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Suzuki T, Ikeda T, Higashide D, Nose T, Shichijo T, Suzuki M. Assessing mammal fence crossing and local fence management in relation to classical swine fever spread in Japan. Prev Vet Med 2023; 218:105980. [PMID: 37549564 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.105980] [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] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Infectious diseases at the wildlife-livestock-human interface have become a crucial issue, and evidence-based measures are growing increasingly important. One countermeasure against animal diseases in wildlife is using fencing to contain and reduce disease spread and transmission rates between wild populations; however, quantitative assessments on fencing are rare. Moreover, existing research on fencing has highlighted knowledge gaps on the social and ecological aspects relevant to the use and design of fences. To control the spread of classical swine fever, fences were installed from the east to west in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, by March 2019, with the aim of restricting wild boar movement. To clarify the process of installation and maintenance of the fences, we conducted semi-structured interviews with prefectural government officers in Gifu Prefecture. Additionally, we installed infrared-triggered cameras at fence locations with and without gaps to evaluate the fence permeability of mammals. We used a generalized linear mixed model to evaluate the relationship between the presence of gaps and the relative abundance and permeability of each mammal. Our findings showed that the occurrence of gaps was inevitable during the installation and management of wide-area perimeter fence in Japan, partly because of social factors. For example, fences could not be installed on roads that were frequently used by residents and were not adequately maintained owing to budgetary reasons in some cases. Analysis of footage from the infrared-triggered cameras revealed that several mammal species crossed the fence at gaps and even had the ability to cross the gapless parts of the fences. Wild boars crossed through the gaps regularly. It is possible that Sika deer, Japanese serows, raccoons, Japanese badgers, raccoon dogs, Japanese macaques, and feral cats crossed through fence gaps because their relative abundance was high at gap locations. In contrast, Japanese hares slipped through the fence mesh rather than crossing through the gaps. In conclusion, we suggest that coordination and collaboration among related parties, a sufficient supply of fence materials, and securing a budget for fence maintenance are important for fence installation and maintenance. Furthermore, as fence gaps are inevitable, technical development of countermeasures for these gaps could be effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaaki Suzuki
- Research Center for Wildlife Management, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, Gifu 501-1193, Japan; Gifu Wildlife Management Promotion Center, Gifu Prefecture, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, Gifu 501-1193, Japan.
| | - Takashi Ikeda
- Research Center for Wildlife Management, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, Gifu 501-1193, Japan; Gifu Wildlife Management Promotion Center, Gifu Prefecture, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, Gifu 501-1193, Japan.
| | - Daishi Higashide
- Faculty of Bioresources and Environmental Sciences, Ishikawa Prefectural University, 1-308, Suematsu, Nonoichi, Ishikawa 921-8836, Japan.
| | - Tsugumi Nose
- Graduate School of Humanities and Human Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10 Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan.
| | - Tomoya Shichijo
- Research Center for Wildlife Management, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, Gifu 501-1193, Japan.
| | - Masatsugu Suzuki
- Gifu Wildlife Management Promotion Center, Gifu Prefecture, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, Gifu 501-1193, Japan; Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, Gifu 501-1193, Japan.
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Rabies transmission in the Arctic: An agent-based model reveals the effects of broad-scale movement strategies on contact risk between Arctic foxes. Ecol Modell 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.110207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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Lu WG, Ai D, Song H, Xie Y, Liu S, Zhu W, Yang J. Epidemiological and numerical simulation of rabies spreading from canines to various human populations in mainland China. