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Zheng W, Diao NC, Wang Q, Wang CY, Su N, Yin JY, Tian T, Shi K, Du R. Worldwide Swine Tuberculosis-Positive Rate and Associated Risk Factors, 1966-2020: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2024; 24:181-195. [PMID: 38306180 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2023.0068] [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: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic, zoonotic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that infects not only humans but also animals such as pigs, cows, buffaloes, sheep, and goats. Among them, pigs are one of the main food animals in the world. If pigs are infected with M. tuberculosis, meat products will be negatively affected, causing economic losses to the livestock industry. There is currently no systematic epidemiological assessment of swine TB in the world, so it is important to know the prevalence of swine, and these data are currently lacking, so we performed a statistical analysis. Results: We searched 6791 articles and finally included data from 35,303 pigs from 15 countries or territories, showing a combined prevalence of TB in pigs of 12.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.2 to 15.9). Among them, the prevalence rate of swine TB in Europe was 15.2% (95% CI: 11.1 to 20.7, 2491/25,050), which was higher compared with other continents, and the difference was significant; the positive rate of PCR method was higher in the detection method subgroup, which was 15.7% (95% CI: 8.0 to 31.0, 376/2261); Mycobacterium bovis was detected in pigs in the M. tuberculosis typing group (9.5%, 95% CI: 6.7 to 13.5, 1364/21,430). The positive rate is higher compared with Mycobacterium capris. Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis is the first to determine the global prevalence of TB in swine herds. Although the seroprevalence of swine TB in this article is very low, the harm of TB cannot be ignored. It is important to take effective control and preventive measures to stop the spread of TB to reduce the impact of diseased pigs on animal husbandry and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zheng
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, P.R. China
| | - Nai-Chao Diao
- College of Chinese Medicine Materials, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, P.R. China
| | - Qi Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, P.R. China
| | - Chun-Yu Wang
- Jilin Heyuan Bioengineering Co., Ltd., Songyuan, P.R. China
| | - Nuo Su
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, P.R. China
| | - Ji-Ying Yin
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, P.R. China
| | - Tian Tian
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, P.R. China
| | - Kun Shi
- College of Chinese Medicine Materials, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, P.R. China
| | - Rui Du
- College of Chinese Medicine Materials, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, P.R. China
- Laboratory of Production and Product Application of Sika Deer of Jilin Province, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, P.R. China
- Key Lab of Animal Production, Product Quality and Security, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, P.R. China
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2
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Anderson DP, Rouco C, Latham MC, Warburton B. Understanding spatially explicit capture–recapture parameters for informing invasive animal management. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Carlos Rouco
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research Lincoln New Zealand
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology University of Cordoba Córdoba Spain
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3
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Crispell J, Cassidy S, Kenny K, McGrath G, Warde S, Cameron H, Rossi G, MacWhite T, White PCL, Lycett S, Kao RR, Moriarty J, Gordon SV. Mycobacterium bovis genomics reveals transmission of infection between cattle and deer in Ireland. Microb Genom 2020; 6:mgen000388. [PMID: 32553050 PMCID: PMC7641417 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Control of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, in the Republic of Ireland costs €84 million each year. Badgers are recognized as being a wildlife source for M. bovis infection of cattle. Deer are thought to act as spillover hosts for infection; however, population density is recognized as an important driver in shifting their epidemiological role, and deer populations across the country have been increasing in density and range. County Wicklow represents one specific area in the Republic of Ireland with a high density of deer that has had consistently high bTB prevalence for over a decade, despite control operations in both cattle and badgers. Our research used whole-genome sequencing of M. bovis sourced from infected cattle, deer and badgers in County Wicklow to evaluate whether the epidemiological role of deer could have shifted from spillover host to source. Our analyses reveal that cattle and deer share highly similar M. bovis strains, suggesting that transmission between these species is occurring in the area. In addition, the high level of diversity observed in the sampled deer population suggests deer may be acting as a source of infection for local cattle populations. These findings have important implications for the control and ultimate eradication of bTB in Ireland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Crispell
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Data Science Campus, Office for National Statistics, Newport, UK
| | - Sophie Cassidy
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Kevin Kenny
- Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, Backweston, County Kildare, Ireland
| | - Guy McGrath
- UCD Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis (CVERA), School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Susan Warde
- Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, Backweston, County Kildare, Ireland
| | - Henrietta Cameron
- Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, Backweston, County Kildare, Ireland
| | - Gianluigi Rossi
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Teresa MacWhite
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Backweston, County Kildare, Ireland
| | - Piran C. L. White
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5NG, UK
| | | | - Rowland R. Kao
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - John Moriarty
- Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, Backweston, County Kildare, Ireland
| | - Stephen V. Gordon
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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4
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Margetts BI, Ross JG, Buckley HL. Measuring Home‐Range Changes Following Density Reduction of Australian Brushtail Possum. J Wildl Manage 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Belinda I. Margetts
- Centre for Wildlife Management & ConservationLincoln University P.O. Box 85084 Lincoln 7647 New Zealand
| | - James G. Ross
- Centre for Wildlife Management & ConservationLincoln University P.O. Box 85084 Lincoln 7647 New Zealand
| | - Hannah L. Buckley
- Department of EcologyLincoln University P.O. Box 85084 Lincoln 7647 New Zealand
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5
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Santos N, Nunes T, Fonseca C, Vieira-Pinto M, Almeida V, Gortázar C, Correia-Neves M. Spatial Analysis of Wildlife Tuberculosis Based on a Serologic Survey Using Dried Blood Spots, Portugal. Emerg Infect Dis 2019; 24:2169-2175. [PMID: 30457522 PMCID: PMC6256377 DOI: 10.3201/eid2412.171357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the spatial epidemiology of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in wildlife in a multihost system. We surveyed bovine TB in Portugal by serologic analysis of elutes of dried blood spots obtained from hunted wild boar. We modeled spatial disease risk by using areal generalized linear mixed models with conditional autoregressive priors. Antibodies against Mycobaterium bovis were detected in 2.4% (95% CI 1.5%-3.8%) of 678 wild boar in 2 geographic clusters, and the predicted risk fits well with independent reports of M. bovis culture. Results show that elutes are an almost perfect substitute for serum (Cohen unweighted κ = 0.818), indicating that serologic tests coupled with dried blood spots are an effective strategy for large-scale bovine TB surveys, using wild boar as sentinel species. Results also show that bovine TB is an emerging wildlife disease and stress the need to prevent further geographic spread and prevalence increase.
