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Health Evaluation of Galapagos Hawks (Buteo Galapagoensis) on Santiago Island, Galapagos

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Health Evaluation of Galapagos Hawks (Buteo Galapagoensis) on Santiago Island, Galapagos Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 48(1), 2012, pp. 39–46 # Wildlife Disease Association 2012 HEALTH EVALUATION OF GALAPAGOS HAWKS (BUTEO GALAPAGOENSIS) ON SANTIAGO ISLAND, GALAPAGOS Sharon L. Deem,1–4 Jose Luis Rivera-Parra,3 and Patricia G. Parker,1–3 1 WildCare Institute, Saint Louis Zoo, One Government Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA 2 Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz, Galapagos, Ecuador 3 Department of Biology, University of Missouri–St. Louis, One University Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63121, USA 4 Corresponding author (email: [email protected]) ABSTRACT: Galapagos Hawks (Buteo galapagoensis), the only endemic, diurnal raptor species in Galapagos, are currently distributed on eight Galapagos Islands having been extirpated from three of the human-inhabited islands. In January 2009, we performed health assessments of 89 Galapagos Hawks on Santiago Island, Galapagos. Four of the 89 Galapagos Hawks (4%) evaluated had physical abnormalities. Blood parameters did not differ between males and females, except for aspartate transaminase values, which were significantly higher in females than males. No Galapagos Hawks tested positive for antibodies to avian encephalitis virus, Marek virus, and paramyxovirus-1 or to haemosporidian antigen. Chlamydophila psittaci antigen was detected in 2 of 86 Galapagos Hawks (2%), with 24 of 43 Galapagos Hawks (56%) antibody-positive for avian adenovirus-1 and 1 of 48 Galapagos Hawks (2%) antibody positive for Toxoplasma gondii. There were no significant differences in infectious disease results based on sex. This study contributes to the understanding of the health status of the Galapagos Hawk and to the establishment of baseline information for the species. Key words: Avian adenovirus-1, biochemistry profile, Buteo galapagoensis, Chlamydophila psittaci, Toxoplasma gondii. INTRODUCTION METHODS The Galapagos Hawk (Buteo galapagoen- Study area and field sampling sis) is the only endemic, diurnal raptor in Field work was conducted at the begin- Galapagos. More than one-half of the ning of the breeding season in January 2009 populations are on Santiago and Isabela on Santiago Island, Galapagos, at Sullivan islands (Parker, 2009). Hawks have been Bay (90u339590W, 0u179200S) and at James extirpated from three islands and are listed Bay (90u499430W, 0u129350S). Santiago is as threatened because of the limited popu- an uninhabited, 585-km2 island, located in lation and low genetic diversity (Parker, the center of the archipelago, with its 2009; BirdLife International, 2010). Al- highest elevation at 907 m (Jackson, though much is known about the life history 1993). Habitat types at our research sites aspects, such as diet (de Vries, 1973), social on Santiago Island include an arid coastal structure (Faaborg et al., 1995; DeLay et al., zone, a transitional zone, and barren 1996; Bollmer et al., 2003), and genetics pahoehoe, and A’a lava fields (Jackson, (Bollmer et al., 2005) of these birds, 1993). comparatively little is known about their Six Galapagos Hawks were caught with health status. Studies on the ectoparasites, rat-baited bal-chatri traps (Berger and immunity, and population sizes of Galapa- Mueller, 1959), and the remainder with gos Hawks show the lower innate immunity goat-meat–baited tangle nooses (Faaborg and higher ectoparasite load of hawks living et al., 1980). Any Galapagos Hawk not on smaller islands compared with those on previously banded received aluminum and larger islands (Whiteman et al., 2006). We anodized color bands bearing an alphanu- compared blood values and evidence of meric code. Morphometric measure- infection and exposure to selected infectious ments, including wing chord and body disease agents in male and female Galapa- mass, were taken as previously described, gos Hawks on Santiago Island, Galapagos. and wing chord was used to categorize 39 40 JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES, VOL. 48, NO. 1, JANUARY 2012 each individual as male or female because a commercial laboratory (Advanced Vet- that measure does not overlap between erinary Laboratory, St. Louis, Missouri, the sexes (Bollmer et al., 2003). USA). Hemosporidia were assayed by A cloacal swab was collected (Fish- polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifi- erbrandH Sterile Swabs, Fisher Scientific, cation of the mitochondrial cytochrome b Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA), individu- gene (Sambrook and Russell, 1989; Wal- ally placed in cryotubes (Nalgene NUNC denstrom, 2004) at the University of International, Rochester, New York, Missouri–St. Louis (St. Louis, Missouri, USA), and frozen in liquid nitrogen USA). Galapagos Dove (Zenaida galapa- (2196 