Prevalence of Antibodies Against Selected Agents Shared Between Cantabrian Chamois (Rupicapra Pyrenaica Parva) and Domestic Goats
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Eur J Wildl Res (2010) 56:319–325 DOI 10.1007/s10344-009-0322-z ORIGINAL PAPER Prevalence of antibodies against selected agents shared between Cantabrian chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva) and domestic goats Caterina Falconi & Álvaro Oleaga & Jorge R. López-Olvera & Rosa Casais & Miguel Prieto & Christian Gortázar Received: 20 June 2009 /Revised: 9 September 2009 /Accepted: 11 September 2009 /Published online: 30 September 2009 # Springer-Verlag 2009 Abstract Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) share antibodies against Brucella spp. were detected. Conversely, the habitat with domestic ungulates, and may, therefore, antibodies against MAP, pestivirus (chamois 3.8%; goat play a role in the epidemiology of shared agents. The 2.3%), and S. scabiei (chamois 11.9%; goat 12.8%) were objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence detected in both species. Seroprevalence for MAP was for Brucella spp., Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratubercu- significantly higher for domestic goats (26%) than for losis (MAP), pestivirus, and Sarcoptes scabiei in Canta- chamois (9.7%). In chamois, seroprevalence for pestivirus brian chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva) and compare was higher in the west (6.5%) than in the east (range these data with those of sympatric domestic goats (Capra 0–1.8%), whereas seroprevalence for S. scabiei followed hircus). From 2005 to 2008, blood samples were obtained the opposite trend (west 4.6%; east 16.7–21.4%). We from 236 adult Cantabrian chamois in two different suggest that certain diseases could circulate between populations, the western one and the eastern one. Seropre- Cantabrian chamois and domestic goat populations, and valence for Brucella spp. and pestivirus was assessed using domestic livestock may suppose a threat for the health commercial ELISA kits, whereas specifically designed status of sympatric Cantabrian chamois. ELISA tests were used for MAP and S. scabiei.No Keywords Serosurvey. Cantabrian chamois . Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis . Sarcoptic Communicated by W. Lutz mange . Pestivirus . Domestic goat Caterina Falconi and Álvaro Oleaga contributed equally to this work. C. Falconi : Á. Oleaga : C. Gortázar IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM) Ronda de Toledo s.n., Introduction Ciudad Real 13071, Spain Á. Oleaga : R. Casais : M. Prieto Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica)isawild SERIDA (Servicio Regional de Investigación mountain ungulate belonging to the Bovidae family and y Desarrollo Agroalimentario), Caprinae subfamily. Two subspecies can be found in Laboratorio de Sanidad Animal, Jove, 33299 Gijón, Asturias, Spain Spain: the Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica pyr- enaica) in the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian chamois J. R. López-Olvera (*) (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva), endemic from the Canta- ’ Servei d Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge, brian Mountains and occupying the western limit of the Facultat de Veterinària (Edifici V), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Rupicapra genus distribution area (Fig. 1). A western and Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain an eastern population of Cantabrian chamois, physically e-mail: [email protected] separated by anthropogenic barriers, have been defined (Catusse et al. 1996; Shackleton and the IUCN/SSC C. Falconi Via E. de Magistris 9, Caprinae Specialist Group 1997; Pérez-Barbería and 09123 Cagliari, Italy García-González 2004). For the purpose of this study, 320 Eur J Wildl Res (2010) 56:319–325 the eastern population is shared by two different political nucleus) (Pérez-Barbería and García-González 2004; regions: Asturias and León. Anonymous 2008a, 2008b). In 1993, the eastern chamois populations were affected This commingling may play a significant role in the by sarcoptic mange, the disease becoming endemic since epidemiology of several infectious agents since cross- then (Fernández-Morán et al. 1997). Sarcoptic mange is transmission may occur as livestock graze in mountain considered absent in the western population, without pastures (Gauthier et al. 1991; Cubero-Pablo et al. 2000; clinical cases of mange detected up to date in this area, Gortázar et al. 2007). Transmission of agents has been where Cantabrian chamois population has continuously suggested in both directions, with wildlife acting as increased throughout the last years, reaching a density of reservoirs of infectious agents which affect domestic 14.35 Cantabrian chamois per square kilometer in 2007. animals and livestock being a source of infection for wild This compares to the 6.50 chamois per square kilometer mountain ruminants (Bengis et al. 2002; Simpson 2002; registered for the mange-affected eastern population in Gaffuri et al. 2006). 