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6
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Hollingdale E, Pérez-Barbería FJ, Walker DM. Inferring symmetric and asymmetric interactions between animals and groups from positional data. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0208202. [PMID: 30540835 PMCID: PMC6291231 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Interactions between domestic and wild species has become a global problem of growing interest. Global Position Systems (GPS) allow collection of vast records of time series of animal spatial movement, but there is need for developing analytical methods to efficiently use this information to unravel species interactions. This study assesses different methods to infer interactions and their symmetry between individual animals, social groups or species. We used two data sets, (i) a simulated one of the movement of two grazing species under different interaction scenarios by-species and by-individual, and (ii) a real time series of GPS data on the movements of sheep and deer grazing a large moorland plot. Different time series transformations were applied to capture the behaviour of the data (convex hull area, kth nearest neighbour distance, distance to centre of mass, Voronoi tessellation area, distance to past position) to assess their efficiency in inferring the interactions using different techniques (cross correlation, Granger causality, network properties). The results indicate that the methods are more efficient assessing by-group interaction than by-individual interaction, and different transformations produce different outputs of the nature of the interaction. Both species maintained a consistent by-species grouping structure. The results do not provide clear evidence of inter-species interaction based on the traditional framework of niche partitioning in the guild of large herbivores. In view of the transformation-dependent results, it seems that in our experimental framework both species co-exist showing complex interactions. We provide guidelines for the use of the different transformations with respect to study aims and data quality. The study attempts to provide behavioural ecologists with tools to infer animal interactions and their symmetry based on positional data recorded by visual observation, conventional telemetry or GPS technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Hollingdale
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Perth, WA, Australia
| | | | - David McPetrie Walker
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Perth, WA, Australia
- * E-mail:
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7
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Nugent G, Gormley AM, Anderson DP, Crews K. Roll-Back Eradication of Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) From Wildlife in New Zealand: Concepts, Evolving Approaches, and Progress. Front Vet Sci 2018; 5:277. [PMID: 30483516 PMCID: PMC6240584 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The New Zealand government and agricultural industries recently jointly adopted the goal of nationally eradicating bovine tuberculosis (TB) from livestock and wildlife reservoirs by 2055. Only Australia has eradicated TB from a wildlife maintenance host. Elsewhere the disease is often self-sustaining in a variety of wildlife hosts, usually making eradication an intractable problem. The New Zealand strategy for eradicating TB from wildlife is based on quantitative assessment using a Bayesian “Proof of Freedom” framework. This is used to assess the probability that TB has been locally eradicated from a given area. Here we describe the framework (the concepts, methods and tools used to assess TB freedom and how they are being applied and updated). We then summarize recent decision theory research aimed at optimizing the balance between the risk of falsely declaring areas free and the risk of overspending on disease management when the disease is already locally extinct. We explore potential new approaches for further optimizing the allocation of management resources, especially for places where existing methods are impractical or expensive, including using livestock as sentinels. We also describe how the progressive roll-back of locally eradicated areas scales up operationally and quantitatively to achieve and confirm eradication success over the entire country. Lastly, we review the progress made since the framework was first formally adopted in 2011. We conclude that eradication of TB from New Zealand is feasible, and that we are well on the way to achieving this outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham Nugent
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
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8
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Low-dose BCG vaccination protects free-ranging cattle against naturally-acquired bovine tuberculosis. Vaccine 2018; 36:7338-7344. [PMID: 30327211 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Revised: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Vaccination of cattle with Mycobacterium bovis BCG has been shown to protect against infection with virulent strains of M. bovis, and against resultant bovine tuberculosis (TB). Here we report on a large-scale trial in New Zealand where free-ranging cattle were vaccinated with 3 x 105 BCG via injection, a lower dose than any previously trialed in cattle against exposure to a natural force of M. bovis infection. In a multi-year enrolment study involving >800 animals, three cohorts of 1-2 year old cattle were randomised to receive vaccine or to serve as non-vaccinated controls. Cattle were slaughtered and subject to standard abattoir post mortem examination for M. bovis culture-positive TB lesions after up to 3.7 years of in-field exposure; additionally, lymph node samples from approximately half of the cattle were examined further to identify infection in the absence of lesions. Overall TB prevalence, as identified by gross lesions detected at slaughter, was low among farmed cattle at the study site (<4% annually). There were two lesioned cases among 520 vaccinated trial cattle (0.38%) compared to eight among 297 non-vaccinated trial cattle (2.69%). Trial vaccine efficacy was 85.7% against abattoir-detectable TB (statistically significant protection), and 86.7% when adjusted for duration of exposure. BCG vaccination did not significantly affect the response rates of cattle to ante mortem skin- or blood-tests in diagnostic tests conducted >7 months post-vaccination. Use of a reduced, yet effective, dose of BCG would increase the cost effectiveness of using this vaccine in a bovine TB control programme.
