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Conteddu K, English HM, Byrne AW, Amin B, Griffin LL, Kaur P, Morera-Pujol V, Murphy KJ, Salter-Townshend M, Smith AF, Ciuti S. A scoping review on bovine tuberculosis highlights the need for novel data streams and analytical approaches to curb zoonotic diseases. Vet Res 2024; 55:64. [PMID: 38773649 PMCID: PMC11110237 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-024-01314-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Zoonotic diseases represent a significant societal challenge in terms of their health and economic impacts. One Health approaches to managing zoonotic diseases are becoming more prevalent, but require novel thinking, tools and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is one example of a costly One Health challenge with a complex epidemiology involving humans, domestic animals, wildlife and environmental factors, which require sophisticated collaborative approaches. We undertook a scoping review of multi-host bTB epidemiology to identify trends in species publication focus, methodologies, and One Health approaches. We aimed to identify knowledge gaps where novel research could provide insights to inform control policy, for bTB and other zoonoses. The review included 532 articles. We found different levels of research attention across episystems, with a significant proportion of the literature focusing on the badger-cattle-TB episystem, with far less attention given to tropical multi-host episystems. We found a limited number of studies focusing on management solutions and their efficacy, with very few studies looking at modelling exit strategies. Only a small number of studies looked at the effect of human disturbances on the spread of bTB involving wildlife hosts. Most of the studies we reviewed focused on the effect of badger vaccination and culling on bTB dynamics with few looking at how roads, human perturbations and habitat change may affect wildlife movement and disease spread. Finally, we observed a lack of studies considering the effect of weather variables on bTB spread, which is particularly relevant when studying zoonoses under climate change scenarios. Significant technological and methodological advances have been applied to bTB episystems, providing explicit insights into its spread and maintenance across populations. We identified a prominent bias towards certain species and locations. Generating more high-quality empirical data on wildlife host distribution and abundance, high-resolution individual behaviours and greater use of mathematical models and simulations are key areas for future research. Integrating data sources across disciplines, and a "virtuous cycle" of well-designed empirical data collection linked with mathematical and simulation modelling could provide additional gains for policy-makers and managers, enabling optimised bTB management with broader insights for other zoonoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly Conteddu
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Holly M English
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Andrew W Byrne
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, One Health Scientific Support Unit, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Bawan Amin
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Laura L Griffin
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Prabhleen Kaur
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Virginia Morera-Pujol
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Kilian J Murphy
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - Adam F Smith
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- The Frankfurt Zoological Society, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of National Park Monitoring and Animal Management, Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
| | - Simone Ciuti
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Ryan E, Breslin P, O'Keeffe J, Byrne AW, Wrigley K, Barrett D. The Irish bTB eradication programme: combining stakeholder engagement and research-driven policy to tackle bovine tuberculosis. Ir Vet J 2023; 76:32. [PMID: 37996956 PMCID: PMC10666303 DOI: 10.1186/s13620-023-00255-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
A new Irish bovine tuberculosis (bTB) eradication strategy was launched in 2021. The strategy was formulated following extensive discussions with stakeholders, formal reviews of several aspects of the existing bTB policy and relevant inputs from the latest scientific research projects. A stakeholder discussion body, the TB Forum, had been established in 2018 and this continues under the new strategy, supported by three working groups (scientific, financial and implementation). The strategy sets out actions to address cattle-to-cattle and badger-to-cattle bTB transmission, along with actions to improve farm biosecurity and empower farmers to make their own choices to reduce bTB risk.Large scale vaccination of badgers has been rolled out under the new strategy, with over 20,000 km2 covered by the vaccination programme and 6,586 badgers captured in vaccination areas in 2021. Vaccination efforts have been complemented by intensive communications campaigns, including a web enabled software application ("app") enabling farmers to report the location of badger setts.Cattle which test inconclusive to the tuberculin skin test have been re-tested using a gamma interferon blood test since April 2021, enabling truly infected cattle to be identified more effectively due to the higher sensitivity of this test. An enhanced oversight process has been put in place for herds experiencing extended or repeat bTB breakdowns. Whole genome sequencing is being used to investigate links between breakdowns, with the results supporting operational decision making in case management.Communications, including biosecurity advice, are co-designed with stakeholders, in order to improve their effectiveness. A programme involving veterinary practitioners providing tailored biosecurity bTB advice to their clients was established in 2021 and was rolled out nationally during 2022.A core element of the new strategy is the continual improvement of policies in response to changing bTB risks, informed by scientific research and then implemented with stakeholder consultation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eoin Ryan
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Kildare St, Dublin, 2, Ireland.
