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Clair LS, Hopf-Dennis C, Peters-Kennedy J, Lucio-Forster A, Childs-Sanford S. SARCOPTIC MANGE IN FREE-RANGING NORTH AMERICAN PORCUPINES (ERETHIZON DORSATUM) IN NEW YORK STATE. J Zoo Wildl Med 2024; 54:855-864. [PMID: 38252012 DOI: 10.1638/2023-0060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Sarcoptic mange causes pruritic and crusting dermatitis in a large number of mammalian species with varying population impacts. Between 2016 and 2022, 15 North American porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) were diagnosed with sarcoptic mange at Cornell University's Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital in Ithaca, New York. Disease severity varied among individuals but all shared a similar unique presentation with thick, pale tan to yellow crusts limited in distribution to the ventral, nonquilled areas of the body, including the ventral abdomen and thorax, distal limbs, and face. The thick, hard nature of the crusts resulted in additional complications in many individuals, including inability to move the jaw and cracking and fissuring of the crusts and skin over joints of the limbs. Mites were plentiful within the crusts, with some burrowing into the epidermis as deep as the stratum spinosum. Secondary bacterial and/or fungal dermatitis were common, resulting in sepsis and death in three of the porcupines. Treatment with avermectins (ivermectin and/or selamectin) for 4-5 wk was successful in 12 cases in combination with other supportive care measures, including subcutaneous fluids, antimicrobials, and analgesics. Porcupines were hospitalized for an average of 18 d (ranging from 7 to 50 d) prior to transfer to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for continued treatment and eventual release back into the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura St Clair
- Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA,
| | - Cynthia Hopf-Dennis
- Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Jeanine Peters-Kennedy
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Araceli Lucio-Forster
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Sara Childs-Sanford
- Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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Wu Q, Chen L, Zhang Q, Jin X, Tang L, Zhang X, Liu Y, Li J, Pei J, Zhu Q, Jin S, Zhao Q, Shen J, Zhao Z, Jin Y, He H, Gu X, Yang M. Sarcoptic mange is an emerging threat to biodiversity in the Qinling Mountains in China. Transbound Emerg Dis 2022; 69:3724-3736. [PMID: 36251176 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14741] [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: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Sarcoptic mange, a disease caused by the burrowing mite Sarcoptes scabiei, is globally endemic and an emerging threat to wildlife. Although many studies have shown that wildlife diseases play key roles in biodiversity conservation, knowledge about sarcoptic mange is still insufficient. In this study, we aim to improve the understanding of the impacts of sarcoptic mange on wildlife populations, the mechanisms involved in its eco-epidemiology and the associated risks to public and ecosystem health by investigating mass death events in gorals and serows in the Qinling Mountains. We conducted interviews with practitioners and local people in the central Qinling Mountains. From the same locations, we collected 24 cutaneous samples from various animals and surveillance data from infrared cameras. Pathological, parasitological and microbiological examinations of the samples were performed. Mite-induced cutaneous lesions, mites and eggs were observed in samples from dead gorals and one dead serow but not in other species. Molecular analysis confirmed the mites to be S. scabiei and shared the same cox 1 genotype. The data obtained from the interviews and infrared cameras indicated that the death of wildlife was related to sarcoptic mange infection and that there had been a decrease in the goral population since the outbreak of the disease. We confirmed that sarcoptic mange was the major cause of the mass death events and may have spread from the western to eastern Qinling Mountains. Based on our findings, we propose several protection strategies to help preserve biodiversity in the Qinling Mountains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaoxing Wu
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Qinling Ecological Security, Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, China.,Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Liang Chen
- Niubeiliang National Nature Reserve of Shaanxi, Xi'an, China
| | - Qiqi Zhang
- Niubeiliang National Nature Reserve of Shaanxi, Xi'an, China
| | - Xuelin Jin
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Qinling Ecological Security, Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, China
| | - Liubin Tang
- Foping National Reserve of Shaanxi, Hanzhong, China
| | - Xueli Zhang
- Qinling Ecology and Environment Protection and Comprehensive Law Enforcement Bureau of Chang'an District, Xi'an, China
| | - Yuqiang Liu
- Forestry Resources Protection Center of Chang'an District, Xi'an, China
| | - Jun'an Li
- Taibai Mountain National Reserve of Shaanxi, Yangling, China
| | - Junfeng Pei
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Qinling Ecological Security, Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, China
| | - Qifeng Zhu
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Qinling Ecological Security, Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, China
| | | | - Qingxia Zhao
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Qinling Ecological Security, Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, China
| | - Jie Shen
- Forestry Resources Protection Center of Chang'an District, Xi'an, China
| | - Zemin Zhao
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Qinling Ecological Security, Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, China
| | - Yipeng Jin
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Qinling Ecological Security, Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, China.,College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Hongxuan He
- Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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