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9
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Dougherty ER, Seidel DP, Carlson CJ, Spiegel O, Getz WM. Going through the motions: incorporating movement analyses into disease research. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:588-604. [PMID: 29446237 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Revised: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Though epidemiology dates back to the 1700s, most mathematical representations of epidemics still use transmission rates averaged at the population scale, especially for wildlife diseases. In simplifying the contact process, we ignore the heterogeneities in host movements that complicate the real world, and overlook their impact on spatiotemporal patterns of disease burden. Movement ecology offers a set of tools that help unpack the transmission process, letting researchers more accurately model how animals within a population interact and spread pathogens. Analytical techniques from this growing field can also help expose the reverse process: how infection impacts movement behaviours, and therefore other ecological processes like feeding, reproduction, and dispersal. Here, we synthesise the contributions of movement ecology in disease research, with a particular focus on studies that have successfully used movement-based methods to quantify individual heterogeneity in exposure and transmission risk. Throughout, we highlight the rapid growth of both disease and movement ecology and comment on promising but unexplored avenues for research at their overlap. Ultimately, we suggest, including movement empowers ecologists to pose new questions, expanding our understanding of host-pathogen dynamics and improving our predictive capacity for wildlife and even human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric R Dougherty
- Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Dana P Seidel
- Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Colin J Carlson
- Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Orr Spiegel
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Wayne M Getz
- Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Schools of Mathematical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
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10
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Rouco C, Jewell C, Richardson K, French N, Buddle B, Tompkins D. Brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) social interactions and their implications for bovine tuberculosis epidemiology. BEHAVIOUR 2018. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The brushtail possum is the main reservoir of bovine tuberculosis in New Zealand. Disease prevalence is generally higher in males than in females. This has conventionally been assumed due to greater infection rates of males, but recent work has raised the hypothesis that it may instead be driven by survival differences. With bovine tuberculosis transmission among possums most likely occurring between individuals in close proximity, here we analyse social networks built on data from wild possums collared with contact loggers inhabiting a native New Zealand forest, to investigate whether there is mechanistic support for higher male infection rates. Our results revealed that adult female possums were generally just as connected with adult male possums as other adult males are, with male–female connection patterns not being significantly different. This result suggest that the new ‘survivorship’ hypothesis for the sex bias is more likely than the conventional ‘infection rate’ hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Rouco
- aManaaki Whenua Landcare Research, 764 Cumberland Street, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
- bDepartamento de Zoología, Campus de Rabanales, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - C. Jewell
- cCHICAS, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - K.S. Richardson
- dEpiLab, Hopkirk Research Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
- eAgResearch, Hopkirk Research Institute, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - N.P. French
- dEpiLab, Hopkirk Research Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - B.M. Buddle
- eAgResearch, Hopkirk Research Institute, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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11
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Garza SJ, Tabak MA, Miller RS, Farnsworth ML, Burdett CL. Abiotic and biotic influences on home-range size of wild pigs (Sus scrofa). J Mammal 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyx154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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12
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Foley AM, Goolsby JA, Ortega-S A, Ortega-S JA, Pérez de León A, Singh NK, Schwartz A, Ellis D, Hewitt DG, Campbell TA. Movement patterns of nilgai antelope in South Texas: Implications for cattle fever tick management. Prev Vet Med 2017; 146:166-172. [PMID: 28992923 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2017.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Revised: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Wildlife, both native and introduced, can harbor and spread diseases of importance to the livestock industry. Describing movement patterns of such wildlife is essential to formulate effective disease management strategies. Nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus) are a free-ranging, introduced ungulate in southern Texas known to carry cattle fever ticks (CFT, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, R. (B.) annulatus). CFT are the vector for the etiological agent of bovine babesiosis, a lethal disease causing high mortality in susceptible Bos taurus populations and severely affecting the beef cattle industry. Efforts to eradicate CFT from the United States have been successful. However, a permanent quarantine area is maintained between Texas and Mexico to check its entry from infested areas of neighboring Mexico states on wildlife and stray cattle. In recent years, there has been an increase in CFT infestations outside of the permanent quarantine area in Texas. Nilgai are of interest in understanding how CFT may be spread through the landscape. Thirty nilgai of both sexes were captured and fitted with satellite radio collars in South Texas to gain information about movement patterns, response to disturbances, and movement barriers. Median annual home range sizes were highly variable in males (4665ha, range=571-20,809) and females (1606ha, range=848-29,909). Female movement patterns appeared to be seasonal with peaks during June-August; these peaks appeared to be a function of break-ups in female social groups rather than environmental conditions. Nilgai, which reportedly are sensitive to disturbance, were more likely to relocate into new areas immediately after being captured versus four other types of helicopter activities. Nilgai did not cross 1.25m high cattle fences parallel to paved highways but did cross other fence types. Results indicate that females have a higher chance of spreading CFT through the landscape than males, but spread of CFT may be mitigated via maintenance of cattle fences running parallel with paved highways. Our results highlight the importance of documenting species-specific behavior in wildlife-livestock interfaces that can be used to develop effective disease management strategies in the United States and worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M Foley
- East Foundation, 200 Concord Plaza Drive, Suite 410, San Antonio, TX 78216, United States; Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, 700 University Blvd., Kingsville, TX 78363, United States
| | - John A Goolsby
- USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Cattle Fever Tick Research Laboratory, 22675 N. Moorefield Rd., Edinburg, TX 78541, United States.
