San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 1416 9th St., 12th Floor, Sacramento, CA, 95814, USA.
Ecohealth. 2021 Jun;18(2):182-193. doi: 10.1007/s10393-021-01546-8. Epub 2021 Sep 13.
Disease plays a major role in shaping wildlife populations worldwide, and changes in landscape conditions can significantly influence risk of pathogen exposure, a threat to vulnerable wild species. Three viruses that cause hemorrhagic disease affect cervid populations in the USA (Odocoileus hemionus adenovirus, bluetongue virus, and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus), but little is known of their distribution and prevalence in wild populations. We explored the distribution and co-occurrence of seroprevalence of these three pathogens in southern mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus fuliginatus), a subspecies of conservation concern and a harvested species native to southern California, to evaluate the distribution of exposure to these pathogens relative to landscape attributes. We found that habitat type, level of development, and proximity to livestock may affect hemorrhagic disease seroprevalence in southern mule deer. Continued monitoring of hemorrhagic disease-causing viruses in areas where deer are in proximity to cattle and human development is needed to better understand the implications of future outbreaks in wild populations and to identify opportunities to mitigate disease impacts in southern mule deer and other cervid species.
疾病在塑造全球野生动物种群方面起着重要作用，景观条件的变化会显著影响病原体暴露的风险，这对脆弱的野生动物物种构成威胁。有三种病毒会导致出血性疾病，影响美国的鹿种群（白尾鹿腺病毒、蓝舌病病毒和传染性造血器官坏死病毒），但人们对这些病毒在野生动物种群中的分布和流行情况知之甚少。我们探索了这三种病原体在南部骡鹿（Odocoileus hemionus fuliginatus）中的血清阳性率的分布和共存情况，南部骡鹿是一个受保护关注的亚种，也是加利福尼亚州南部的一个本土狩猎物种，以评估相对于景观属性的暴露分布。我们发现，生境类型、开发程度和与牲畜的接近程度可能会影响南部骡鹿的出血性疾病血清阳性率。需要继续监测与牛和人类开发接近的地区的出血性疾病致病病毒，以更好地了解未来在野生种群中爆发的影响，并确定在南部骡鹿和其他鹿种中减轻疾病影响的机会。
