scholarly journals Exposure of Free-Ranging Wild Animals to Zoonotic Leptospira interrogans Sensu Stricto in Slovenia

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2722
Author(s):  
Diana Žele-Vengušt ◽  
Renata Lindtner-Knific ◽  
Nina Mlakar-Hrženjak ◽  
Klemen Jerina ◽  
Gorazd Vengušt

A total of 249 serum samples from 13 wild animal species namely fallow deer (Dama dama, n = 1), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus, n = 80), red deer (Cervus elaphus, n = 22), chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra, n = 21), mouflon (Ovis musimon, n = 4), brown hare (Lepus europaeus, n = 2), nutria (Myocastor coypus, n = 1), red fox (Vulpes vulpes, n = 97), stone marten (Martes foina, n = 12), European badger (Meles meles, n = 2), golden jackal (Canis aureus, n = 2) Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx, n = 2) and grey wolf (Canis lupus, n = 3) were analysed for the presence of antibodies against Leptospira interrogans sensu stricto. Serum samples were examined via the microscopic agglutination test for the presence of specific antibodies against Leptospira serovars Icterohaemorrhagiae, Bratislava, Pomona, Grippotyphosa, Hardjo, Sejroe, Australis, Autumnalis, Canicola, Saxkoebing and Tarassovi. Antibodies to at least one of the pathogenic serovars were detected in 77 (30.9%; CI = 25–37%) sera. The proportion of positive samples varied intraspecifically and was the biggest in large carnivores (lynx, wolf and jackal; 86%), followed by mezzo predators: stone marten (67%) and red fox (34%), and large herbivores: red deer (32%), roe deer (25%), alpine chamois (10%) and mouflon (0%). Out of the 77 positive samples, 42 samples (53.8%) had positive titres against a single serovar, while 35 (45.4%) samples had positive titres against two or more serovars. The most frequently detected antibodies were those against the serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae. The present study confirmed the presence of multiple pathogenic serovars in wildlife throughout Slovenia. It can be concluded that wild animals are reservoirs for at least some of the leptospiral serovars and are a potential source of leptospirosis for other wild and domestic animals, as well as for humans.

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacek Żmudzki ◽  
Artur Jabłoński ◽  
Zbigniew Arent ◽  
Sylwia Zębek ◽  
Agnieszka Nowak ◽  
...  

AbstractIntroduction: Recently in Europe an increase in the population of red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and fallow deer (Dama dama) has been observed. Research on the prevalence of Leptospira infections in Polish cervids has been performed for the first time.Material and Methods: During 2014/2015 hunting season, 147 blood samples from red deer, roe deer, and fallow deer were collected. The animals originated from different geographical regions across Poland. Serum samples were tested by microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for the presence of specific antibodies to the following Leptospira serovars: Icterohaemorrhagiae, Grippotyphosa, Sejroe, Tarassovi, Pomona, Canicola, Bratislava, Hardjo, Ballum, Zanoni, Hebdomadis, and Poi.Results: Serum antibody titres specific to Grippotyphosa, Pomona, and Zanoni serovars were found; none of the sera were positive for any of the other serovars. Out of 147 serum samples only 7 were positive, which gave an overall prevalence of 4.8% in the tested animal population.Conclusion: The low Leptospira antibody titres along with the low number of positive serum samples in deer indicate that these animals may not act as significant reservoirs of Leptospira for either humans or animals in Poland.


2019 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaela Nesvadbová ◽  
Gabriela Bořilová ◽  
Radka Hulánková

Meat authentication is currently a key topic in relation to the quality and safety of food of animal origin at all levels of production and the global distribution chain. New polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphisms (PCR-RFLP) based on digestion of PCR products with two restriction enzymes, MboII and AciI, have been developed for the specific identification of raw and heat-processed meat from red deer (Cervus elaphus), sika deer (Cervus nippon), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), fallow deer (Dama dama), mouflon (Ovis musimon), wild boar (Sus scrofa), hare (Lepus europaeus) and cattle (Bos taurus). The PCR primers were targeted in a well-conserved region of the cytochrome b (CYTB) gene to amplify a 378 bp region of all the analysed species. This simple, rapid and cost-effective method is suitable for identification of the meat of game species and their possible substitution by beef.


