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Kohut G, Losey R, Kutz S, Khidas K, Nomokonova T. Assessing current visual tooth wear age estimation methods for Rangifer tarandus using a known age sample from Canada. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301408. [PMID: 38564608 PMCID: PMC10986930 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Age estimation is crucial for investigating animal populations in the past and present. Visual examination of tooth wear and eruption is one of the most common ageing methods in zooarchaeology, wildlife management, palaeontology, and veterinary research. Such approaches are particularly advantageous because they are non-destructive, can be completed using photographs, and do not require specialized training. Several tooth wear and eruption methods have been developed for Rangifer tarandus, a widely distributed and long-utilized species in the North. This paper evaluates the practicality and effectiveness of three existing visual tooth wear and eruption methods for this species using a large known-age sample from several caribou populations in northern Canada (Bluenose East, Bluenose West, Dolphin-Union, Qamanirjuaq, and Beverly herds). These methods are evaluated based on: (1) the amount of error and bias between estimated and actual ages, (2) suitable and interpretable results, (3) user-friendly and unambiguous procedures, and (4) which teeth and visual features of those teeth are used to record wear and eruption status. This study finds that the three evaluated methods all have variable errors and biases, and two show extensive biases when applied to older individuals. Demographic data is simpler to generate and more flexible to report when methods allow age to be estimated as a continuous or discrete variable, rather than as age ranges. The dentition samples used by two of the previously developed methods impact their applicability to other populations of Rangifer. In one existing method, individuals were unavailable from some age ranges leaving gaps when assigning ages. For another Rangifer-ageing method, the population utilized was too distinct in morphology or diet to be used with the Canadian caribou analyzed here. Additional refinement of tooth wear and eruption ageing methods will benefit zooarchaeological research on reindeer and caribou remains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Kohut
- Department of Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Robert Losey
- Department of Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Susan Kutz
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Kamal Khidas
- Canadian Museum of Nature and Beaty Center for Species Discovery, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Biology Department, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tatiana Nomokonova
- Department of Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Hopp P, Rolandsen CM, Korpenfelt SL, Våge J, Sörén K, Solberg EJ, Averhed G, Pusenius J, Rosendal T, Ericsson G, Bakka HC, Mysterud A, Gavier-Widén D, Hautaniemi M, Ågren E, Isomursu M, Madslien K, Benestad SL, Nöremark M. Sporadic cases of chronic wasting disease in old moose - an epidemiological study. J Gen Virol 2024; 105. [PMID: 38265285 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases comprise diseases with different levels of contagiousness under natural conditions. The hypothesis has been raised that the chronic wasting disease (CWD) cases detected in Nordic moose (Alces alces) may be less contagious, or not contagious between live animals under field conditions. This study aims to investigate the epidemiology of CWD cases detected in moose in Norway, Sweden and Finland using surveillance data from 2016 to 2022.In total, 18 CWD cases were detected in Nordic moose. All moose were positive for prion (PrPres) detection in the brain, but negative in lymph nodes, all were old (mean 16 years; range 12-20) and all except one, were female. Age appeared to be a strong risk factor, and the sex difference may be explained by few males reaching high age due to hunting targeting calves, yearlings and males.The cases were geographically scattered, distributed over 15 municipalities. However, three cases were detected in each of two areas, Selbu in Norway and Arjeplog-Arvidsjaur in Sweden. A Monte Carlo simulation approach was applied to investigate the likelihood of such clustering occurring by chance, given the assumption of a non-contagious disease. The empirical P-value for obtaining three cases in one Norwegian municipality was less than 0.05, indicating clustering. However, the moose in Selbu were affected by different CWD strains, and over a 6 year period with intensive surveillance, the apparent prevalence decreased, which would not be expected for an ongoing outbreak of CWD. Likewise, the three cases in Arjeplog-Arvidsjaur could also indicate clustering, but management practices promotes a larger proportion of old females and the detection of the first CWD case contributed to increased awareness and sampling.The results of our study show that the CWD cases detected so far in Nordic moose have a different epidemiology compared to CWD cases reported from North America and in Norwegian reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus). The results support the hypothesis that these cases are less contagious or not contagious between live animals under field conditions. To enable differentiation from other types of CWD, we support the use of sporadic CWD (sCWD) among the names already in use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petter Hopp
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 64, NO-1431 Ås, Norway
| | - Christer Moe Rolandsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), P.O. Box 5685 Torgarden, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Jørn Våge
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 64, NO-1431 Ås, Norway
| | - Kaisa Sörén
- National Veterinary Institute (SVA), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Erling Johan Solberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), P.O. Box 5685 Torgarden, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Jyrki Pusenius
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), Yliopistokatu 6, FI-80100 Joensuu, Finland
| | | | - Göran Ericsson
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå, Sweden
| | - Haakon Christopher Bakka
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 64, NO-1431 Ås, Norway
- Present address: Kontali, Fred Olsens gate 1, NO-0152 Oslo, Norway
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | - Erik Ågren
- National Veterinary Institute (SVA), Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Knut Madslien
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 64, NO-1431 Ås, Norway