2007 (Anonymous 2008a, 2008b). Domestic livestock in Antibodies against several infectious agents of rumi- Asturias and León includes approximately 80,000 domestic nants have been detected in chamois (Rupicapra spp.). goats (Capra hircus; Anonymous 2008c), some of which Antibodies against viral pathogens include bovine herpes- share habitat in summer with more than 13,500 Cantabrian virus 1, encephalomyocarditis virus (Gentile et al. 2000), chamois (ca. 3,400 in the western nucleus, ca. 5,300 in the bovine parainfluenza type 3 virus, bovine respiratory eastern Asturias one, and ca. 4,800 in the eastern León syncytial virus (Gaffuri et al. 2006), and pestivirus (Gentile et al. 2000; Arnal et al. 2004; Hurtado et al. 2004; Gaffuri et al. 2006; Marco et al. 2007; Pioz et al. 2007; Marco et al. 2008). Regarding bacterial agents, antibodies have been detected against Brucella melitensis (Garin-Bastuji et al. 1990), Mycoplasma conjunctivae (Giacometti et al. 2002; Gaffuri et al. 2006), Salmonella enterica, Coxiella burnetii (Pioz et al. 2008), Leptospira interrogans (Gentile et al. 2000), and Chlamydophila abortus (Pioz et al. 2008; Salinas et al. 2009). Finally, antibodies against two protozoa, Neospora caninum and Toxoplama gondii, have also been reported (Gentile et al. 2000; Gaffuri et al. 2006). In spite of such information regarding other species or subspecies of chamois, only limited information on the seroprevalence of infectious agents in Cantabrian chamois is available (Fernández-Morán et al. 1997; Gauss et al. 2006; Almería et al. 2007). The objective of this study was determining the seroprevalence for Brucella spp., Myco- bacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP), pestivirus, and Sarcoptes scabiei in the Cantabrian chamois. This was compared with data on sera from sympatric domestic goats sharing summer pastures with the chamois, in order to detect potentially shared diseases between both species. Materials and methods From 2005 to 2008, blood samples were obtained from 236 adult Cantabrian chamois, either hunted (N=213) or life Fig. 1 Chamois distribution in Europe and study areas in north– western Spain. Adapted and modified from Catusse et al. 1996 and captured with drive-nets (N=23), an already reported Fernández-Morán et al. 1997. Gray northern chamois (Rupicapra method to capture chamois (López-Olvera et al. 2009a). rupicapra) populations, Black southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrena- Two different chamois populations were defined according ica) populations, 1 western Cantabrian chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica to geographical criteria, the eastern one and the western parva) population, 2a eastern Cantabrian chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva) population in Asturias, 2b eastern Cantabrian one, the latter covering an area shared by two different chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva) population in León public administrations, León and Asturias (Fig. 1). The Eur J Wildl Res (2010) 56:319–325 321 sampled area represents more than 75% of the current seroprevalence differences between species, among areas distribution area of Cantabrian chamois. Since hunting for both species, and among years for southern chamois. programs are aimed at maintaining population structure balance, animals from both sexes and all ages were included in our sample, thus being representative of the Results studied population. Blood samples were collected by jugular venipuncture in Table 1 shows the serologic results for both Cantabrian the live chamois and by heart puncture in the hunted ones. chamois and domestic goat in the different study areas. No Blood was allowed to clot at room temperature and antibodies were detected against Brucella spp. either in centrifuged less than 24 h after collection. Sera were also chamois or goat. Conversely, antibodies against MAP, obtained from 219 domestic goats through the Official pestivirus, and S. scabiei were detected in both species. Health Testing Programme of the Spanish government for Seroprevalence for MAP was significantly (P<0.05) Brucella abortus. All sera were stored at −20°C until higher in domestic goats than in Cantabrian chamois for the analyzed. total and for the west and León areas. Differences in MAP A commercial competitive enzyme-linked assay (ELISA; antibodies seroprevalence in goats were also significant INGEZIM BRUCELLA BOVINE 1.2.BB.K.1, INGEN- among areas. ASA, Madrid, Spain) was used for the detection of Seroprevalence for pestivirus in Cantabrian chamois was antibodies against Brucella spp. according to the manufac- statistically higher in the western area than in the eastern turer's recommendations. This ELISA detects antibodies area. Moreover, pestivirus seroprevalence significantly against the protein–polysaccharide complex LPS-S of (P<0.05) increased throughout the years in this species Brucella, and it has been previously used in mouflon (Ovis (Table 2). aries musimon; López-Olvera et al.