Munson Linda, Terio Karen A, Worley Michael, Jago Mark, Bagot-Smith Arthur, Marker Laurie
Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
J Wildl Dis. 2005 Jul;41(3):542-8. doi: 10.7589/0090-3558-41.3.542.
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) has been considered a paradigm for disease vulnerability due to loss of genetic diversity. This species monomorphism has been suspected to be the basis for their general poor health and dwindling populations in captivity. North American and South African captive populations have high prevalences of hepatic veno-occlusive disease, glomerulosclerosis, gastritis, and systemic amyloidosis, diseases that are rare in other species. Unusually severe inflammatory reactions to common infectious agents have also been documented in captive cheetahs. The current study compared disease prevalences in free-ranging Namibian cheetahs with those in two captive populations of similar ages. The occurrence of diseases in the free-ranging population was determined from 49 necropsies and 27 gastric biopsies obtained between 1986 and 2003 and compared with prevalences in 147 North American and 80 South African captive cheetahs. Except for two cheetahs, the free-ranging population was in robust health with only mild lesions present, in contrast with significantly higher prevalences in the captive populations. Despite widespread heavy Helicobacter colonization in wild cheetahs, only 3% of the free-ranging population had moderate to severe gastritis, in contrast with 64% of captive cheetahs. No severe inflammatory reactions to viral infections were detected in the free-ranging animals. Because free-ranging Namibian cheetahs are as genetically impoverished as captive cheetahs, these findings caution against attributing loss of fitness solely to genetic factors and attest to the fundamental importance of extrinsic factors in wildlife health.
猎豹（Acinonyx jubatus）由于遗传多样性丧失，一直被视为疾病易感性的典型例子。这种物种的单态性被怀疑是其总体健康状况不佳以及圈养种群数量减少的基础。北美和南非的圈养猎豹种群中，肝静脉闭塞性疾病、肾小球硬化、胃炎和系统性淀粉样变性的患病率很高，而这些疾病在其他物种中很少见。圈养猎豹对常见感染因子的炎症反应异常严重也有记录。本研究比较了纳米比亚野生猎豹与两个年龄相似的圈养猎豹种群的疾病患病率。通过1986年至2003年间进行的49次尸检和27次胃活检确定了野生猎豹种群中疾病的发生情况，并与147只北美圈养猎豹和80只南非圈养猎豹的患病率进行了比较。除了两只猎豹外，野生猎豹种群健康状况良好，仅存在轻度病变，相比之下，圈养种群的患病率要高得多。尽管野生猎豹中普遍存在大量幽门螺杆菌定植，但野生猎豹种群中只有3%患有中度至重度胃炎，而圈养猎豹的这一比例为64%。在野生猎豹中未检测到对病毒感染的严重炎症反应。由于纳米比亚野生猎豹与圈养猎豹一样存在基因缺陷，这些发现提醒人们不要将健康状况下降仅仅归因于遗传因素，并证明了外在因素对野生动物健康的根本重要性。