Biologia ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 66 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarína Štefanidesová ◽  
Eva Špitalská ◽  
Ivan Krkoš ◽  
Elena Smetanová ◽  
Elena Kocianová

AbstractTick-borne bacterial zoonoses of livestock and free-ranging ungulates caused by Anaplasma spp. are common in Central Europe. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and other tick-borne bacteria in wild animals from western Slovakia. Infection with A. phagocytophilum was recorded in 62.86% of analyzed roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), in two red deer (Cervus elaphus) and two wild boars (Sus scrofa). Dermacentor reticulatus and Ixodes ricinus ticks collected on red deer were not A. phagocytophilum-infected. However, spotted fever group rickettsiae were detected in ticks collected from red deer. High prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in roe deer as well as positive red deer and wild boars suggest the occurrence of natural foci in western Slovakia.


Behaviour ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 152 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 1019-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Wikenros ◽  
Dries P.J. Kuijper ◽  
Robert Behnke ◽  
Krzysztof Schmidt

Ambush predators provide more persistent cues of predation risk compared to coursing predators and are predicted to exert stronger effects on behaviour of their prey. We studied anti-predator responses of ungulates by means of camera traps to an olfactory cue (fresh scat) of an ambush predator, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) both important prey species for lynx were not more vigilant when exposed to lynx scent, but reduced their visitation duration. Our results contrast with previously reported responses of red deer to scent from a coursing predator, the wolf (Canis lupus), where only vigilance and foraging behaviour but not visitation duration changed in response to wolf scat. This indicates that ungulates are able to recognize the risk of predation from predators with differing hunting modes based on olfactory cues and adjust their anti-predatory behaviour.


2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 245 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.N. Caamaño ◽  
M. Hermsen ◽  
J. Marcos ◽  
A. Meana ◽  
C. Alonso ◽  
...  

The number of wild animals threatened or at risk of extinction constantly increases and, as a result, biodiversity decreases. Therefore, it is necessary to set in motion proceedings to preserve the genetic variability and to overcome factors leading to this situation. Banks of cryopreserved cells, such as skin fibroblasts, from wild animals could be used both for genetic studies and as a cell source for technologies able to reproduce individuals. In this study we report that a single basic protocol provides a method for obtaining, culturing, and cryopreserving skin fibroblasts from a wide range of wild animals. Skin biopsies were taken in Cantabria (Spain) from live, anesthetized brown bear (Ursus arctos, n = 4), and in Asturias (Spain) from carcasses of accidentally killed individuals from the following species: grey wolf (Canis lupus, n = 1), red fox (Vulpes vulpes, n = 1), eurasian badger (Meles meles, n = 1), ermine (Mustela erminea, n = 1), fallow deer (Dama dama, n = 7), pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica, n = 1), western roe deer (Capreolus capreolus, n = 1), wild boar (Sus scrofa, n = 1), striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba, n = 1) and one avian species, capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus, n = 1). Once obtained and transported to the laboratory, all samples were processed identically. Tissue samples were manually cut into small pieces and enzymatically digested with 0.05% trypsin-EDTA (Sigma-Aldrich, Madrid, Spain) for 30 min, and then with collagenase (300 units/mL) (Sigma) for 14 h at 38°C. Disaggregated cells were centrifuged at 1600 rpm for 10 min and the pellet was diluted with D-MEM (Sigma) containing 10% FBS. Cells were counted and a minimum of 3 × 105 cells were placed in a 25 cm2 flask for culture under 5% CO2 in air and high humidity at 37°C (red fox, badger, ermine, western roe deer) or 38°C (brown bear, grey wolf, fallow deer, pyrenean chamois, wild boar, striped dolphin, capercaillie). Confluent fibroblast monolayers were obtained after 5–7 days in culture except for the striped dolphin whose sample was contaminated. Two to three passages were performed using 75 cm2 flasks before freezing fibroblasts in D-MEM containing 10% DMSO (Sigma) and 10% FBS. Total cell yield from a confluent flask was 5–11 × 106 cells, depending on the animal species. Fibroblasts recovered from all thawed samples grew to confluence, and karyotypes were performed at this step. It was possible to obtain, culture, freeze, and thaw skin fibroblasts successfully from all the above-mentioned land species. Although more research is needed, preliminary data suggest that the above-described procedure can be applied to mammals and birds, thus helping to preserve genetic material of wild animals. Grant Support: Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Ordenación del Territorios e Infraestructuras, Asturias, SPAIN. The authors acknowledge CEPESMA, Luarca, Asturias, SPAIN.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 65-72
Author(s):  
V. N. Shmagol' ◽  
V. L. Yarysh ◽  
S. P. Ivanov ◽  
V. I. Maltsev

