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Animals
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Wildlife Disease Threats
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Wildlife Disease Threats

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Wildlife".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 21678

Special Issue Editors

Prof. María José Cubero Pablo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Antimicrobial Resistance in Animal Health, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Interests: disease; emergent; re-emergent; surveillance; threat; wildlife; zoonosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jorge Rivera Gomis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Antimicrobial Resistance in Animal Health, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Interests: disease; emergent; re-emergent; surveillance; threat; wildlife; zoonosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs) of free-living wild animals can be associated with the “spill-over” from domestic animals to wildlife populations living in proximity or related directly to human intervention, via host or parasite translocations. Many wildlife species act as EID reservoirs. During the last two decades, there has been a surge in the emergence of infectious diseases, which represents a global threat to human and animal health and to the conservation of global biodiversity. The emergence of such diseases is associated with zoonotic pathogens within a host–parasite continuum between wildlife, domestic animal, and human populations. Disease emergence most frequently results from a change in the ecology of host, pathogen, or both. The expansion of human populations has favored outbreaks of EIDs due to increasing population density, especially in urban areas, and encroachment into wildlife habitat. The recent increased occurrence of emerging diseases transmitted from wild animals to humans has drawn the attention of regulatory agencies and governments, as well as the general public. Surveillance on wildlife emerging and re-emerging diseases is necessary in order to avoid an impact on human and animal health. To control these diseases, veterinary public health is essential, with diagnosis, epidemiological surveillance, and prevention as primary measures.

Prof. María José Cubero Pablo
Dr. Jorge Rivera Gomis
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • disease
  • emergent
  • host
  • re-emergent
  • reservoir
  • spill-over
  • surveillance
  • threat
  • wildlife
  • zoonosis

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 17490 KiB  
Article
Disease Ecology of a Low-Virulence Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae Strain in a Free-Ranging Desert Bighorn Sheep Population
by Brianna M. Johnson, Janice Stroud-Settles, Annette Roug and Kezia Manlove
Animals 2022, 12(8), 1029; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12081029 - 14 Apr 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2481
Abstract
Infectious pneumonia associated with the bacterial pathogen Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae is an impediment to bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) population recovery throughout western North America, yet the full range of M. ovipneumoniae virulence in bighorn sheep is not well-understood. Here, we present data [...] Read more.
Infectious pneumonia associated with the bacterial pathogen Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae is an impediment to bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) population recovery throughout western North America, yet the full range of M. ovipneumoniae virulence in bighorn sheep is not well-understood. Here, we present data from an M. ovipneumoniae introduction event in the Zion desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) population in southern Utah. The ensuing disease event exhibited epidemiology distinct from what has been reported elsewhere, with virtually no mortality (0 adult mortalities among 70 animals tracked over 118 animal-years; 1 lamb mortality among 40 lambs tracked through weaning in the two summers following introduction; and lamb:ewe ratios of 34.9:100 in the year immediately after introduction and 49.4:100 in the second year after introduction). Individual-level immune responses were lower than expected, and M. ovipneumoniae appeared to fade out approximately 1.5 to 2 years after introduction. Several mechanisms could explain the limited burden of this M. ovipneumoniae event. First, most work on M. ovipneumoniae has centered on Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (O. c. candensis), but the Zion bighorns are members of the desert subspecies (O. c. nelsoni). Second, the particular M. ovipneumoniae strain involved comes from a clade of strains associated with weaker demographic responses in other settings. Third, the substructuring of the Zion population may have made this population more resilient to disease invasion and persistence. The limited burden of the disease event on the Zion bighorn population underscores a broader point in wildlife disease ecology: that one size may not fit all events. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wildlife Disease Threats)
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8 pages, 1708 KiB  
Communication
First Description of Sarcoptic Mange in a Free-Ranging European Wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) from Spain
by Fernando Nájera, Elena Crespo, Amalia García-Talens, Rebeca Grande-Gómez, Francisco Javier Herrera-Sánchez, Michaela Gentil, Carmen Cortés-García, Elisabeth Müller, Rafael Calero-Bernal and Luis Revuelta
Animals 2021, 11(9), 2494; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092494 - 25 Aug 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3523
Abstract
Sarcoptic mange caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei is a worldwide-distributed skin infestation with a wide range of hosts, among them several species within the Felidae family. Sarcoptes scabiei was diagnosed in a dead adult female European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) [...] Read more.
Sarcoptic mange caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei is a worldwide-distributed skin infestation with a wide range of hosts, among them several species within the Felidae family. Sarcoptes scabiei was diagnosed in a dead adult female European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) from Spain, based on histological evaluation of skin biopsies and identification of the arthropod from skin scrapings and molecular methods. This is the first description of Sarcoptes scabiei in a European wildcat. Due to its critical demography in the southernmost population of the Iberian Peninsula, the impacts of infectious diseases, including sarcoptic mange, as a new potential threat should be considered during disease surveillance programs of the species’ populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wildlife Disease Threats)
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Review