| | - Philip Breslin
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Kildare St, Dublin, 2, Ireland
| | - James O'Keeffe
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Kildare St, Dublin, 2, Ireland
| | - Andrew W Byrne
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Kildare St, Dublin, 2, Ireland
| | - Karina Wrigley
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Kildare St, Dublin, 2, Ireland
| | - Damien Barrett
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Kildare St, Dublin, 2, Ireland
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Redpath SHA, Marks NJ, Menzies FD, O'Hagan MJH, Wilson RP, Smith S, Magowan EA, McClune DW, Collins SF, McCormick CM, Scantlebury DM. Impact of test, vaccinate or remove protocol on home ranges and nightly movements of badgers a medium density population. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2592. [PMID: 36788237 PMCID: PMC9929337 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28620-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In the British Isles, the European badger (Meles meles) is thought to be the primary wildlife reservoir of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), an endemic disease in cattle. Test, vaccinate or remove ('TVR') of bTB test-positive badgers, has been suggested to be a potentially useful protocol to reduce bTB incidence in cattle. However, the practice of removing or culling badgers is controversial both for ethical reasons and because there is no consistent observed effect on bTB levels in cattle. While removing badgers reduces population density, it may also result in disruption of their social behaviour, increase their ranging, and lead to greater intra- and inter-species bTB transmission. This effect has been recorded in high badger density areas, such as in southwest England. However, little is known about how TVR affects the behaviour and movement of badgers within a medium density population, such as those that occur in Northern Ireland (NI), which the current study aimed to examine. During 2014-2017, badger ranging behaviours were examined prior to and during a TVR protocol in NI. Nightly distances travelled by 38 individuals were determined using Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements of animal tracks and GPS-enhanced dead-reckoned tracks. The latter was calculated using GPS, tri-axial accelerometer and tri-axial magnetometer data loggers attached to animals. Home range and core home range size were measured using 95% and 50% autocorrelated kernel density estimates, respectively, based on location fixes. TVR was not associated with measured increases in either distances travelled per night (mean = 3.31 ± 2.64 km) or home range size (95% mean = 1.56 ± 0.62 km2, 50% mean = 0.39 ± 0.62 km2) over the four years of study. However, following trapping, mean distances travelled per night increased by up to 44% eight days post capture. Findings differ from those observed in higher density badger populations in England, in which badger ranging increased following culling. Whilst we did not assess behaviours of individual badgers, possible reasons why no differences in home range size were observed include higher inherent 'social fluidity' in Irish populations whereby movements are less restricted by habitat saturation and/or that the numbers removed did not reach a threshold that might induce increases in ranging behaviour. Nevertheless, short-term behavioural disruption from trapping was observed, which led to significant increases in the movements of individual animals within their home range. Whether or not TVR may alter badger behaviours remains to be seen, but it would be better to utilise solutions such as oral vaccination of badgers and/or cattle as well as increased biosecurity to limit bTB transmission, which may be less likely to cause interference and thereby reduce the likelihood of bTB transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie H A Redpath
- School of Biological Sciences, Queens' University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
- Veterinary Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, BT4 3SD, Northern Ireland
| | - Nikki J Marks
- School of Biological Sciences, Queens' University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - Fraser D Menzies
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Veterinary Epidemiology Unit, Belfast, BT4 3SB, Northern Ireland
| | - Maria J H O'Hagan
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Veterinary Epidemiology Unit, Belfast, BT4 3SB, Northern Ireland
| | - Rory P Wilson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, Wales
| | - Sinéad Smith
- School of Biological Sciences, Queens' University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - Elizabeth A Magowan
- School of Biological Sciences, Queens' University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - David W McClune
- School of Biological Sciences, Queens' University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - Shane F Collins
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Veterinary Epidemiology Unit, Belfast, BT4 3SB, Northern Ireland
| | - Carl M McCormick
- Veterinary Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, BT4 3SD, Northern Ireland
| | - D Michael Scantlebury
- School of Biological Sciences, Queens' University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland.
