Fisheries, Wildlife, & Conservation Biology Program, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 8001, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA.
Surveys and Research Program, Wildlife Management Division, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, 1293 Laurel Bluffs, Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312, USA.
J Wildl Dis. 2020 Oct 1;56(4):791-802. doi: 10.7589/2019-05-129.
The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is the largest mustelid in North Carolina, US, and was once extirpated from the central and western portions of the state. Over time and after a successful reintroduction project, otters are now abundant and occur throughout North Carolina. However, there is a concern that diseases may have an impact on the otter population, as well as on other aquatic mammals, either through exposure to emerging diseases, contact with domestic animals such as domestic cats (Felis catus), or less robust condition of individuals through declines in water quality. We tested brain and kidney tissue from harvested otters for the pathogens that cause leptospirosis, parvovirus, and toxoplasmosis. Leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis are priority zoonoses and are maintained by domestic and wild mammals. Although parvovirus is not zoonotic, it does affect pets, causing mild to fatal symptoms. Across the 2014-15 and 2015-16 trapping seasons, we tested 220 otters (76 females, 144 males) using real-time PCR for Leptospira interrogans, parvovirus, and Toxoplasma gondii. Of the otters tested, 1% (3/220) were positive for L. interrogans, 19% (41/220) were positive for parvovirus, and 24% (53/220) were positive for T. gondii. Although the pathogens for parvovirus and toxoplasmosis are relatively common in North Carolina otters, the otter harvest has remained steady and the population appears to be abundant and self-sustaining. Therefore, parvovirus and toxoplasmosis do not currently appear to be negatively impacting the population. However, subsequent research should examine transmission parameters between domestic and wild species and the sublethal effects of infection.
北美水獭（Lontra canadensis）是美国北卡罗来纳州最大的鼬科动物，曾经在该州中部和西部灭绝。随着时间的推移，在一项成功的重新引入项目之后，水獭现在在北卡罗来纳州随处可见。然而，人们担心疾病可能会对水獭种群以及其他水生哺乳动物产生影响，原因可能是它们接触到了新出现的疾病、与家猫（Felis catus）等家养动物接触，或者是由于水质下降导致个体状况不佳。我们从捕获的水獭的脑组织和肾脏组织中检测了引起钩端螺旋体病、细小病毒病和弓形虫病的病原体。钩端螺旋体病和弓形虫病是优先考虑的人畜共患病，由家养和野生哺乳动物维持。尽管细小病毒病不是人畜共患病，但它确实会影响宠物，导致轻微到致命的症状。在 2014-15 和 2015-16 两个捕獭季节，我们使用实时 PCR 法对 220 只水獭（76 只雌性，144 只雄性）进行了检测，以确定其是否感染了问号钩端螺旋体、细小病毒和刚地弓形虫。在被检测的水獭中，1%（3/220）的水獭呈问号钩端螺旋体阳性，19%（41/220）的水獭呈细小病毒阳性，24%（53/220）的水獭呈刚地弓形虫阳性。尽管北卡罗来纳州的水獭中相对常见的病原体是细小病毒和弓形虫，但水獭的捕获量保持稳定，而且种群似乎丰富且自我维持。因此，目前细小病毒和弓形虫似乎没有对该种群产生负面影响。然而，后续研究应检查家养和野生物种之间的传播参数以及感染的亚致死效应。