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13 pages, 349 KiB  
Review
Important Mycosis of Wildlife: Emphasis on Etiology, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Pathology—A Review: PART 2
by Iniobong Chukwuebuka Ikenna Ugochukwu, Iasmina Luca, Nuhu Abdulazeez Sani, Jacinta Ngozi Omeke, Madubuike Umunna Anyanwu, Amienwanlen Eugene Odigie, Remigius Ibe Onoja, Ohiemi Benjamin Ocheja, Miracle Oluchukwu Ugochukwu, Olabisi Aminah Makanju and Chioma Inyang Aneke
Animals 2022, 12(15), 1897; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12151897 - 26 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3050
Abstract
Wild animals are an important component of the ecosystem, and play a major role in it. However, in recent years, there has been an astronomical increase in the incidence of wildlife mycotic diseases leading to wildlife extermination. It is important to note that [...] Read more.
Wild animals are an important component of the ecosystem, and play a major role in it. However, in recent years, there has been an astronomical increase in the incidence of wildlife mycotic diseases leading to wildlife extermination. It is important to note that most of these mycotic diseases are zoonotic, and since there is a lot of attention given to zoonosis of a bacterial or viral origin in recent times, it is important to look into the mycotic diseases which may have zoonotic potential. Previously, the authors expatiated on some major wildlife mycotic diseases. In this review, we shed light on the etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, pathogenesis, pathogenicity, macroscopic and microscopic pathology, and hematological and serum biochemical findings of dermatophytosis, coccidioidomycosis, blastomycosis, and sporotrichosis, which are very important mycoses of wildlife. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wildlife Disease Threats)
19 pages, 395 KiB  
Review
Important Mycoses of Wildlife: Emphasis on Etiology, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Pathology—A Review: PART 1
by Iniobong Chukwuebuka Ikenna Ugochukwu, Chioma Inyang Aneke, Nuhu Abdulazeez Sani, Jacinta Ngozi Omeke, Madubuike Umunna Anyanwu, Amienwanlen Eugene Odigie, Remigius Ibe Onoja, Ohiemi Benjamin Ocheja, Miracle Oluchukwu Ugochukwu, Iasmina Luca and Olabisi Aminah Makanju
Animals 2022, 12(15), 1874; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12151874 - 22 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2831
Abstract
In the past few years, there has been a spurred tripling in the figures of fungal diseases leading to one of the most alarming rates of extinction ever reported in wild species. Some of these fungal diseases are capable of virulent infections and [...] Read more.
In the past few years, there has been a spurred tripling in the figures of fungal diseases leading to one of the most alarming rates of extinction ever reported in wild species. Some of these fungal diseases are capable of virulent infections and are now considered emerging diseases due to the extremely high number of cases diagnosed with fungal infections in the last few decades. Most of these mycotic diseases in wildlife are zoonotic, and with the emergence and re-emergence of viral and bacterial zoonotic diseases originating from wildlife, which are causing devastating effects on the human population, it is important to pay attention to these wildlife-borne mycotic diseases with zoonotic capabilities. Several diagnostic techniques such as fungal isolation, gross pathology, histopathology, histochemistry, cytology, immunohistochemistry, radiography, CT, and molecular methods such as PCR or ELISA have been invaluable in the diagnosis of wildlife mycoses. The most important data used in the diagnosis of these wildlife mycoses with a zoonotic potential have been re-emphasized. This will have implications for forestalling future epidemics of these potential zoonotic mycotic diseases originating from wildlife. In conclusion, this review will highlight the etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, pathogenesis, pathogenicity, pathology, and hematological/serum biochemical findings of five important mycoses found in wild animals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wildlife Disease Threats)
14 pages, 3730 KiB  
Review