| | - Alfonso Ortega-S
- East Foundation, 200 Concord Plaza Drive, Suite 410, San Antonio, TX 78216, United States
| | - J Alfonso Ortega-S
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, 700 University Blvd., Kingsville, TX 78363, United States
| | - A Pérez de León
- USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory and Veterinary Pest Genomics Center, 2700 Fredericksburg Rd., Kerrville, TX 78028, United States
| | - Nirbhay K Singh
- Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, 141004, India
| | - Andy Schwartz
- Texas Animal Health Commission, 2105 Kramer Lane, Austin, TX 78758, United States
| | - Dee Ellis
- Texas Animal Health Commission, 2105 Kramer Lane, Austin, TX 78758, United States
| | - David G Hewitt
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, 700 University Blvd., Kingsville, TX 78363, United States
| | - Tyler A Campbell
- East Foundation, 200 Concord Plaza Drive, Suite 410, San Antonio, TX 78216, United States
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Efficacy of oral BCG vaccination in protecting free-ranging cattle from natural infection by Mycobacterium bovis. Vet Microbiol 2017; 208:181-189. [PMID: 28888636 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2017.07.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Revised: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Vaccination of cattle against bovine tuberculosis could be a valuable control strategy, particularly in countries faced with intractable ongoing infection from a disease reservoir in wildlife. A field vaccination trial was undertaken in New Zealand. The trial included 1286 effectively free-ranging cattle stocked at low densities in a remote 7600ha area, with 55% of them vaccinated using Mycobacterium bovis BCG (Danish strain 1311). Vaccine was administered orally in all but 34 cases (where it was injected). After inclusion, cattle were exposed to natural sources of M. bovis infection in cattle and wildlife, most notably the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). Cattle were slaughtered at 3-5 years of age and were inspected for tuberculous lesions, with mycobacteriological culture of key tissues from almost all animals. The prevalence of M. bovis infection was 4.8% among oral BCG vaccinates, significantly lower than the 11.9% in non-vaccinates. Vaccination appeared to both reduce the incidence of detectable infection, and to slow disease progression. Based on apparent annual incidence, the protective efficacy of oral BCG vaccine was 67.4% for preventing infection, and was higher in cattle slaughtered soon after vaccination. Skin-test reactivity to tuberculin was high in vaccinates re-tested 70days after vaccination but not in non-vaccinates, although reactor animals had minimal response in gamma-interferon blood tests. In re- tests conducted more than 12 months after vaccination, skin-test reactivity among vaccinates was much lower. These results indicate that oral BCG vaccination could be an effective tool for greatly reducing detectable infection in cattle.
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Richardson KS, Rouco C, Jewell C, French NP, Buddle BM, Tompkins DM. Investigating brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) home-range size determinants in a New Zealand native forest. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2017. [DOI: 10.1071/wr16215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context
The Australian brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) introduction to New Zealand has exacted a heavy toll on native biodiversity and presented the country with its greatest wildlife reservoir host for bovine tuberculosis (TB). Management efforts to control both possums and TB have been ongoing for decades, and the biology of possums has been studied extensively in Australia and New Zealand over the past 50 years; however, we still do not have a clear understanding of its home-range dynamics.
Aims
To investigate determinants of home range size by using a uniquely large dataset in the Orongorongo Valley, a highly monitored research area in New Zealand and compare our findings with those of other studies.
Methods
Possum density was estimated, for subpopulations on four 13-ha cage-trap grids, by the spatially explicit capture–mark–recapture analysis of trapping data from 10 consecutive months. Home ranges were estimated from trap locations using a 100% minimum convex polygon (MCP) method for 348 individuals and analysed with respect to grid, age and sex.
Key results
Mean (standard error) possum density, estimated as 4.87 (0.19), 6.92 (0.29), 4.08 (0.21) and 4.20 (0.19) ha–1 for the four grids, was significantly negatively correlated with mean MCP home-range size. Grid, age, and the interaction of age and sex were significantly related to home-range size. Older possums had larger home ranges than did younger possums. When ‘juvenile cohort’ and ‘adult cohort’ data were analysed separately, to investigate the significant interaction, males in the ‘adult cohort’ had significantly larger home ranges than did females, with the grid effect still being apparent, whereas neither sex nor grid effects were significant for the ‘juvenile cohort’.
Conclusions
Our findings indicate that, in addition to density, age and sex are likely to be consistent determinants of possum home-range size, but their influences may be masked in some studies by the complexity of wild-population dynamics.
Implications
Our findings have strong implications regarding both disease transmission among possums and possum management. The fact that adult males occupy larger home ranges and the understanding that possum home range increases as population density decreases are an indication that males may be the primary drivers of disease transmission in possum populations. The understanding that possum home range increases as population density decreases could be a direct reflection of the ability of TB to persist in the wild that counteracts current management procedures. If individuals, and particularly males, infected with TB can withstand control measures, their ensuing home-range expansion will result in possible bacteria spread in both the expanded area of habitation and new individuals becoming subjected to infection (both immigrant possums and other control survivors). Therefore, managers should consider potential approaches for luring possum males in control operations.