<p>The long-term population dynamics of the red deer (<em>Cervus elaphus</em> L.) and European roe deer (<em>Capreolus</em> <em>capreolus</em> L.) at the mountain and forest zone of Crimea during 1980-2017 is presented. Fluctuations in numbers of both species are cyclical and partly synchronous. Period of oscillations in the population of red deer is about 25 years, the average duration of the oscillation period of number of roe deer is 12.3 years. During the fluctuations in the number the increasing and fall in population number of the red deer had been as 26-47 %, and roe deer – as 22-34 %. Basing on the dada obtained we have assumed that together with large-scale cycles of fluctuations in population number of both red deer and roe deer the short cycles of fluctuations in the number of these species with period from 3.5 to 7.5 years take place. Significant differences of the parameters of cyclical fluctuations in the number of roe deer at some sites of the Mountainous Crimea: breaches of synchronicity, as well as significant differences in the duration of cycles are revealed. The greatest deviations from the average values of parameters of long-term dynamics of the number of roe deer in Crimea are noted for groups of this species at two protected areas. At the Crimean Nature Reserve the cycle time of fluctuations of the numbers of roe deer was 18 years. At the Karadag Nature Reserve since 1976 we can see an exponential growth in number of roe deer that is continued up to the present time. By 2016 the number of roe deer reached 750 individuals at a density of 437 animals per 1 thousand ha. Peculiarity of dynamics of number of roe deer at some sites proves the existence in the mountain forest of Crimea several relatively isolated groups of deer. We assumed that "island" location of the Crimean populations of red deer and European roe deer, their relatively little number and influence of permanent extreme factors of both natural and anthropogenic origination have contributed to a mechanism of survival of these populations. The elements of such a mechanism include the following features of long-term dynamics of the population: the reduction in the period of cyclic population fluctuations, while maintaining their amplitude and the appearance of additional small cycles, providing more flexible response of the population to the impact of both negative and positive environmental factors. From the totality of the weather conditions for the Crimean population of roe deer the recurring periods of increases and downs in the annual precipitation amount may have relevance. There was a trend of increase in the roe deer population during periods of increasing annual precipitation.</p>


2009 ◽  
Vol 54 (No. 4) ◽  
pp. 191-193
Author(s):  
K. Sedlak ◽  
T. Girma ◽  
J. Holejsovsky

372 sera of cervids from the Czech Republic were examined for antibodies to the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and border disease virus (BDV) by competitive-inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and for the presence of the BVDV by AgELISA. Antibodies to BVDV/BDV were found in 0.6% (two positive/305 tested) red deer (<I>Cervus elaphus</I>). BVDV/BDV antibodies were not found in four sika deer (<I>Cervus Nippon</I>) and 63 fallow deer (<I>Dama dama</I>). All serum samples were BVDV antigen negative. Our results confirmed that red deer in the Czech Republic are only rarely infected with Pestiviruses. This was the first survey of pestiviruses in farmed and wild cervids in the Czech Republic.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 539
Author(s):  
Urška Kuhar ◽  
Diana Žele Vengušt ◽  
Urška Jamnikar-Ciglenečki ◽  
Gorazd Vengušt

