A screening for canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus and carnivore protoparvoviruses in Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Norway

Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes (L., 1758)) recently expanded into the oil fields at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, USA, and we hypothesized that the availability of anthropogenic foods may contribute to their success and persistence there. This study assessed the importance of anthropogenic foods to the diets of red foxes and arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus (L., 1758)), and competition for food resources between the two species in Prudhoe Bay. We used stable isotope analysis of fox tissues to infer diet during summer and winter for both red and arctic foxes, and lifetime diet for red fox. While the contribution of anthropogenic foods in late summer for both species’ diets was low (~10% to 15%), the contribution in late winter was higher and varied between species (red foxes = 49%; arctic foxes = 39%). Estimates of lifetime diet in red foxes suggest consistent use of anthropogenic foods. We found moderate overlap of fox diets, although red foxes appeared to be more specialized on lemmings, whereas arctic foxes had a more diverse diet. Availability and consumption of anthropogenic foods by red foxes, particularly in winter, may partially explain their year-round presence in Prudhoe Bay.

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Broad Range Screening of Vector-Borne Pathogens in Arctic Foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in Iceland

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani10112031 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 2031

Author(s):

Sándor Hornok ◽

Kristin Mühldorfer ◽

Nóra Takács ◽

Regina Hofmann-Lehmann ◽

Marina L. Meli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anaplasma Phagocytophilum ◽

The Arctic ◽

Vulpes Lagopus ◽

Protozoan Parasites ◽

Red Foxes ◽

Warming Climate ◽

Hemotropic Mycoplasma ◽

Arctic Foxes ◽

Vector Borne ◽

Real Time Qpcr

The arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is the only native terrestrial mammal in Iceland. While red foxes (V. vulpes) are known to be epidemiologically important carriers of several vector-borne pathogens in Europe, arctic foxes have never been evaluated in a similar context on this continent. This has become especially relevant in the last decade, considering the establishing populations of the tick species Ixodes ricinus in Iceland. In this study, liver DNA extracts of 60 arctic foxes, hunted between 2011–2012, were molecularly screened for vector-borne protozoan parasites (Trypanosomatidae, Babesia, Theileria, Hepatozoon) and bacteria (Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, Borrelia, hemotropic Mycoplasma). One sample was real-time qPCR positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, though this positivity could not be confirmed with sequencing. Samples were negative for all other tested vector-borne pathogens. Results of this study indicate that, except for A. phagocytophilum, Icelandic arctic foxes were apparently “not yet infected” with vector-borne pathogens in 2011–2012, or their infections were “below the detection limit” of applied methods. Taking into account the broad range of target microorganisms analyzed here, as well as the warming climate and increasing presence of the vector I. ricinus in Iceland, our results will be very useful as baseline data for comparison in future monitoring of the emergence of ticks and tick-borne diseases in this country.

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Prevalence of Antibodies against Canine Distemper Virus among Red Foxes in Luxembourg

Journal of Wildlife Diseases ◽

10.7589/0090-3558-38.4.856 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

pp. 856-859 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Benjamin C. Damien ◽

Byron E. E. Martina ◽

Serge Losch ◽

Joël Mossong ◽

Albert D. M. E. Osterhaus ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Canine Distemper Virus ◽

Canine Distemper ◽

Red Foxes

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Characterization of pathological alterations in the central nervous system of red foxes caused by canine distemper virus

10.1055/s-0040-1712571 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

F. Geiselhardt ◽

M. Peters ◽

S. Kleinschmidt ◽

M. Ludlow ◽

A. Beineke

Keyword(s):

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Canine Distemper Virus ◽

Canine Distemper ◽

Red Foxes ◽

The Central Nervous System

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Detection and genetic characterization of canine distemper virus (CDV) from free-ranging red foxes in Italy

Molecular and Cellular Probes ◽

10.1006/mcpr.2001.0387 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 77-83 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

V. Martella ◽

A. Pratelli ◽

F. Cirone ◽

N. Zizzo ◽

N. Decaro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Canine Distemper Virus ◽

Genetic Characterization ◽

Canine Distemper ◽

Red Foxes ◽

Free Ranging

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Den use by arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) in a subarctic region of western Alaska

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z96-072 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 74 (4) ◽

pp. 627-631 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

R. Michael Anthony

Keyword(s):

Vulpes Vulpes ◽

The Arctic ◽

Arctic Fox ◽

Alopex Lagopus ◽

Red Foxes ◽

Subarctic Region ◽

Arctic Circle ◽

Aerial Surveys ◽

Arctic Foxes ◽

Den Use

Distribution, abundance, and use of arctic fox dens located in coastal tundra communities of the Yukon–Kuskokwim delta were determined in studies from 1985 to 1990. Dens were denser and less complex than those described in studies conducted above the Arctic Circle. Eighty-three dens of varying complexity were found in the 52-km2 study area. Nineteen dens were used by arctic foxes for whelping or rearing pups. Three females relocated litters to multiple dens; a maximum of four dens were used concurrently by pups from one litter. Although red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were common in the region, their use of dens in the study area was minimal. Differences in vegetation at den sites and nearby unoccupied sites were minimal. Furthermore, den sites could not be distinguished from non-den sites during aerial surveys.

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