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15
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Evaluating wildlife-cattle contact rates to improve the understanding of dynamics of bovine tuberculosis transmission in Michigan, USA. Prev Vet Med 2016; 135:28-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2016.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Revised: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Nugent G, Yockney IJ, Whitford EJ, Cross ML, Aldwell FE, Buddle BM. Field Trial of an Aerially-Distributed Tuberculosis Vaccine in a Low-Density Wildlife Population of Brushtail Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula). PLoS One 2016; 11:e0167144. [PMID: 27893793 PMCID: PMC5125682 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Oral-delivery Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine in a lipid matrix has been shown to confer protection against M. bovis infection and reduce the severity of tuberculosis (TB) when fed to brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), the major wildlife vector of bovine TB in New Zealand. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of aerial delivery of this live vaccine in bait form to an M. bovis-infected wild possum population, and subsequently assess vaccine uptake and field efficacy. Pre-trial studies indicated a resident possum population at very low density (<0.6 possums/ha) at the field site, with a 5.1% prevalence of macroscopic TB lesions. Pilot studies indicated that flavoured lipid matrix baits in weather-proof sachets could be successfully sown aerially via helicopter and were palatable to, and likely to be consumed by, a majority of wild possums under free-choice conditions. Subsequently, sachet-held lipid baits containing live BCG vaccine were sown at 3 baits/ha over a 1360 ha area, equating to >5 baits available per possum. Blood sampling conducted two months later provided some evidence of vaccine uptake. A necropsy survey conducted one year later identified a lower prevalence of culture-confirmed M. bovis infection and/or gross TB lesions among adult possums in vaccinated areas (1.1% prevalence; 95% CI, 0–3.3%, n = 92) than in unvaccinated areas (5.6%; 0.7–10.5%, n = 89); P = 0.098. Although not statistically different, the 81% efficacy in protecting possums against natural infection calculated from these data is within the range of previous estimates of vaccine efficacy in trials where BCG vaccine was delivered manually. We conclude that, with further straightforward refinement to improve free-choice uptake, aerial delivery of oral BCG vaccine is likely to be effective in controlling TB in wild possums. We briefly discuss contexts in which this could potentially become an important complementary tool in achieving national eradication of TB from New Zealand wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham Nugent
- Landcare Research – Manaaki Whenua, Lincoln, New Zealand
- * E-mail:
| | | | | | | | - Frank E. Aldwell
- Centre for Innovation, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Bryce M. Buddle
- AgResearch, Hopkirk Institute, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Lloyd TC, Allender MC, Archer G, Phillips CA, Byrd J, Moore AR. Modeling Hematologic and Biochemical Parameters with Spatiotemporal Analysis for the Free-Ranging Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) in Illinois and Tennessee, a Potential Biosentinel. ECOHEALTH 2016; 13:467-479. [PMID: 27384647 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-016-1142-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Revised: 06/04/2016] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Box turtles are long-lived, inhabit both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, and have relatively small home ranges making them a suitable candidate as a sentinel. To characterize their changes in response to environmental health, assessment of observed variation of this species is required. Thus, a comparative health assessment was employed in 825 Eastern box turtles in east central Illinois and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to establish a baseline health assessment with regard to sex, age class, season, and location, identify temporal trends, and map parameters. Hematological and plasma biochemical variables measured included packed cell volume, total solids, white blood cell and differential counts, calcium, phosphorus, aspartate aminotransferase, bile acids, creatine kinase, and uric acid. These variables were reduced to four principle components that explained 68.8 % of the cumulative variance. The top model included the main effects of year, location, and sex, but no interactions. Spatial analysis of turtles in Tennessee demonstrated increased WBC and decreased PCV in 2011 associated with a clear-cut silviculture site. The results of this health assessment can serve as a baseline of population health in future studies and aid in the utility of this species as a sentinel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terrell C Lloyd
- Wildlife Epidemiology Lab, Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, 2001 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana, IL, 61802, USA
| | - Matthew C Allender
- Wildlife Epidemiology Lab, Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, 2001 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana, IL, 61802, USA.
| | - Grace Archer
- Wildlife Epidemiology Lab, Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, 2001 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana, IL, 61802, USA
| | - Christopher A Phillips
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, 1816 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL, 61820, USA
| | - John Byrd
- The Clinch River Environmental Studies Organization, Oak Ridge, TN, 37716, USA
| | - A Russell Moore
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
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Byrom AE, Anderson DP, Coleman M, Thomson C, Cross ML, Pech RP. Assessing Movements of Brushtail Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) in Relation to Depopulated Buffer Zones for the Management of Wildlife Tuberculosis in New Zealand. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0145636. [PMID: 26689918 PMCID: PMC4686990 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2015] [Accepted: 12/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In New Zealand, managing the threat of bovine tuberculosis (TB) to livestock includes population reduction of potentially infectious wildlife, primarily the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). Population control is often targeted on forested buffer zones adjacent to farmland, in order to limit movements of possums across the buffer and reduce the risk of disease transmission to livestock. To assess the effectiveness of buffers in protecting livestock we analysed GPS telemetry data from possums located in untreated forest adjacent to buffers, and used these data to characterise patterns of movement that could lead to possums reaching farmland during the season when most dispersal occurs. Analyses of movement data showed that the direction of dispersal by sub-adult and adult possums and the extent of long exploratory movements were not biased toward forest buffers, even though these provided vacant habitat as suitable for possums as untreated forest. Instead, dispersal and exploratory movements were uncommon even for sub-adult possums and such events typically lasted <10 days. Dispersing possums settled predominantly in river valleys. A simulation model was developed for the 3-6-month dispersal season; it demonstrated a probability of <0.001 that an infected possum, originating from a low-density population with low disease prevalence in untreated forest, would move across 3 km of recently controlled forest buffer to reach farmland. Our results indicate short-term reduction in the risk of TB transmission from possums to livestock in New Zealand by the use of depopulated buffer zones, while acknowledging that the threat of disease spread from untreated forest is likely to increase over time as possum population density and, potentially, TB prevalence among those possums, increase in the buffer zone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea E. Byrom
- Landcare Research, P.O. Box 69040, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Morgan Coleman