Papillomaviruses (PVs) are an extremely large group of viruses that cause skin and mucosal infections in humans and various domestic and wild animals. Nevertheless, there is limited knowledge about PVs in wildlife hosts, including mustelid species. This study describes a case in stone marten (Martes foina) with a clinical manifestation of skin tumor, which is rather atypical for infections with PVs. The result of the papillomavirus PCR performed on the skin tumor sample was positive, and the complete PV genome was determined in the studied sample using next-generation sequencing technology. The analysis of the PV genome revealed infection of the stone marten with a putative new PV type belonging to the Dyonupapillomavirus genus. The proposed new stone marten PV type was named MfoiPV1.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2108
Author(s):  
Anna Milczarek ◽  
Alina Janocha ◽  
Grażyna Niedziałek ◽  
Michalina Zowczak-Romanowicz ◽  
Elżbieta Horoszewicz ◽  
...  

The present studies aimed to analyse and assess the health-promoting properties of the musculus semimembranosus (MS) of roe and red deer harvested in the wild. The experimental materials comprising the carcasses of roe deer (15 does and 15 bucks) and red deer (15 hinds and 15 stags) were selected for analysis based on the following criteria: age of animals at harvest—3–4 years; time that passed from the harvest of animals to carcass cutting—48–54 h. After chilling the carcasses for 24 h at +2 °C, the haunches were cut from the carcasses and transported to the laboratory in isothermal ice-packed containers. Samples of the musculus semimembranosus were analysed to determine the chemical composition (proximate components, energy value, Fe, Pb, Cd, fatty acids). More (p ≤ 0.05) dry matter and total protein and less (p ≤ 0.05) crude fat was found in the musculus semimembranosus of roe deer in comparison to red deer. No significant influence of the animal’s sex was observed in the content of the evaluated nutrients, apart from crude fat content, which was increased in the haunch of females from both species. The energy content in the muscle of roe deer was 10% higher than the energy value of MS in red deer (p ≤ 0.05). The content of iron was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher (6.64 mg/kg) in the meat of red deer compared to the meat of roe deer (31.68 mg/kg). Roe deer haunch contained more lead but less cadmium than red deer haunch. Irrespective of sex, the lipid fraction of red deer muscle contained more saturated fatty acids (SFA). Intramuscular fat (IMF) in roe deer meat contained a higher percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The atherogenicity (AI) and thrombogenicity (TI) index values were significantly lower in roe deer haunch, and the hypocholesterolaemic-to-hypercholesterolaemic fatty acids ratio (HH) was lower (p ≤ 0.05) in red deer meat. To sum up, the evaluated roe deer and red deer haunch featured high dietary value as it contained a high protein and low fat content and had an advantageous fatty acids composition. As regards the content of cadmium and lead, roe deer and red deer haunch can be considered safe for consumers.


Oryx ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine S. Alexander ◽  
Jeremy J. Cusack ◽  
Chen Pengju ◽  
Shi Kun ◽  
Philip Riordan

AbstractIn high-altitude settings of Central Asia the Endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia has been recognized as a potential umbrella species. As a first step in assessing the potential benefits of snow leopard conservation for other carnivores, we sought a better understanding of the presence of other carnivores in areas occupied by snow leopards in China's Qilianshan National Nature Reserve. We used camera-trap and sign surveys to examine whether other carnivores were using the same travel routes as snow leopards at two spatial scales. We also considered temporal interactions between species. Our results confirm that other carnivores, including the red fox Vulpes vulpes, grey wolf Canis lupus, Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx and dhole Cuon alpinus, occur along snow leopard travel routes, albeit with low detection rates. Even at the smaller scale of our camera trap survey all five carnivores (snow leopard, lynx, wolf, red fox and dhole) were observed. Kernel density estimates suggested a high degree of temporal overlap between the snow leopard and the fox, and the snow leopard and the lynx, as indicated by high overlap coefficient estimates. There is an opportunity to consider protective measures at the local scale that would benefit various species simultaneously. However, it should also be recognized that snow leopard conservation efforts could exacerbate human–wildlife conflicts through their protective effect on other carnivore species.


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