PZP Immunocontraception in Coyotes: a Multi-Year Study with Three Vaccine Formulations
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UC Agriculture & Natural Resources Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference Title PZP Immunocontraception in Coyotes: A Multi-Year Study with Three Vaccine Formulations Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8t80c1vj Journal Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference, 22(22) ISSN 0507-6773 Authors Miller, Lowell A. Bynum, Kimberly S. Zemlicka, Doris E. Publication Date 2006 DOI 10.5070/V422110034 eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California PZP Immunocontraception in Coyotes: A Multi-Year Study with Three Vaccine Formulations LowellA.Miller and KimberlyBynum USDAAPHISWildlifeServices,NationalWildlifeResearchCenter,FortCollins,Colorado DorisZemlicka USDAAPHISWildlifeServices,NationalWildlifeResearchCenter,UtahFieldStation,Logan,Utah ABSTRACT :Theuseofpoisonsforcoyotecontroliscontroversialbecauseofpublicoppositiontolethalcontrolofpestanimals andtheperceivedenvironmentalrisksofpesticideuse.Thedevelopmentofimmunocontraceptionforpopulationcontrolofcoyotes couldresultinamoreacceptablealternativetopoisons.Immunocontraceptionusingporcinezonapellucida(PZP)wouldallow normalestrusinthefemaleandthereforenormalmale-femalepair-bonding.Coyotesaremon-estrus,thereforePZPcontraception duringthebreedingseasonofFebruaryandMarchcouldprovideyear-roundprotection.Thispaperreviews9yearsofresearchon PZPimmunocontraception,startingfromamulti-shotPZPvaccineusingFreund’sadjuvant,tothedevelopmentandtestingoftwo single-shotpreparationscombinedwithanewlydevelopedadjuvant(AdjuVac ™).Weprovideinsightsintothefalseassumption thatonecontraceptivevaccinefitsallspeciesandsituations. KEY WORDS : AdjuVac ™, Canislatrans ,coyote,immunocontraception,PZP,single-shotvaccine,SpayVac ™ Proc.22 nd Vertebr.PestConf. (R.M.TimmandJ.M.O’Brien,Eds.) PublishedatUniv.ofCalif.,Davis. 2006. Pp.88-95. INTRODUCTION dynamics to livestock depredation management. Tech- Thecoyote( Canislatrans )isaseasonallymon-estrus niques developed for managing coyote populations animalthatnormallybreedsinlateJanuaryandFebruary includehusbandrypractices,shooting,trapping,frighten- andwhelpsinApril,withalittersizeof3-9pups.Adults ingdevices,livestockguardingdogs,andtoxicants(Fall have a long reproductive life of 3-10 years. They 1990,Linhart etal .1992).Noneofthesecontrolmethods construct and use dens only during whelping of pups. is completely practical or effective in all of the diverse Coyotesareterritorialandmayliveaspairsorinpacksof situationsinwhichcoyotepredationonlivestockoccurs; up to 10 individuals. Within each resident pack, a newtechniquesareneeded(Connolly1992).Coyotesare hierarchyexistsinwhichthedominantpairarecalledthe increasinglyviewedasadesirablewildlifespeciestobe “alphas.”Foodabundanceinfluencescoyotepopulations fostered in certain situations. Because of this changing by affecting reproduction, survival, dispersal, space-use view of the coyote, more non-lethal methods are being patternsandterritorydensity(Connolly1992). soughtforresolutionofpredationproblems. Thecoyoteishighlyadaptableinexploitinglivestock Previousresearchindicatesthatpredationondomestic production. A 1990 survey (GAO 1990) estimated lambs by coyotes with pups often terminates when the 549,000lambdeathsoccurredfromallcauses,outofthe pups are removed; therefore, sterilization of territorial nearly 6 million lambs born in the 16 western states in coyotes may reduce predation on nearby sheep flocks that year. Nearly 60% of the lamb deaths were (Knowlton 1989). Immunocontraception as a means of attributable to predators, with approximately 70% of sterilizingcoyoteshasbeensuggestedasonenon-lethal predatordamageduetocoyotes.Theeconomicimpact techniquethatcouldhaveapplicationforreducingcoyote onproducersandconsumersin1990wasapproximately numbers in areas where they are causing predation $11.4million.Despiteintensivehistoricalcontrolefforts (Miller1995). withavarietyofmethodsinlivestockproductionareas, Scientists with the Product Development Research anddespitesporthuntingandtrappingforfur,thecoyote Program at the NWRC began an infertility project in continues to thrive and expand its range, such that 1992 to study alternative non-lethal methods of pest coyotesarenowfoundinmoststatesintheU.S. animal control. The project began by studying porcine Formorethan50years,theUSDANationalWildlife zona pellucida (PZP) contraception of white-tailed deer Research Center (NWRC) and its predecessor laborato- (Odocoileusvirginianus )andcoyotes(Miller etal .1999, ries have conducted research on coyote reproduction. 