen from Kangerlussuaq and Ivittuut, respectively, and 7% (10/150) in sheep. The results of this study add to the scarce knowledge on zoonotic pathogens in the Arctic.

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Increased pathogen exposure of a marine apex predator over three decades

Rode,

Van Hemert,

Wilson

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Environmental changes associated with global warming create new opportunities for pathogen and parasite transmission in Arctic wildlife. As an apex predator ranging over large, remote areas, changes in pathogens and parasites in polar bears are a useful indicator of changing transmission dynamics in Arctic ecosystems. We examined prevalence and risk factors associated with exposure to parasites and viral and bacterial pathogens in Chukchi Sea polar bears. Serum antibodies to six pathogens were detected and prevalence increased between 1987–1994 and 2008–2017 for five: Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, Francisella tularensis, Brucella abortus/suis, and canine distemper virus. Although bears have increased summer land use, this behavior was not associated with increased exposure. Higher prevalence of F. tularensis, Coxiella burnetii, and B. abortus/suis antibodies in females compared to males, however, could be associated with terrestrial denning. Exposure was related to diet for several pathogens indicating increased exposure in the food web. Elevated white blood cell counts suggest a possible immune response to some pathogens. Given that polar bears face multiple stressors in association with climate change and are a subsistence food, further work is warranted to screen for signs of disease.

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Prevalence of antibodies against Brucella spp. in West Greenland polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and East Greenland muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus)

Cited by 3 publications

References 53 publications

Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Brucellosis in European Terrestrial and Marine Wildlife Species and Its Regional Implications

Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Brucellosis in European Terrestrial and Marine Wildlife Species and Its Regional Implications

Zoonotic pathogens in wild muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) and domestic sheep (Ovis aries) from Greenland

Increased pathogen exposure of a marine apex predator over three decades

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