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Kelly DJ, Marples NM, Byrne RL, Fogarty U, Kenny K, Cameron H, Griffin D, Holland CV. An investigation of Mycobacterium bovis and helminth coinfection in the European badger Meles meles. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY: PARASITES AND WILDLIFE 2022; 19:311-316. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2022.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Rayner K, Sullivan M, Sims C, Cowen S. A pain in the neck: weak links are not a reliable release mechanism for radio-collars. AUSTRALIAN MAMMALOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/am20065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Collars are an attachment method commonly used to mount data collection devices on wildlife. Removal of collars at the completion of a data collection period is a high priority for the purpose of animal welfare, but retrieval of collars can often be difficult. Weak links or other drop-off devices are used by researchers with the intention of improving collar retrieval rates, and for mitigation of animal welfare risks associated with collar entanglement. However, the design and effectiveness of such devices is not regularly reported in detail in the literature. We surveyed wildlife researchers to collate and communicate their experiences with weak links, and assess their attitudes towards collaring Australian mammals in the 35–5500 g weight range. Forty-five researchers responded to the survey, of whom 25 had used weak links in at least one study. There was very little consistency between the performances of weak links, with researchers finding them effective in less than half of the scenarios reported upon. Outcomes varied depending on the type of material used for the link, the species being collared, and the environmental conditions under which the collars were being deployed. We recommend (1) researchers test weak links prior to deployment; (2) users to not rely upon weak links as the primary method of collar retrieval; and (3) continued communication of design and outcomes of all radio-collars deployed including those with weak links.
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Gaughran A, Mullen E, MacWhite T, Maher P, Kelly DJ, Kelly R, Good M, Marples NM. Badger territoriality maintained despite disturbance of major road construction. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0242586. [PMID: 34478443 PMCID: PMC8415604 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Road ecology has traditionally focused on the impact of in-situ and functional roads on wildlife. However, road construction also poses a major, yet understudied, threat and the implications for key aspects of animal behaviour are unknown. Badgers (Meles meles) have been implicated in the transmission of tuberculosis to cattle. There are concerns that environmental disturbances, including major road construction, can disrupt badger territoriality, promoting the spread of the disease to cattle. To address these knowledge gaps the ranging behaviour of a medium-density Irish badger population was monitored using GPS-tracking collars before, during, and after a major road realignment project that bisected the study area. We estimated badgers' home range sizes, nightly distances travelled, and the distance and frequency of extra-territorial excursions during each phase of the study and quantified any changes to these parameters. We show that road construction had a very limited effect on ranging behaviour. A small increase in nightly distance during road construction did not translate into an increase in home range size, nor an increase in the distance or frequency of extra-territorial excursions during road construction. In addition, suitable mitigation measures to prevent badger deaths appeared to ensure that normal patterns of ranging behaviour continued once the new road was in place. We recommend that continuous badger-proof fencing be placed along the entire length of new major roads, in combination with appropriately sited underpasses. Our analysis supports the view that road construction did not cause badgers to change their ranging behaviour in ways likely to increase the spread of tuberculosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aoibheann Gaughran
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Enda Mullen
- Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Teresa MacWhite
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Peter Maher
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Dublin, Ireland
| | - David J. Kelly
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Ruth Kelly
- Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Northern Ireland, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Margaret Good
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Nicola M. Marples
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Extra Territorial Excursions by European badgers are not limited by age, sex or season. Sci Rep 2020; 10:9665. [PMID: 32541685 PMCID: PMC7296015 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66809-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
European badgers (Meles meles) in medium and high density populations show strong territorial behaviour. Territories in these populations are contiguous, well-marked and often unchanging over many years. However, badgers do not always stay within their territorial boundaries. In our medium-density population, most individual badgers made extra-territorial excursions (ETEs) throughout the year. ETEs were most frequent between April and September and least frequent in December and January (the period of winter lethargy). Male badgers made longer and more frequent ETEs than females (especially between January and March, and in autumn). Breeding females made longer and more frequent ETEs than non-breeding females in November. While these peaks correspond with the main mating seasons, mating activity does not explain ETEs throughout the year. The shorter, but more frequent, ETEs in summer months may serve a monitoring purpose, rather than simply providing additional mating opportunities with badgers from outside the 'home' social group. We found that young badgers did not make regular ETEs until the summer of their second year. If badgers could be vaccinated as cubs, this would reduce any potential risk of TB spread during ETEs.
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