Kunkel Melanie R, Martin James A, Mead Daniel G, Williams Lisa, Berghaus Roy D, Melotti Julie, Businga Nancy, Pollentier Christopher D, Roy Charlotte, Carstensen Michelle, Schiavone Michael, Sullivan Kelsey M, Martin Katie, Bordeau Karen, Ordiway Linda, Peters Michael L, Fuller Joe, Bernier Chris, Scarpitti David, Danks Zak, Long Bob, Adcock Kayla G, Ruder Mark G, Nemeth Nicole M
Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Sci Rep. 2025 Sep 26;15(1):33128. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-18416-w.
The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) is a non-migratory upland game bird that inhabits young and mature forests in the USA and Canada. Population indices in some portions of its range, particularly the eastern USA, have been in decline since the arrival of West Nile virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne Flavivirus. Subsequent experimental research suggested that WNV may cause morbidity and/or mortality in up to 90% of grouse, which had similar clinicopathologic findings to naturally-infected grouse. Additionally, WNV serosurveys in Pennsylvania revealed low seroprevalence concurrent with elevated vector indices. To further elucidate aspects of WNV epidemiology in ruffed grouse, we tested hunter-collected filter paper strips for anti-WNV antibodies in 15 states during fall-winter, 2018-2022. Annual total seroprevalence ranged from 12.0% in 2019-2020 to 17.9% in 2021-2022. We assessed for associations between county-level WNV seroprevalence and large-scale climate, environmental, and landscape variables through Bayesian multilevel modeling, accounting for spatial autocorrelation. The top model suggested that WNV seroprevalence was positively correlated with summer precipitation; the second most supported model suggested similar findings of positive correlation between WNV seroprevalence and spring precipitation. Management strategies should prioritize understanding factors that influence mosquito-borne pathogen transmission in conjunction with providing more forested habitat of high quality for ruffed grouse to optimize survival in the face of WNV and other challenges.
披肩鸡（Bonasa umbellus）是一种不迁徙的山地猎鸟，栖息于美国和加拿大的幼林和成熟林中。自西尼罗河病毒（WNV，一种由蚊子传播的黄病毒）出现以来，其分布范围内某些地区，特别是美国东部的种群指数一直在下降。随后的实验研究表明，WNV可能导致高达90%的披肩鸡发病和/或死亡，这些鸡具有与自然感染的披肩鸡相似的临床病理特征。此外，宾夕法尼亚州的WNV血清学调查显示血清阳性率较低，同时病媒指数升高。为了进一步阐明WNV在披肩鸡中的流行病学情况，我们在2018 - 2022年秋冬期间，对来自15个州猎人收集的滤纸条进行了抗WNV抗体检测。年度总血清阳性率在2019 - 2020年为12.0%，到2021 - 2022年为17.9%。我们通过贝叶斯多水平模型评估了县级WNV血清阳性率与大规模气候、环境和景观变量之间的关联，并考虑了空间自相关性。最优模型表明，WNV血清阳性率与夏季降水量呈正相关；支持度次之的模型也显示WNV血清阳性率与春季降水量呈正相关。管理策略应优先考虑了解影响蚊媒病原体传播的因素，同时为披肩鸡提供更多高质量的森林栖息地，以优化其在面对WNV和其他挑战时的生存能力。