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009527. [PMID: 34260584 PMCID: PMC8312940 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The mortality of humans due to rabies in China has been declining in recent years, but it is still a significant public health problem. According to the global framework, China strives to achieve the goal of eliminating human rabies before 2030. METHODS We reviewed the epidemiology of human deaths from rabies in mainland China from 2004 to 2018. We identified high risk regions, age and occupational groups, and used a continuous deterministic susceptibility-exposure-infection-recovery (SEIR) model with periodic transmission rate to explore seasonal rabies prevalence in different human populations. The SEIR model was used to simulate the data of human deaths from rabies reported by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC). We calculated the relative transmission intensity of rabies from canines to different human groups, and they provided a reliable epidemiological basis for further control and prevention of human rabies. RESULTS Results showed that human deaths from rabies exhibited regional differences and seasonal characteristics in mainland China. The annual human death from rabies in different regions, age groups and occupational groups decreased steadily across time. Nevertheless, the decreasing rates and the calculated R0s of canines of various human groups were different. The transmission intensity of rabies from canines to human populations was the highest in the central regions of China, in people over 45 years old, and in farmers. CONCLUSIONS Although the annual cases of human deaths from rabies have decreased steadily since 2007, the proportion of human deaths from rabies varies with region, age, gender, and occupation. Further enhancement of public awareness and immunization status in high-risk population groups and blocking the transmission routes of rabies from canines to humans are necessary. The concept of One Health should be abided and human, animal, and environmental health should be considered simultaneously to achieve the goal of eradicating human rabies before 2030.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-gao Lu
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Danni Ai
- School of Optics and Photonics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Hong Song
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Xie
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Shuqing Liu
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (SL); (WZ); (JY)
| | - Wuyang Zhu
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (SL); (WZ); (JY)
| | - Jian Yang
- School of Optics and Photonics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (SL); (WZ); (JY)
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Johnson SR, Slate D, Nelson KM, Davis AJ, Mills SA, Forbes JT, VerCauteren KC, Gilbert AT, Chipman RB. Serological Responses of Raccoons and Striped Skunks to Ontario Rabies Vaccine Bait in West Virginia during 2012-2016. Viruses 2021; 13:v13020157. [PMID: 33499059 PMCID: PMC7912576 DOI: 10.3390/v13020157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the 1990s, oral rabies vaccination (ORV) has been used successfully to halt the westward spread of the raccoon rabies virus (RV) variant from the eastern continental USA. Elimination of raccoon RV from the eastern USA has proven challenging across targeted raccoon (Procyon lotor) and striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) populations impacted by raccoon RV. Field trial evaluations of the Ontario Rabies Vaccine Bait (ONRAB) were initiated to expand ORV products available to meet the rabies management goal of raccoon RV elimination. This study describes the continuation of a 2011 trial in West Virginia. Our objective was to evaluate raccoon and skunk response to ORV occurring in West Virginia for an additional two years (2012–2013) at 75 baits/km2 followed by three years (2014–2016) of evaluation at 300 baits/km2. We measured the change in rabies virus-neutralizing antibody (RVNA) seroprevalence in targeted wildlife populations by comparing levels pre- and post-ORV during each year of study. The increase in bait density from 75/km2 to 300/km2 corresponded to an increase in average post-ORV seroprevalence for raccoon and skunk populations. Raccoon population RVNA levels increased from 53% (300/565, 95% CI: 50–57%) to 82.0% (596/727, 95% CI: 79–85%) during this study, and skunk population RVNA levels increased from 11% (8/72, 95% CI: 6–20%) to 39% (51/130, 95% CI: 31–48%). The RVNA seroprevalence pre-ORV demonstrated an increasing trend across study years for both bait densities and species, indicating that multiple years of ORV may be necessary to achieve and maintain RVNA seroprevalence in target wildlife populations for the control and elimination of raccoon RV in the eastern USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shylo R. Johnson
- USDA/APHIS/WS/National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA; (A.J.D.); (K.C.V.); (A.T.G.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Dennis Slate
- USDA/APHIS/WS/National Rabies Management Program, 59 Chenell Dr., Concord, NH 03301, USA; (D.S.); (K.M.N.); (R.B.C.)
| | - Kathleen M. Nelson
- USDA/APHIS/WS/National Rabies Management Program, 59 Chenell Dr., Concord, NH 03301, USA; (D.S.); (K.M.N.); (R.B.C.)
| | - Amy J. Davis
- USDA/APHIS/WS/National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA; (A.J.D.); (K.C.V.); (A.T.G.)
| | - Samual A. Mills
- USDA/APHIS/Wildlife Services, 730 Yokum St., Elkins, WV 26241, USA; (S.A.M.); (J.T.F.)
| | - John T. Forbes
- USDA/APHIS/Wildlife Services, 730 Yokum St., Elkins, WV 26241, USA; (S.A.M.); (J.T.F.)
| | - Kurt C. VerCauteren
- USDA/APHIS/WS/National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA; (A.J.D.); (K.C.V.); (A.T.G.)
| | - Amy T. Gilbert
- USDA/APHIS/WS/National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA; (A.J.D.); (K.C.V.); (A.T.G.)
| | - Richard B. Chipman
- USDA/APHIS/WS/National Rabies Management Program, 59 Chenell Dr., Concord, NH 03301, USA; (D.S.); (K.M.N.); (R.B.C.)