An Update on Cephenemyiosis in the European Roe Deer: Emergent Myiasis in Spain
by Patrocinio Morrondo, Gerardo Pajares, María Sol Arias, Néstor Martínez-Calabuig, Susana Remesar, David García-Dios, Pablo Díaz, Ceferino Manuel López, Rosario Panadero and Pablo Díez-Baños
Animals 2021, 11(12), 3382; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11123382 - 26 Nov 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4888
Abstract
Cephenemyia stimulator is a Palearctic species developing in the nasal cavity and pharynx of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). It is widely spread in the range of distribution of this ungulate in Europe. Since the first report of C. stimulator in Spain [...] Read more.
Cephenemyia stimulator is a Palearctic species developing in the nasal cavity and pharynx of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). It is widely spread in the range of distribution of this ungulate in Europe. Since the first report of C. stimulator in Spain in 2001, a rapid geographic expansion has been observed, first in the north of the country, with high prevalence and intensities of infestation that caused some mortal cases, and, lately, also in Extremadura and Andalucía, the southernmost populations of European roe deer. These observations suggest an adaptation of this parasite to different ecosystems of the Iberian Peninsula. Almost simultaneously, C. stimulator is also expanding its range to northern Europe, with the first cases being reported in Sweden. Thus, Cephenemyia stimulator may be an example of a parasite currently displaying distributional changes along its southernmost and northernmost range margins. Thus, it is of the utmost importance to unravel all the epidemiological and clinical aspects of this myiasis, as well as implementing surveillance measures including reliable and non-invasive diagnostic techniques to monitor its expansion and adaptation to different ecosystems and/or hosts and to reduce the negative impact on roe deer populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wildlife Disease Threats)
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24 pages, 25917 KiB  
Review
Patterns of Exposure and Infection with Microparasites in Iberian Wild Carnivores: A Review and Meta-Analysis
by Javier Millán and Daniel J. Becker
Animals 2021, 11(9), 2708; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092708 - 16 Sep 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3166
Abstract
We use a suite of meta-analytic and comparative methods to derive fundamental insights into how sampling effort, pathogen richness, infection prevalence, and seroprevalence vary across Carnivora taxa and Iberian geography. The red fox was the most studied species, the wolf and Iberian lynx [...] Read more.
We use a suite of meta-analytic and comparative methods to derive fundamental insights into how sampling effort, pathogen richness, infection prevalence, and seroprevalence vary across Carnivora taxa and Iberian geography. The red fox was the most studied species, the wolf and Iberian lynx were disproportionally studied, and the Arctoidea were understudied. Sampling effort was higher in Mediterranean areas, but central Spain showed the higher pathogen richness. Excluding studies analyzing fecal samples, 53 different pathogens have been detected in Iberian carnivores, including 16 viruses, 27 bacteria, and 10 protozoa but no fungi. Sampling effort and pathogen diversity were generally more similar among closely related carnivore species. Seropositivity to viruses was lower and higher in the Mustelinae and the Canidae, respectively, and seropositivity to protozoa was higher in both taxa. Canine distemper virus exposure was greatest in canids and mustelids. Carnivore protoparvovirus-1 exposure was greatest in the Atlantic regions, and the Felidae and the Musteloidea had lower infection prevalence. A subclade of the Mustelidae had a greater prevalence of Leishmania infection. We observed no relationships between host phylogenetic distance and pathogen sharing among species. Lastly, we identify important research pitfalls and future directions to improve the study of infectious disease in Iberian wild carnivore communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wildlife Disease Threats)
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