- Landcare Research, P.O. Box 69040, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand
| | | | - Martin L. Cross
- Landcare Research, P.O. Box 69040, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand
| | - Roger P. Pech
- Landcare Research, P.O. Box 69040, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand
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Pérez-Barbería FJ, Small M, Hooper RJ, Aldezabal A, Soriguer-Escofet R, Bakken GS, Gordon IJ. State-Space Modelling of the Drivers of Movement Behaviour in Sympatric Species. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0142707. [PMID: 26580801 PMCID: PMC4651358 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding animal movement behaviour is key to furthering our knowledge on intra- and inter-specific competition, group cohesion, energy expenditure, habitat use, the spread of zoonotic diseases or species management. We used a radial basis function surface approximation subject to minimum description length constraint to uncover the state-space dynamical systems from time series data. This approximation allowed us to infer structure from a mathematical model of the movement behaviour of sheep and red deer, and the effect of density, thermal stress and vegetation type. Animal movement was recorded using GPS collars deployed in sheep and deer grazing a large experimental plot in winter and summer. Information on the thermal stress to which animals were exposed was estimated using the power consumption of mechanical heated models and meteorological records of a network of stations in the plot. Thermal stress was higher in deer than in sheep, with less differences between species in summer. Deer travelled more distance than sheep, and both species travelled more in summer than in winter; deer travel distance showed less seasonal differences than sheep. Animal movement was better predicted in deer than in sheep and in winter than in summer; both species showed a swarming behaviour in group cohesion, stronger in deer. At shorter separation distances swarming repulsion was stronger between species than within species. At longer separation distances inter-specific attraction was weaker than intra-specific; there was a positive density-dependent effect on swarming, and stronger in deer than in sheep. There was not clear evidence which species attracted or repelled the other; attraction between deer at long separation distances was stronger when the model accounted for thermal stress, but in general the dynamic movement behaviour was hardly affected by the thermal stress. Vegetation type affected intra-species interactions but had little effect on inter-species interactions. Our modelling approach is useful in interpreting animal interactions, in order to unravel complex cooperative or competitive behaviours, and to the best of our knowledge is the first modelling attempt to make predictions of multi-species animal movement under different habitat mosaics and abiotic environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- F. J. Pérez-Barbería
- Ungulate Research Unit, CRCP, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
- Grupo PAIDI RNM118, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Sevilla, 41092, Spain
- James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - M. Small
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia, 6009
| | - R. J. Hooper
- James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - A. Aldezabal
- Landare Biologia eta Ekologia Saila, Zientzia eta Teknologia Fakultatea, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV-EHU), 644 p.k., 48080 Bilbo (Bizkaia), Euskal Herria, Spain
| | | | - G. S. Bakken
- Department of Biology, Indiana State University, 200 North Seventh Street, Terre Haute, Indiana, United States of America, 47809–1902
| | - I. J. Gordon
- Deputy Vice Chancellor, Tropical Environments & Societies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia
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Nugent G, Buddle BM, Knowles G. Epidemiology and control of Mycobacterium bovis infection in brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), the primary wildlife host of bovine tuberculosis in New Zealand. N Z Vet J 2015; 63 Suppl 1:28-41. [PMID: 25290902 PMCID: PMC4566891 DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2014.963791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2013] [Accepted: 06/20/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The introduced Australian brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is a maintenance host for bovine tuberculosis (TB) in New Zealand and plays a central role in the TB problem in this country. The TB-possum problem emerged in the late 1960s, and intensive lethal control of possums is now used to reduce densities to low levels over 8 million ha of the country. This review summarises what is currently known about the pathogenesis and epidemiology of TB in possums, and how the disease responds to possum control. TB in possums is a highly lethal disease, with most possums likely to die within 6 months of becoming infected. The mechanisms of transmission between possums remain unclear, but appear to require some form of close contact or proximity. At large geographic scales, TB prevalence in possum populations is usually low (1-5%), but local prevalence can sometimes reach 60%. Intensive, systematic and uniform population control has been highly effective in breaking the TB cycle in possum populations, and where that control has been sustained for many years the prevalence of TB is now zero or near zero. Although some uncertainties remain, local eradication of TB from possums appears to be straightforward, given that TB managers now have the ability to reduce possum numbers to near zero levels and to maintain them at those levels for extended periods where required. We conclude that, although far from complete, the current understanding of TB-possum epidemiology, and the current management strategies and tactics, are sufficient to achieve local, regional, and even national disease eradication from possums in New Zealand.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Nugent
- Wildlife Ecoepidemiology, Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - BM Buddle
- Tuberculosis Research Laboratory AgResearch, Hopkirk Institute, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - G Knowles
- TB Management TBfree New Zealand, Alexandra9320, New Zealand
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Yockney IJ, Latham MC, Rouco C, Cross ML, Nugent G. Quantifying short-term foraging movements in a marsupial pest to improve targeted lethal control and disease surveillance. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0121865. [PMID: 25811977 PMCID: PMC4374807 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2014] [Accepted: 02/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In New Zealand, the introduced marsupial brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is a pest species subject to control measures, primarily to limit its ability to transmit bovine tuberculosis (TB) to livestock and for conservation protection. To better define parameters for targeted possum control and TB surveillance, we here applied a novel approach to analyzing GPS data obtained from 44 possums fitted with radio-tracking collars, producing estimates of the animals’ short-term nocturnal foraging patterns based on 1-, 3- or 5-nights’ contiguous data. Studies were conducted within two semi-arid montane regions of New Zealand’s South Island High Country: these regions support low-density possum populations (<2 possums/ha) in which the animals’ home ranges are on average larger than in high-density populations in forested habitat. Possum foraging range width (FRW) estimates increased with increasing monitoring periods, from 150-200m based on a single night’s movement data to 300-400m based on 5 nights’ data. The largest average FRW estimates were recorded in winter and spring, and the smallest in summer. The results suggest that traps or poison-bait stations (for lethal control) or monitoring devices (for TB surveillance), set for > 3 consecutive nights at 150m interval spacings, would likely place >95% of the possums in this type of habitat at risk of encountering these devices, year-round. Modelling control efficacy against operational expenditure, based on these estimations, identified the relative cost-effectiveness of various strategies that could be applied to a typical aerial poisoning operation, to reduce the ongoing TB vectorial risk that possums pose in the High Country regions. These habitat-specific findings are likely to be more relevant than the conventional pest control and monitoring methodologies developed for possums in their more typical forested habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivor J. Yockney