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Ohmer MEB, Costantini D, Czirják GÁ, Downs CJ, Ferguson LV, Flies A, Franklin CE, Kayigwe AN, Knutie S, Richards-Zawacki CL, Cramp RL. Applied ecoimmunology: using immunological tools to improve conservation efforts in a changing world. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 9:coab074. [PMID: 34512994 PMCID: PMC8422949 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coab074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Ecoimmunology is a rapidly developing field that explores how the environment shapes immune function, which in turn influences host-parasite relationships and disease outcomes. Host immune defence is a key fitness determinant because it underlies the capacity of animals to resist or tolerate potential infections. Importantly, immune function can be suppressed, depressed, reconfigured or stimulated by exposure to rapidly changing environmental drivers like temperature, pollutants and food availability. Thus, hosts may experience trade-offs resulting from altered investment in immune function under environmental stressors. As such, approaches in ecoimmunology can provide powerful tools to assist in the conservation of wildlife. Here, we provide case studies that explore the diverse ways that ecoimmunology can inform and advance conservation efforts, from understanding how Galapagos finches will fare with introduced parasites, to using methods from human oncology to design vaccines against a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils. In addition, we discuss the future of ecoimmunology and present 10 questions that can help guide this emerging field to better inform conservation decisions and biodiversity protection. From better linking changes in immune function to disease outcomes under different environmental conditions, to understanding how individual variation contributes to disease dynamics in wild populations, there is immense potential for ecoimmunology to inform the conservation of imperilled hosts in the face of new and re-emerging pathogens, in addition to improving the detection and management of emerging potential zoonoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel E B Ohmer
- Living Earth Collaborative, Washington University in St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - David Costantini
- Unité Physiologie Moléculaire et Adaptation (PhyMA), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, 57 Rue Cuvier, CP32, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Gábor Á Czirják
- Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Cynthia J Downs
- Department of Environmental Biology, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Laura V Ferguson
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Andy Flies
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Craig E Franklin
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Ahab N Kayigwe
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Sarah Knutie
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06268, USA
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06268, USA
| | | | - Rebecca L Cramp
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Corresponding author: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4072, Australia.
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Rahman AU, Dhama K, Ali Q, Raza MA, Chaudhry U, Shabbir MZ. Foot and mouth disease in a wide range of wild hosts: a potential constraint in disease control efforts worldwide particularly in disease-endemic settings. Acta Trop 2020; 210:105567. [PMID: 32504589 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a viral disease that affects predominantly cloven-footed animal species within the order Artiodactyla. The potential of the virus to transmit, maintain and circulate itself across a wide range of susceptible hosts, including both domestic and wild ungulates, remains a single major obstacle in an effective eradication of disease worldwide, particularly in disease-endemic settings. Hence, a better understanding of virus transmission dynamics is very much crucial for an efficient control of the disease, particularly at places or regions where wildlife and livestock rearing co-exists. Both OIE and FAO have jointly launched the FMD-control program as FMD-Progressive Control Pathway (PCP) in various disease-endemic developing countries. Nevertheless, the propensity of virus to inter- and intra-species transmission may be a possible constraint in disease control and, hence, its subsequent eradication in such countries. Other than this, cross-species transmission, among domestic and wild ungulates living in close proximities, can undermine the conservation efforts for endangered species. We reviewed and summarized the so-far available information about inter- and intra-species disease transmission, and its impact on wildlife populations to better comprehend disease epidemiology and substantiate efforts for eventual disease eradication across the globe, particularly in settings where the disease is endemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aziz-Ul Rahman
- University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54600, Pakistan.
| | - Kuldeep Dhama
- Division of Pathology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar, India
| | - Qasim Ali
- University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Asif Raza
- Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture, Multan 66000, Pakistan
| | - Umer Chaudhry
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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McClure KM, Gilbert AT, Chipman RB, Rees EE, Pepin KM. Variation in host home range size decreases rabies vaccination effectiveness by increasing the spatial spread of rabies virus. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1375-1386. [PMID: 31957005 PMCID: PMC7317853 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Animal movement influences the spatial spread of directly transmitted wildlife disease through host-host contact structure. Wildlife disease hosts vary in home range-associated foraging and social behaviours, which may increase the spread and intensity of disease outbreaks. The consequences of variation in host home range movement and space use on wildlife disease dynamics are poorly understood, but could help to predict disease spread and determine more effective disease management strategies. We developed a spatially explicit individual-based model to examine the effect of spatiotemporal variation in host home range size on the spatial spread rate, persistence and incidence of rabies virus (RABV) in raccoons (Procyon lotor). We tested the hypothesis that variation in home range size increases RABV spread and decreases vaccination effectiveness in host populations following