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Hinton MS, McMillan BR, Hersey KR, Larsen RT. Estimating age of mule deer in the field: Can we move beyond broad age categories? PLoS One 2023; 18:e0284565. [PMID: 37506085 PMCID: PMC10381091 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Age of individuals is an intrinsic demographic parameter used in the modeling and management of wildlife. Although analysis of cementum annuli from teeth is currently the most accurate method used to age ungulates, the age of live ungulates in the field can be estimated by examining tooth wear and tooth replacement patterns. However, there may be limitations to aging based on tooth wear as the rate of tooth wear likely varies among individuals due to factors such as age, diet, environment, and sex. Our objective was to determine the reliability of estimating age for mule deer based on tooth wear and tooth replacement patterns. We compared ages estimated by tooth wear (collected at time of capture for a statewide monitoring effort) to ages determined from cementum analysis (from teeth collected after mortalities of radio-tracked animals from the monitoring effort). Accuracy was high; ages estimated from tooth wear were within one year of cementum ages >75% of the time when aged by experienced observers. Bias in accuracy for estimates of age was low but slightly biased toward underestimation (i.e., 0.6 years on average)-especially as cementum age increased. Our results indicate that aging mule deer using patterns in tooth wear can be reliable if observers estimating age have experience using this method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan S Hinton
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States of America
| | - Brock R McMillan
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States of America
| | - Kent R Hersey
- Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America
| | - Randy T Larsen
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States of America
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Pedersen ÅØ, Bårdsen BJ, Veiberg V, Irvine RJ, Hansen BB. Hunting for ecological indicators: are large herbivore skeleton measures from harvest data useful proxies for monitoring? EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-022-01636-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Hunter-collected data and samples are used as indices of population performance, and monitoring programs often take advantage of such data as ecological indicators. Here, we establish the relationships between measures of skeleton size (lower jawbone length and hind-leg length) and autumn carcass mass of slaughtered individuals of known age and sex of the high Arctic and endemic Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus). We assess these relationships using a long-term monitoring dataset derived from hunted or culled reindeer. The two skeleton measures were generally strongly correlated within age class. Both jaw length (R2 = 0.78) and hind-leg length (R2 = 0.74) represented good proxies of carcass mass. These relationships were primarily due to an age effect (i.e. due to growth) as the skeleton measures reached an asymptotic size at 4–6 years of age. Accordingly, strong positive correlations between skeleton measures and carcass mass were mainly evident at the young age classes (range r [0.45–0.84] for calves and yearlings). For the adults, these relationships weakened due to skeletal growth ceasing in mature animals causing increased variance in mass with age—potentially due to the expected substantial impacts of annual environmental fluctuations. As proxies for carcass mass, skeleton measurements should therefore be limited to young individuals. Although body mass is the ‘gold standard’ in monitoring large herbivores, our results indicate that skeleton measures collected by hunters only provide similar valuable information for young age classes, particularly calves and yearlings. In sum, jaw length and hind-leg length function as proxies identical to body mass when documenting the impacts of changing environmental conditions on important state variables for reindeer and other herbivores inhabiting highly variable environments.
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Mysterud A, Langvatn R, Meisingset EL, Rivrud IM. Agricultural grasslands buffer density effects in red deer populations. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences University of Oslo P.O. Box 1066 Blindern NO‐0316 Oslo Norway
| | | | - Erling L. Meisingset
- Department of Forestry and Forestry Resources Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research Tingvoll gard NO‐6630 Tingvoll Norway
| | - Inger Maren Rivrud
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) Sognsveien 68 NO‐0855 Oslo Norway
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Viciano J, López-Lázaro S, Tanga C. Post-Mortem Dental Profile as a Powerful Tool in Animal Forensic Investigations—A Review. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12162038. [PMID: 36009628 PMCID: PMC9404435 DOI: 10.3390/ani12162038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Veterinary forensics is becoming more important in our society as a result of the growing demand for investigations related to crimes against animals or investigations of criminal deaths caused by animals. A veterinarian may participate as an expert witness or may be required to give forensic assistance, by providing knowledge of the specialty to establish a complete picture of the involvement of an animal and allowing the Courts to reach a verdict. By applying diverse dental profiling techniques, not only can species, sex, age-at-death, and body size of an animal be estimated, but also data about their geographical origin (provenance) and the post-mortem interval. This review concentrates on the dental techniques that use the characteristics of teeth as a means of identification of freshly deceased and skeletonised animals. Furthermore, this highlights the information that can be extracted about the animal from the post-mortem dental profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan Viciano
- Department of Medicine and Ageing Sciences, ‘G. d’Annunzio’ University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- Correspondence: (J.V.); (S.L.-L.); (C.T.)
| | - Sandra López-Lázaro
- Departamento de Antropología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 6850331, Chile
- Forensic Dentistry Lab, Centro de Investigación en Odontología Legal y Forense–CIO–, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile
- Correspondence: (J.V.); (S.L.-L.); (C.T.)
| | - Carmen Tanga
- Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
- Correspondence: (J.V.); (S.L.-L.); (C.T.)
