Mycobacterium microti Infections in Free-Ranging Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)

Surveillance forMycobacterium bovisin free-ranging elk (Cervus elaphus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from south-western Manitoba was carried out from 1997 to 2010 to describe the lesions, epidemiology, and geographic distribution of disease. Tissues were cultured from animals killed by hunters, culled for management, blood-tested, or found opportunistically. Period prevalence in elk was approximately six times higher than deer, suggesting a significant reservoir role for elk, but that infected deer may also be involved. Prevalence was consistently higher in elk compared to deer in a small core area and prevalence declines since 2003 are likely due to a combination of management factors instituted during that time. Older age classes and animals sampled from the core area were at significantly higher risk of being culture positive. Positive elk and deer were more likely to be found through blood testing, opportunistic surveillance, and culling compared to hunting. No non-lesioned, culture-positive elk were detected in this study compared to previous studies in red deer.

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Comparison of vocalisations of introduced European red deer stags (Cervus elaphus) in north-western Patagonia (Argentina) with native European populations

Animal Production Science ◽

10.1071/an11361 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 52 (8) ◽

pp. 714 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

A. M. Hurtado ◽

J. M. Smith-Flueck ◽

P. Black-Decima

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Cervus Elaphus ◽

Red Deer ◽

Vocal Tract ◽

Acoustical Properties ◽

Andean Cordillera ◽

Northern European ◽

Acoustic Study ◽

Free Ranging ◽

European Populations

Polygynous deer are very vocal species, producing calls in various contexts. Male rutting calls in red deer (Cervus elaphus) have been most studied in captive and/or free-ranging European populations. The recent application of ‘source-filter theory’ has identified the independent roles of fundamental frequency (F0) and formants in the production of deer calls and demonstrated the relation between formant spacing and anatomical characteristics such as body size. The present paper describes and characterises the acoustical properties of male rutting vocalisations for a free-ranging red deer population located in the ecotone of the eastern Andean cordillera within the Nahuel Huapi National Reserve (Neuquén, Argentina), and is the first acoustic study of free-ranging red deer stags outside their historic distribution. Recordings were made of seven identified and several unidentified stags at the peak of the rut in 2007. Calculated F0 was found to be higher for these identified stags than for Scottish red deer on the island of Rhum. The analysis of formant spacing was used to calculate the length of the vocal tract (VTL) for the seven males studied; values were comparable to those found in stags from Rhum. The longest calculated VTLs within these males corresponded to those of the four stags with the largest antler racks and the only stags holding harems. Previous studies have shown that VTL correlates with body size, age and reproductive success and that these deer have the ability to lower their larynx and extend their vocal tracts to a maximum, which is probably under sexual selection. Our data fit with this explanation. The higher F0s recorded in this population may result from the influence of wapiti genes, known to be present in these deer, because wapiti have a much higher-frequency rutting call, namely, the bugle. Alternatively, they may be related to the mating strategy, which differs substantially from the northern European populations.

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Host and Environmental Factors Modulate the Exposure of Free-Ranging and Farmed Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) to Coxiella burnetii

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.01433-15 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 81 (18) ◽

pp. 6223-6231 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

David González-Barrio ◽

Ana Luisa Velasco Ávila ◽

Mariana Boadella ◽

Beatriz Beltrán-Beck ◽

José Ángel Barasona ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coxiella Burnetii ◽

Cervus Elaphus ◽

Red Deer ◽

Statistical Analyses ◽

Accurate Information ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Multivariate Statistical ◽

Content Type ◽

Iberian Red Deer ◽

Free Ranging

ABSTRACTThe control of multihost pathogens, such asCoxiella burnetii, should rely on accurate information about the roles played by the main hosts. We aimed to determine the involvement of the red deer (Cervus elaphus) in the ecology ofC. burnetii. We predicted that red deer populations from broad geographic areas within a European context would be exposed toC. burnetii, and therefore, we hypothesized that a series of factors would modulate the exposure of red deer toC. burnetii. To test this hypothesis, we designed a retrospective survey of 47 Iberian red deer populations from which 1,751 serum samples and 489 spleen samples were collected. Sera were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) in order to estimate exposure toC. burnetii, and spleen samples were analyzed by PCR in order to estimate the prevalence of systemic infections. Thereafter, we gathered 23 variables—within environmental, host, and management factors—potentially modulating the risk of exposure of deer toC. burnetii, and we performed multivariate statistical analyses to identify the main risk factors. Twenty-three populations were seropositive (48.9%), andC. burnetiiDNA in the spleen was detected in 50% of the populations analyzed. The statistical analyses reflect the complexity ofC. burnetiiecology and suggest that although red deer may maintain the circulation ofC. burnetiiwithout third species, the most frequent scenario probably includes other wild and domestic host species. These findings, taken together with previous evidence ofC. burnetiishedding by naturally infected red deer, point at this wild ungulate as a true reservoir forC. burnetiiand an important node in the life cycle ofC. burnetii, at least in the Iberian Peninsula.

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