C) in the field and mechanical goensis) and Galapagos Penguin (Sphenis- freezers (280 C) in the laboratory. cus mendiculus) blood samples infected Approximately 6 ml of blood (,1% of with Haemoproteus sp. and Plasmodium body weight) was collected from the ulnar sp., respectively, were used as positive vein. Fifty ml of blood was stored in 500 ml controls in each test. The negative control lysis buffer preservative solution (Long- consisted of all reagents, without DNA. mire et al., 1988) for future molecular Cloacal swab samples were tested for analyses (i.e., hemoparasite identifica- Chlamydophila psittaci DNA by PCR at tion). The remainder of the blood was the Infectious Diseases Laboratory at the transferred to lithium heparin (Corvac, University of Georgia College of Veteri- Sherwood Medical, St. Louis, Missouri, nary Medicine (Athens, Georgia, USA; USA) and serum separator tubes (Corvac, Sayada et al., 1995). Sherwood) and kept in a cooler until Serologic tests were performed at the processed. All blood samples were pro- National Veterinary Services Laboratories cessed between 2 and 7 hr, with 90% (Ames, Iowa, USA) for avian adenovirus-1 processed within 5 hr. Heparinized blood by agar gel immunodiffusion (Jakowski was used for determination of packed cell and Wyand, 1972), and at the Veterinary volumes (PCV) using a portable 12-volt Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, University centrifuge (Mobilespin, Vulcan Technol- of Missouri–Columbia College of Veteri- ogies, Grandview, Missouri, USA), and nary Medicine (Columbia, Missouri, USA) plasma total solids (TS) were measured for avian encephalitis virus (picornavirus) using a temperature-calibrated hand-held by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay refractometer (Schulco, Toledo, Ohio, (ELISA; cutoff.400; OIE, 2008), avian USA). Serum separator tubes were cen- paramyxovirus/Newcastle disease by hem- trifuged for 10 min and the serum was agglutination inhibition (cutoff.64; Allan decanted, placed in cryotubes, and frozen and Gough, 1974), and Marek disease in liquid nitrogen (2196 C) or mechan- (herpesvirus) by agar gel immunodiffusion ical freezers (280 C) in the field and (OIE, 2008). The modified agglutination laboratory, respectively. test (MAT) was performed using whole Samples were imported to the United Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites of the RH States at room temperature (i.e., blood in strain fixed in formalin and mercaptoeth- Longmire buffer) or frozen (270 C) on anol as described (Dubey and Desmonts, dry ice (i.e., swabs, sera). When applica- 1987) for the detection of T. gondii– ble, samples were shipped by courier on specific antibodies. Positive and negative ice to a laboratory for diagnostic testing. avian serum controls were included in each run of the MAT. A titer $1:50 was Laboratory analyses considered positive. Chemistry profiles were processed on Statistical analysis an advanced Synchron CX5 PRO Clinical System spectrophotometer (Beckman- A condition index was calculated as the Coulter, Inc., Bree, California, USA) by residual of the regression of body mass DEEM ET AL.—HEALTH EVALUATION OF GALAPAGOS HAWKS 41 against wing chord for both sexes com- geeriella regalis). These four individuals bined (Green, 2001). A two-tailed t-test were excluded from morphometrics and was used to compare condition index blood parameter data sets but included in scores of Galapagos Hawks by sex (Petrie data for evidence of infection or exposure and Watson, 2006). All other numerical to infectious disease-causing agents. Male data were inspected for normality; two- and female Galapagos Hawks had similar tailed t-tests were performed on normal PVC, TS, and biochemistry values for all data, and Mann-Whitney U-tests were parameters, except AST, which was signif- used where normality was rejected to icantly higher in females (Table 1; Mann- compare by sex (Petrie and Watson, Whitney U-test, P50.048). 2006). Prevalence was defined as the There was no evidence of infection with proportion of tested Galapagos Hawks blood parasites (n576) or exposure to with positive antibody test results, with avian encephalitis virus (n543), Marek 95% confidence intervals given (Thrus- disease virus (n543), or paramyxovirus-1 field, 2007). Chi-squared tests or Fisher’s (n543). Two of 86 Galapagos Hawks (1 exact tests were used to compare preva- female, 1 male) were positive for C. lence data by sex. Statistical significance psittaci (prevalence52%;95% CI50.3– was set as P,0.05. Data were analyzed 8.5%), 1 of 48 Galapagos Hawks was using commercial statistical software positive to T. gondii (1:800 titer, preva- (NCSS, Kaysville, Utah, USA). lence52%;95% CI50.1–11.5%), and 24 of 43 Galapagos Hawks (11 females, 13 RESULTS males) had antibodies to avian adenovirus- 1 (prevalence556%;95% CI539.9– Physical examinations of 89 Galapagos 70.9%). Hawks were performed and morphomet- rics, blood values, and evidence of infection DISCUSSION or exposure
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