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - M. Cecilia Latham
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Carlos Rouco
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Landcare Research, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Martin L. Cross
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Graham Nugent
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
- * E-mail:
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22
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Nugent G, Gortazar C, Knowles G. The epidemiology of Mycobacterium bovis in wild deer and feral pigs and their roles in the establishment and spread of bovine tuberculosis in New Zealand wildlife. N Z Vet J 2015; 63 Suppl 1:54-67. [PMID: 25295713 PMCID: PMC4566879 DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2014.963792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
In New Zealand, wild deer and feral pigs are assumed to be spillover hosts for Mycobacterium bovis, and so are not targeted in efforts aimed at locally eradicating bovine tuberculosis (TB) from possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), the main wildlife host. Here we review the epidemiology of TB in deer and pigs, and assess whether New Zealand's TB management programme could be undermined if these species sometimes achieve maintenance host status. In New Zealand, TB prevalences of up to 47% have been recorded in wild deer sympatric with tuberculous possums. Patterns of lesion distribution, age-specific prevalences and behavioural observations suggest that deer become infected mainly through exposure to dead or moribund possums. TB can progress rapidly in some deer (<10%), but generalised disease is uncommon in wild deer; conversely some infected animals can survive for many years. Deer-to-deer transmission of M. bovis is rare, but transmission from tuberculous deer carcasses to scavengers, including possums, is likely. That creates a small spillback risk that could persist for a decade after transmission of new infection to wild deer has been halted. Tuberculosis prevalence in New Zealand feral pigs can reach 100%. Infections in lymph nodes of the head and alimentary tract predominate, indicating that TB is mostly acquired through scavenging tuberculous carrion, particularly possums. Infection is usually well contained, and transmission between pigs is rare. Large reductions in local possum density result in gradual declines (over 10 years) in TB prevalence among sympatric wild deer, and faster declines in feral pigs. Elimination of TB from possums (and livestock) therefore results in eventual disappearance of TB from feral pigs and wild deer. However, the risk of spillback infection from deer to possums substantially extends the time needed to locally eradicate TB from all wildlife (compared to that which would be required to eradicate disease from possums alone), while dispersal or translocation of pigs (e.g. by hunters) creates a risk of long-distance spread of disease. The high rate at which pigs acquire M. bovis infection from dead possums makes them useful as sentinels for detecting TB in wildlife. It is unlikely that wild deer and feral pigs act as maintenance hosts anywhere in New Zealand, because unrestricted year-round hunting keeps densities low, with far less aggregation than on New Zealand farms. We conclude that active management of wild deer or feral pigs is not required for local TB eradication in New Zealand.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Nugent
- a Landcare Research , Lincoln 7640 , New Zealand
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Anderson DP, Ramsey DSL, de Lisle GW, Bosson M, Cross ML, Nugent G. Development of integrated surveillance systems for the management of tuberculosis in New Zealand wildlife. N Z Vet J 2015; 63 Suppl 1:89-97. [PMID: 25263814 PMCID: PMC4566888 DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2014.963830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Disease surveillance for the management of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in New Zealand has focussed, to a large extent, on the development of tools specific for monitoring Mycobacterium bovis infection in wildlife. Diagnostic techniques have been modified progressively over 30 years of surveillance of TB in wildlife, from initial characterisation of gross TB lesions in a variety of wildlife, through development of sensitive culture techniques to identify viable mycobacteria, to molecular identification of individual M. bovis strains. Of key importance in disease surveillance has been the elucidation of the roles that different wildlife species play in the transmission of infection, specifically defining brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) as true maintenance hosts compared to those that are predominantly spillover hosts, but which may serve as useful sentinel species to indicate TB persistence. Epidemiological modelling has played a major role in TB surveillance, initially providing the theoretical support for large-scale possum population control and setting targets at which control effort should be deployed to ensure disease eradication. As TB prevalence in livestock and wildlife declined throughout the 2000s, more varied field tools were developed to gather surveillance data from the diminishing possum populations, and to provide information on changing TB prevalence. Accordingly, ever more precise (but disparate) surveillance information began to be integrated into multi-faceted decision-assist models to support TB management decisions, particularly to provide informed parameters at which control effort could be halted, culminating in the Proof of Freedom modelling framework that now allows an area to be declared TB-free within chosen confidence limits. As New Zealand moves from large-scale TB control to regional eradication of disease in the coming years, further integrative models will need to be developed to support management decisions, based on combined field data of possum and TB prevalence, sentinel information, risk assessment in relation to financial benefits, and changing political and environmental needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- D P Anderson
- a Landcare Research , Wildlife Ecology and Management , PO Box 69040, Lincoln 7640 , New Zealand
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Byrom AE, Caley P, Paterson BM, Nugent G. Feral ferrets (Mustela furo) as hosts and sentinels of tuberculosis in New Zealand. N Z Vet J 2015; 63 Suppl 1:42-53. [PMID: 25495945 PMCID: PMC4699325 DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2014.981314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The control and eventual eradication of bovine tuberculosis (TB) poses major challenges in New Zealand, given the variety of wildlife species susceptible to TB, many of which are capable of onwards transmission of Mycobacterium bovis infection. Here we discuss the role of feral ferrets (Mustela furo), focussing on potential transmission or risk pathways that have implications for management of TB. Firstly inter-specific transmission to ferrets. Ferrets scavenge potentially infected wildlife, including other ferrets, thus prevalence of TB can be amplified through ferrets feeding on tuberculous carcasses, particularly brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula). Secondly intra-specific transmission between ferrets. The rate of ferret-ferret transmission depends on population density, and in some places ferret densities exceed the estimated threshold for disease persistence. TB can therefore potentially be maintained independently of other sources of infection. Thirdly transmission from ferrets to other wildlife. These include the main wildlife maintenance host, brushtail possums, that will occasionally scavenge potentially tuberculous ferret carcasses. Fourthly transmission from ferrets to