2001; Miller and Killian 2000). PZP contraception of Hamlett (1938) studied the reproductive cycle of the white-tailed deer resulted in prolonged estrus periods coyote to support passing better laws involved with the because of multi-cycling (Killian and Miller 2000), a protectionandconservationoffurresources.Ascoyotes concern because the prolonged cycling could result in begantocauselivestockpredationproblems,anexcellent increaseddeer-carcollisions.Becausethecoyoteismon- laboratory study by Kennelly and Johns (1976) was estrus,thismulti-cyclingwouldnotbeaproblem.Also, undertaken to understand the reproductive cycle of the because the single estrus cycle of the coyote occurs in coyote.Kennelly(1978)continuedtostudyreproduction February, the period needed for contraception can be in the coyote, and Knowlton (1972, 1989) spent many quiteshort,incontrasttowhite-taileddeerthatmaycycle years studying the relationship of coyote population for up to 5 months if pregnancy does not occur on the 88 firstcycle. raythenallowedtowhelp.InStudy2,thecoyoteswere Contraceptive studies on coyotes started in 1995 necropsiedtotestforpregnancy.Study3didnotproceed (Miller 1995), testing both PZP and gonadotrophin toabreedingtrialduetoalowantibodytiter.InStudy4, releasing hormone (GnRH) contraceptive vaccines. It relaxin hormone levels were used to test for pregnancy wasdecidedafterthefirstyearstudytocontinuewiththe status. Relaxin is produced in the pregnant bitch PZPcontraceptiveonly,becauseoftheneedtomaintain beginning at 20-25 days of gestation with maximal pairbondingofthealphapairandthepossibilitythatthe concentrationsattainedbydays30-35.Confirmationwas GnRH vaccine may interfere with pair bonding madebywhelpingactivity(EdqvistandForsberg1997). (DeLiberto etal .1998). In Study 5 using SpayVac ™, pregnancy was tested by whelpingactivity. MATERIALSANDMETHODS The studies were performed at the Millville coyote TestingforFertilityinPairedMales facilitiesattheNWRCLogan,UtahFieldStation.The Blood was drawn on all males and testosterone initial3yearsofthestudywerepartiallyfundedbythe measuredtoensurethattherewassufficienttestosterone Texas Sheep and Goat Board. The facilities include formalestobefertile.Viablespermwasdeterminedfor cloverleaf pens with an observation tower, which are eachmaleinatleast1breeding. idealforbreedingstudiesinthecoyote.Femaleandmale coyotes of proven fertility were paired and put in the Study1(1995-1997) cloverleafpensforbreedingandobservationsofbreeding PZP/Freund’sPrimeandBoost–coyoteswerebredand activities from January through the end of February. allowedtowhelp Monitoringbreedingisanartinmanyanimals;however, Five females of proven fertility were given a prime in the canine the male-female copulatory tie lasts for a dose of 200 µg of PZP/Complete Freund’s adjuvant periodoftime,whichallowsonetoaccurately measure (CFA)on12/07/95andaboosterdoseofPZP/Incomplete breedingactivityifsufficientobservationtimeisused. Freund’s adjuvant (IFA) on 01/05/96. Sham control Inallstudies,baselinebloodsamplesweredrawn,the females were given saline/CFA and saline/IFA. Blood vaccinewasinjectedsub-cutaneouslyorintra-muscularly samples were drawn before injection and periodically (IM), then periodic blood samples were drawn to assay throughout the study. The coyotes were x-rayed for the immune and hormonal response to the vaccine. pregnancydiagnosisandwereallowedtowhelpinApril Effectiveness of the vaccine was measured by either 1996.Thecoyoteswereboostedwith45µgofPZPon allowing the female to whelp or by examining the 11/18/96andkeptthroughAprilandallowedtowhelp. reproductivetractatnecropsy. Study2(1997-1998) PorcineZonaPellucida(PZP) PZP/Freund’sPrimeand2Boosts–coyoteswerebred PZPusedinStudies1and2waspurchasedfromDr. andnecropsied BonnieDunbarofBaylorCollegeofMedicineHouston, ResultsinStudy1showedthatPZPhadreducedthe TX. PZP in Studies 3 and 4 was purchased from Dr. numberoffemalespregnant,andthefemaleshadfewer IrwinLiuUniversityofCaliforniaatDavis.PZPinboth pups.Mahi-Brown etal .(1988)suggestedthatinfertility Dunbar and Liu preparations were produced by the in PZP-immunized dogs was the result of follicular method of Wood et al . (1981). PZP in Study 5 was dysgenesisorcystformation.Thisstudywasperformed SpayVac ™ donated by Dr. Bob Brown of Immuno- tounderstandthemechanismofactionofPZPintreated Vaccine Technologies (IVT), Nova Scotia, Canada. coyotes and to determine whether a second PZP boost SpayVac ™wasproducedbythemethodofYurewicz et wouldincreasecontraceptionto100%. al .(1983) Fivefemalecoyotes ofprovenfertility were givena primedoseof200µgofPZP/CFAon12/02/97andtwo Adjuvants 100-µgboostdosesofPZP/IFAon12/31/97and1/15/98 Freund’s adjuvant modified (complete and bysubcutaneousinjection.Thecoyoteswereexposedto incomplete)waspurchasedfromCalbiochem (SanDiego, provenmalesduringlateJanuaryandFebruary1998and CA). Adjumer ™ was donated by the Virus Research observationsofbreedingtimesanddateswererecorded. Institute(Cambridge,MA).AdjuVac™wasdevelopedat Thirty