pathogen invasion into a vaccination zone. We simulated raccoon demography and RABV dynamics across a range of magnitudes and variances in weekly home range size for raccoons. We examined how variable home range size influenced the relative effectiveness of three components of oral rabies vaccination (ORV) programmes targeting raccoons-timing and frequency of bait delivery, width of the ORV zone and proportion of hosts immunized. Variability in weekly home range size increased RABV spread rates by 1.2-fold to 5.2-fold compared to simulations that assumed a fixed home range size. More variable host home range sizes decreased relative vaccination effectiveness by 71% compared to less variable host home range sizes under conventional vaccination conditions. We found that vaccination timing was more influential for vaccination effectiveness than vaccination frequency or vaccination zone width. Our results suggest that variation in wildlife home range movement behaviour increases the spatial spread and incidence of RABV. Our vaccination results underscore the importance of prioritizing individual-level space use and movement data collection to understand wildlife disease dynamics and plan their effective control and elimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M. McClure
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection ServiceNational Wildlife Research CenterFort CollinsCOUSA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and PathologyColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
- Present address:
Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and the Cornell Wildlife Health CenterCornell UniversityIthacaNYUSA
| | - Amy T. Gilbert
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection ServiceNational Wildlife Research CenterFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Richard B. Chipman
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection ServiceNational Rabies Management ProgramConcordNHUSA
| | - Erin E. Rees
- Land and Sea Systems Analysis Inc.GranbyQCCanada
- National Microbiology LaboratoryPublic Health Risk Sciences DivisionPublic Health Agency of CanadaSaint‐HyacintheQCCanada
| | - Kim M. Pepin
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection ServiceNational Wildlife Research CenterFort CollinsCOUSA
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Schreiner CL, Nuismer SL, Basinski AJ. When to vaccinate a fluctuating wildlife population: Is timing everything? J Appl Ecol 2020; 57:307-319. [PMID: 32139945 PMCID: PMC7043377 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife vaccination is an important tool for managing the burden of infectious disease in human populations, domesticated livestock and various iconic wildlife. Although substantial progress has been made in the field of vaccine designs for wildlife, there is a gap in our understanding of how to time wildlife vaccination, relative to host demography, to best protect a population.We use a mathematical model and computer simulations to assess the outcomes of vaccination campaigns that deploy vaccines once per annual population cycle.Optimal timing of vaccination is an important consideration in animals with short to intermediate life spans and a short birthing season. Vaccines that are deployed shortly after the birthing season best protect the host population.The importance of timing is greater in wildlife pathogens that have a high rate of transmission and a short recovery period. Vaccinating at the end of the birthing season best reduces the mean abundance of pathogen-infected hosts. Delaying vaccination until later in the year can facilitate pathogen elimination. Policy Implications. Tuning wildlife vaccination campaigns to host demography and pathogen traits can substantially increase the effectiveness of a campaign. Our results suggest that, for a fluctuating population, vaccinating at, or shortly after, the end of the birthing season, best protects the population against an invading pathogen. If the pathogen is already endemic, delaying vaccination until after the birthing season is over can help facilitate pathogen elimination. Our results highlight the need to better understand and predict host demography in wildlife populations that are targeted for vaccination.
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Ashford MA, Palackdharry SM, Sadd BM, Bowden RM, Vogel LA. Intestinal B cells in the red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta: Anatomical distribution and implications for ecological interactions with pathogenic microbes. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2019; 331:407-415. [PMID: 31328906 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Disease is a significant threat in the global decline of reptile species. Many aquatic reptiles live in habitats with high levels of opportunistic microbial pathogens, yet little is known about their immune system. Gut-associated lymphoid tissue is vital for protection against ingested pathogens and maintenance of normal gut microbiota. In mammals, gut mucosal immunity is well-characterized and mucosal surfaces are coated in protective antibodies. However, reptiles lack lymph nodes and Peyer's patches, which are the major sites of mammalian B cell responses. The presence or distribution of mucosal B cells in reptiles is unknown. In this study, we first set out to determine if B cells could be detected in intestinal tissues of red-eared slider turtles, Trachemys scripta. Using whole-mount immunochemistry and a primary antibody to turtle antibody light chains, we identified widely distributed B cell aggregates within the small intestine of hatchling turtles. These aggregates appeared similar to isolated lymphoid follicles (ILFs) in mammals and the frequency was much higher in distal intestinal sections than in proximal sections. To determine if these structures were inducible in the presence of microbes, we introduced an enteric Salmonella species through oral gavage. Analysis of intestinal tissues revealed that hatchlings exposed to Salmonella exhibited significantly more of these aggregates when compared with those that did not receive bacteria. These studies provide the first evidence for B cell-containing ILF-like structures in reptiles and provide novel information about gut immunity in nonmammalian vertebrates that could have important implications for ecological interactions with pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc A Ashford
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IIlinois
| | | | - Ben M Sadd
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IIlinois
| | - Rachel M Bowden
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IIlinois
| | - Laura A Vogel
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IIlinois
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