livestock. This is considered to occur occasionally, but the actual rate of transmission has never been measured. Fifthly geographical spread. M. bovis-infected ferrets can travel large distances and cause new outbreaks of TB at locations previously free of TB, which may have caused an expansion of TB-endemic areas.Ferrets play a complex role in the TB cycle in New Zealand; they are capable of contracting, amplifying and transmitting M. bovis infection, sometimes resulting in ferret populations with a high prevalence of TB. However, ferret population densities are usually too low to sustain infection independently, and transmission to other wildlife or livestock appears a rarer event than with possums. Nevertheless, management of ferrets remains a key part of the National Pest Management Strategy for TB. Control is prudent where M. bovis-infected ferret populations exist in high numbers, to reduce the onward transmission risk of any self-sustained infection to livestock. When ferret numbers are well below the theoretical disease maintenance threshold, ferret control is still sometimes warranted because of the animals’ ability to acquire infection when young and, through dispersal, transport it outside TB-endemic areas. Ferrets can also be used as disease sentinels for TB, especially in areas where alternative sentinel species are rare or expensive to survey, and when sampling of possums is not cost-effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- A E Byrom
- a Wildlife Ecology and Management Team , Landcare Research , Lincoln , New Zealand
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Assessing the Effectiveness of Tuberculosis Management in Brushtail Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), through Indirect Surveillance of Mycobacterium bovis Infection Using Released Sentinel Pigs. Vet Med Int 2014; 2014:361634. [PMID: 24804148 PMCID: PMC3996883 DOI: 10.1155/2014/361634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2013] [Accepted: 02/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In New Zealand, wild pigs acquire Mycobacterium bovis infection by scavenging tuberculous carrion, primarily carcasses of the main disease maintenance host, the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). We investigated the utility of captive-reared, purpose-released pigs as sentinels for tuberculosis (TB) following lethal possum control and subsequent population recovery. Within 2-3 years of possum control by intensive poisoning, TB prevalence and the incidence rate of M. bovis infection in released sentinel pigs were lower than in an adjacent area where possums had not been poisoned. Unexpectedly, TB did not decline to near zero levels among pigs in the poisoned area, a fact which reflected an unanticipated rapid increase in the apparent abundance of possums. Monitoring infection levels among resident wild pigs confirmed that TB prevalence, while reduced due to possum control, persisted in the poisoned area at >20% among pigs born 2-3 years after poisoning, while remaining >60% among resident wild pigs in the nonpoisoned area. When fitted with radio-tracking devices, purpose-released pigs provided precise spatial TB surveillance information and facilitated effective killing of wild pigs when employed as “Judas” animals to help locate residents. Sentinel pigs offer value for monitoring disease trends in New Zealand, as TB levels in possums decline nationally due to large-scale possum control.
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Porphyre T, McKenzie J, Byrom AE, Nugent G, Shepherd J, Yockney I. Spatial prediction of brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) distribution using a combination of remotely sensed and field-observed environmental data. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2013. [DOI: 10.1071/wr13028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context
In New Zealand, the introduced brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula, is a reservoir of bovine tuberculosis and as such poses a major threat to the livestock industry. Aerial 1080 poisoning is an important tool for possum control but is expensive, creating an ongoing need for ever more cost-effective ways of using this technique.
Aims
To develop geographic information system (GIS) models to better predict spatial variation in the distribution of unmanaged possum populations, to facilitate better targeting of control activities.
Methods
Relative abundance of possums and their distribution among habitat types were surveyed in a dry high-country area of the northern South Island. Two GIS-based models were developed to predict the relative abundance of possums on trap lines. The first model used remotely sensed (digital) environmental data; the second complemented the remotely sensed data with fine-scale habitat and topographic data collected on the ground.
Key results
Digital environmental factors and habitat features proved to be key predictors of relative possum abundance. In both GIS models, height above valley floor, presence of forest cover and mean annual temperature were the strongest predictors.
Conclusions
Predictive maps (projections) of relative possum abundance produced from these models can provide useful decision-support tools for pest-control managers, by enabling possum control to be targeted spatially.
Implications
Spatially targeted pest control could allow effective control activities for invasive species or disease vectors to be applied at a lower cost for the same benefit.
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Whyte BI, Ross JG, Blackie HM. Differences in brushtail possum home-range characteristics among sites of varying habitat and population density. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2013. [DOI: 10.1071/wr13063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context
In New Zealand, the Australian brushtail possum is a pest, because this species preys on native birds and transmits bovine tuberculosis (bTB) to livestock. Previous studies on possums have shown that home-range characteristics differ depending on habitat and/or population density. However, direct comparisons between studies are limited because of the use of differing monitoring techniques, some of which are now out-dated and imprecise. Understanding how possum ranging behaviour varies in response to habitat and density may allow the development of more effective and site-specific control operations. For example, variations in home-range characteristics (e.g. home-range overlap with conspecifics) among populations may mean that bTB transmission risk is not uniform among populations, resulting in the need for some sites to be prioritised for control over others.
Aims
To investigate whether home-range characteristics varied among three sites of differing habitat and population density, and investigate whether possum home-range characteristics varied between males and females.
Methods
Global Positioning System (GPS)- and VHF-tracking were used to compare possum home-range characteristics among three sites. Two sites were within pine (Pinus radiata) habitat and had low-density possum populations, and one site was within oak (Quercus robur) and sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) habitat, and had a higher-density possum population.
Key results
Possum home-range characteristics did not vary between the two low-density sites. However, these populations exhibited considerably larger home-range sizes and home-range overlap between pairs of collared possums than did the high-density population. In addition, the low-density populations used more dens and changed these more often. Across all sites, there were generally no intersexual differences in home-range characteristics.
Key conclusions
The present research highlights that the home-range characteristics of possums can vary among populations, depending on habitat and/or population density.
Implications
Further research into the drivers of possum home-range characteristics would be beneficial to allow identification of how spatial behaviour is likely to vary depending on habitat and density. This would allow the design of more targeted and therefore effective control strategies that account for these variations in behaviour, such as using a larger spatial scale of control devices where possums are known to range further.
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