Serological survey of selected canine viral pathogens and zoonoses in grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) and black bears (Ursus americanus) from Alaska

Abstract

Between 1988 and 1991,644 serum samples were collected from 480 grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) and 40 black bears (Ursus americanus) from Alaska, United States of America, and were tested for selected canine viral infections and zoonoses. Antibody prevalence in grizzly bears was 0% for parvovirus, 8.3% (40/480) for distemper, 14% (68/480) for infectious hepatitis, 16.5% (79/480) for brucellosis, 19% (93/480) for tularaemia and 47% (225/478) for trichinellosis. In black bears, prevalence ranged from 0% for distemper and parvovirus to 27.5% for trichinellosis and 32% for tularaemia. Antibody prevalence for brucellosis (2.5%) and tularaemia (32%) were identical for grizzly bears and black bears from the geographical area of interior Alaska. Links between differences in prevalence and the origin of the grizzly bears were observed. Antibodies to canine distemper virus and infectious hepatitis virus were mainly detected in grizzly bears from Kodiak Island and the Alaskan Peninsula. Brucellosis antibodies were prevalent in grizzly bears from western and northern Alaska, whereas tularaemia antibodies were detected in grizzly bears from interior Alaska and the Arctic. There was a strong gradient for antibodies to Trichinella spp. from southern to northern Alaska. For most diseases, antibody prevalence increased with age. However, for several infections, no antibodies were detected in grizzly bears aged from 0 to 2 years, in contrast to the presence of those infections in black bears. Grizzly bears served as excellent sentinels for surveillance of zoonotic infections in wildlife in Alaska.

An Outbreak of Trichinellosis Due to Consumption of Bear Meat Infected withTrichinella nativa,in 2 Northern Saskatchewan Communities

“…The result from BC is similar to those from Alaska and Montana, where 27% and 5-10% of black bears were found to be infected, respectively [21,22].…”

A Serologic Survey for Antibodies to Three Canine Viruses in Wolverines (Gulo gulo) from the Brooks Range, Alaska

“…The failure to find any animals seropositive for CAV, as well as our low seroprevalence of CPV-2, agrees with a serologic survey of Alaska grizzly bears (Chomel et al, 1998). In that study, bears from southern Alaska had substantially higher seroprevalence of CAV-1 than bears from interior Alaska where our wolverine samples were sampled.…”

Morbillivirus and Toxoplasma Exposure and Association with Hematological Parameters for Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bears: Potential Response to Infectious Agents in a Sentinel Species

“…In Alaska and Russia (Bering, Chukchi, and East Siberian seas), CDV prevalence has ranged from 26%-46% depending upon sample year (Follmann et al, 1996). Morbilliviral antibodies have also been detected in terrestrial Arctic-dwelling carnivores in Alaska, including grizzly bears (Chomel et al, 1998;Philippa et al, 2004) and wolves (Canis lupus) (Zarnke et al, 2004). Evidence of CDV in arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) has been mostly anecdotal, however, they are hypothesized to have been the source of infection for distemper outbreaks among sled dogs in the Arctic (Bohm et al, 1989;Campbell et al, 2007).…”