Viljoen S, O'Riain M J, Penzhorn B L, Drouilly M, Vorster I, Bishop J M
Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2021 Apr;24:100559. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2021.100559. Epub 2021 Mar 26.
Despite the importance of disease as a wildlife management challenge in South Africa, baseline data on the epidemiology of pathogens occurring in free-ranging species has received little attention to date. Black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) are a wide-ranging, abundant carnivore with substantial economic importance due to their role in livestock depredation. They are known reservoirs hosts of Babesia rossi, a virulent pathogen in domestic dogs in sub-Saharan Africa. We investigated the prevalence and diversity of tick-borne pathogens (TPBs) including Babesia, Theileria, Hepatozoon, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma species, together with host-attached tick diversity, in a black-backed jackal population from the semi-arid Central Karoo, a small-livestock farming region in South Africa. Using reverse line blot hybridisation, we screened 43 blood samples and sequenced the 18S rRNA gene from positive samples to confirm and characterise pathogen identity using a phylogenetic framework. Hepatozoon canis, a ubiquitous pathogen of domestic and wild canids globally, was observed in 47% of jackals, while a Theileria sp. most similar to T. ovis, a piroplasm found in small livestock, was observed in 5% of jackals. No Babesia, Ehrlichia or Anaplasma species were identified, although a Sarcocystis sp. sequence was isolated from one jackal. Host-attached ticks (n = 20) comprised three species, Amblyomma marmoreum, Haemaphysalis elliptica/zumpti and Ixodes rubicundus, commonly known ticks in the region. In summary, prevalence of TBPs in black-backed jackals from this semi-arid rangeland region was lower than in jackal populations in more mesic regions. These jackals were apparently not infected with B. rossi. While this study is one of the first investigations into the epidemiology of TBPs infecting jackals and adds to the sparse literature, further studies which span landscape uses, climate conditions and seasonality are encouraged.
尽管疾病作为南非野生动物管理面临的一项挑战具有重要意义，但迄今为止，关于自由放养物种中病原体流行病学的基线数据很少受到关注。黑背胡狼（Canis mesomelas）是一种分布广泛、数量众多的食肉动物，由于其在牲畜捕食中的作用而具有重要的经济意义。它们是罗氏巴贝斯虫（Babesia rossi）的已知宿主，罗氏巴贝斯虫是撒哈拉以南非洲家犬中的一种致命病原体。我们调查了南非半干旱的中央卡鲁地区（一个小型畜牧养殖区）黑背胡狼种群中蜱传病原体（TPB）的患病率和多样性，包括巴贝斯虫属、泰勒虫属、肝簇虫属、埃立克体属和无形体属物种以及宿主附着蜱的多样性。我们使用反向线印迹杂交技术，对43份血液样本进行了筛查，并对阳性样本的18S rRNA基因进行了测序，以在系统发育框架下确认并鉴定病原体身份。全球家犬和野生犬科动物中普遍存在的犬肝簇虫（Hepatozoon canis）在47%的胡狼中被发现，而一种与绵羊泰勒虫（T. ovis）最相似的泰勒虫属物种（一种在小型牲畜中发现的梨形虫）在5%的胡狼中被发现。虽然从一只胡狼中分离出了一种肉孢子虫属序列，但未鉴定出巴贝斯虫属、埃立克体属或无形体属物种。宿主附着蜱（n = 2）包括三种蜱，即大理石花纹硬蜱（Amblyomma marmoreum）、椭圆血蜱/祖氏血蜱（Haemaphysalis elliptica/zumpti）和红棕硬蜱（Ixodes rubicundus），这些都是该地区常见的蜱。总之，来自这个半干旱牧场地区的黑背胡狼中蜱传病原体的患病率低于更湿润地区的胡狼种群。这些胡狼显然没有感染罗氏巴贝斯虫。虽然这项研究是对感染胡狼的蜱传病原体流行病学的首批调查之一，并且补充了稀少的文献，但鼓励开展涵盖景观利用、气候条件和季节性的进一步研究。