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Magdálek J, Bourgoin G, Vadlejch J. Non-native Nematode Ashworthius sidemi Currently Dominates the Abomasal Parasite Community of Cervid Hosts in the Czech Republic. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:862092. [PMID: 35573405 PMCID: PMC9096835 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.862092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ashworthius sidemi is an abomasal nematode typical for Asiatic cervids such as sambar (Rusa unicolor) or sika deer (Cervus nippon). This non-native parasite was introduced into Europe via sika deer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The current dynamic spread of this parasite amongst autochthonous wild cervids occurs independently of human activities, and A. sidemi has a negative impact on the health of wild ruminants and may pose a threat to the conservation of endangered wild ungulates and to livestock. This invasive parasite has been previously detected in the Czech Republic, but more accurate information on A. sidemi is required. Only limited information is generally available on the factors influencing the spread of abomasal nematodes in wild ruminants, so more information is necessary for planning effective strategies of parasite control. We therefore conducted a survey on the abomasal nematodes in cervids in both game reserves and hunting grounds across the Czech Republic, taking into account the hosts (species, age, sex) and environmental factors (monthly average temperature). The abomasa of 104 animals belonging to five cervid species originating from various locations of the country were collected. Data on host (species, sex, and age group) and the monthly average temperature in the region were obtained for each animal. The parasitological analyses indicated that 92% of the abomasa were infected by nematodes. Ashworthius sidemi was the most prevalent (72%) and abundant (80% of the total recovered individuals) nematode species and was detected in all cervid species except white-tailed deer. The intensity of A. sidemi was highest in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and fallow deer (Dama dama), but A. sidemi abundance did not depend substantially on the host or environmental factors. In contrast, the abundance of nematodes from the subfamily Ostertagiinae was influenced by the host species and temperature. Parasitic load was significantly higher in roe deer and during the warmer periods of the survey. We also detected another non-native nematode species, Spiculopteragia houdemeri. The results of our study suggest that the non-native nematode A. sidemi is now widespread amongst cervid hosts in the Czech Republic, probably due to the high sensitivity of autochthonous cervids to A. sidemi infections as well as adaptation of this parasite to the current climatic conditions of this country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Magdálek
- Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czechia
| | - Gilles Bourgoin
- Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Université de Lyon, VetAgro Sup – Campus Vétérinaire de Lyon, Marcy l'Etoile, France
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, CNRS, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jaroslav Vadlejch
- Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czechia
- *Correspondence: Jaroslav Vadlejch
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Rolandsen CM, Madslien K, Ytrehus B, Hamnes IS, Solberg EJ, Mysterud A, Vikøren T, Våge J, Hanssen O, Miller AL. Distribution, prevalence and intensity of moose nose bot fly ( Cephenemyia ulrichii) larvae in moose ( Alces alces) from Norway. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-PARASITES AND WILDLIFE 2021; 15:120-126. [PMID: 33996444 PMCID: PMC8105593 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
High host density combined with climate change may lead to invasion of harmful parasites in cervid (host) populations. Bot flies (Diptera: Oestridae) are a group of ectoparasites that may have strong impact on their hosts, but data on the current distribution, prevalence and intensity of the moose nose bot fly (Cephenemyia ulrichii) in Scandinavia are lacking. We estimated prevalence and intensity of nose bot fly larvae in 30 moose from southern and 79 moose from central Norway. All larvae detected were identified as the moose nose bot fly. We found surprisingly high prevalence in these areas, which are up to 1300 km south-southwest of the first published location in Norway and west of the distribution in Sweden. Prevalence (0.44-1.00) was higher in areas with higher moose density. Parasite intensity in hunter killed moose was higher in central Norway (mean 5.7) than southern Norway (mean 2.9), and in both regions higher in calves and yearlings than adults. Fallen moose had higher parasite intensity (mean 9.8) compared to hunter killed moose in the subsample from central Norway, suggesting a link to host condition or behavior. Our study provides evidence of parasite range expansion, and establishing monitoring appears urgent to better understand impact on host populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christer M Rolandsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), PO Box 5685 Sluppen, NO-7485, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Knut Madslien
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 750 Sentrum, NO-0106, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bjørnar Ytrehus
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), PO Box 5685 Sluppen, NO-7485, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Inger Sofie Hamnes
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 750 Sentrum, NO-0106, Oslo, Norway
| | - Erling J Solberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), PO Box 5685 Sluppen, NO-7485, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - Turid Vikøren
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 750 Sentrum, NO-0106, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jørn Våge
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 750 Sentrum, NO-0106, Oslo, Norway
| | - Oddvar Hanssen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), PO Box 5685 Sluppen, NO-7485, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Andrea L Miller
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), PO Box 5685 Sluppen, NO-7485, Trondheim, Norway
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