Astorga Francisca, Ramírez-Álvarez Diego, Céspedes Belén, Napolitano Constanza
Universidad Andres Bello, Centro de Investigación Para la Sustentabilidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Republica 440, Santiago, 8370251, Chile.
Universidad Mayor, Av. Alemania 281, Temuco, 4801043, Chile.
J Wildl Dis. 2025 Sep 19. doi: 10.7589/JWD-D-24-00207.
Sarcoptic mange (SM), caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, is a globally distributed disease affecting a broad range of hosts and posing a potential threat to wildlife. However, its full ecologic impact remains unclear. This study investigates SM occurrence in two native fox species (Lycalopex spp.) in rural central Chile, exploring its association with macrohabitat types, land covers, domestic dogs, and human presence. Fieldwork was conducted across three rural sites (<56 km apart), representing distinct macrohabitats: exotic monoculture tree plantations (Alto Colorado) and two native Mediterranean coastal forest sites, La Estrella (thorn shrubland) and Callihue (sclerophyllous forest). At each site, 10 camera traps were deployed within 100-ha grids for 13 mo. Foxes were detected in all stations, and individuals showing lesions consistent with SM (SM-foxes) were found in 24 of 30 stations, accounting for 329 of 3,140 fox images (10.4% observed prevalence). Domestic dogs were recorded at 28 stations, detected up to 7.9 km from human settlements. In our fine-scale approach, foxes, SM-foxes, and dogs were present across all macrohabitats and land covers, tending to be more abundant in native landscapes. The occurrence of SM was weakly associated with human presence and, to a lesser extent, with domestic dogs, that latter of which nonetheless remain the most plausible original source of SM in the region. In general, SM occurrence, foxes, and domestic dogs were more frequent closer to human settlements and farther from urban areas, reflecting a complex association with human presence. Human settlements were not consistently related to altered macrohabitats such as exotic plantations. Sarcoptes scabiei circulation is probably maintained through both direct and indirect contact, involving occasional spillover from dogs, prey, and infected carcasses. These findings underscore the importance of rural areas as hotspots for dogs-fox interactions and highlight the importance of understanding fine-scale pathogen dynamics for wildlife conservation.
疥螨病（SM）由疥螨引起，是一种全球分布的疾病，影响广泛的宿主，对野生动物构成潜在威胁。然而，其全面的生态影响仍不清楚。本研究调查了智利中部农村地区两种本土狐狸（南美胡狼属物种）的疥螨病发生情况，探讨其与宏观栖息地类型、土地覆盖、家犬和人类活动的关联。在三个相距小于56公里的农村地点开展了实地调查，这些地点代表不同的宏观栖息地：外来单一栽培人工林（阿尔托科罗拉多）以及两个本土地中海沿岸森林地点，即拉埃斯特雷亚（多刺灌丛）和卡利韦（硬叶森林）。在每个地点，在100公顷的网格内部署了10个相机陷阱，持续13个月。在所有监测点均检测到了狐狸，在30个监测点中的24个发现了有与疥螨病相符病变的个体（患疥螨病的狐狸），在3140张狐狸图像中有329张出现此类情况（观察患病率为10.4%）。在28个监测点记录到了家犬，在距离人类住区达7.9公里处也检测到了家犬。在我们的精细尺度研究中，狐狸、患疥螨病的狐狸和家犬在所有宏观栖息地和土地覆盖类型中均有出现，在本土景观中往往更为常见。疥螨病的发生与人类活动的关联较弱，在较小程度上与家犬有关，不过家犬仍是该地区疥螨病最有可能的原始传染源。总体而言，疥螨病的发生、狐狸和家犬在靠近人类住区且远离市区的地方更为频繁，这反映出与人类活动的复杂关联。人类住区与外来人工林等改变后的宏观栖息地并无始终一致的关联。疥螨的传播可能通过直接和间接接触得以维持，涉及偶尔从家犬、猎物和受感染尸体的溢出。这些发现强调了农村地区作为犬 - 狐相互作用热点地区的重要性，并突出了了解病原体在精细尺度上的动态变化对野生动物保护的重要性。
