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Three pathogens in sympatric populations of pumas, bobcats, and domestic cats: implications for infectious disease transmission
Citation
Bevins, SN and Carver, SS and Boydston, EE and Lyren, LM and Alldredge, M and Logan, KA and Riley, SPD and Fisher, RN and Vickers, TW and Boyce, W and Salman, M and Lappin, MR and Crooks, KR and VandeWoude, S, Three pathogens in sympatric populations of pumas, bobcats, and domestic cats: implications for infectious disease transmission, PLoS-One, 7, (2) Article e31403. ISSN 1932-6203 (2012) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Licenced under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic (CC BY 2.5) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/
DOI: doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031403
Abstract
Anthropogenic landscape change can lead to increased opportunities for pathogen transmission between domestic and non-domestic animals. Pumas, bobcats, and domestic cats are sympatric in many areas of North America and share many
of the same pathogens, some of which are zoonotic. We analyzed bobcat, puma, and feral domestic cat samples collected from targeted geographic areas. We examined exposure to three pathogens that are taxonomically diverse (bacterial, protozoal, viral), that incorporate multiple transmission strategies (vector-borne, environmental exposure/ingestion, and direct contact), and that vary in species-specificity. Bartonella spp., Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV),
and Toxoplasma gondii IgG were detected in all three species with mean respective prevalence as follows: puma 16%, 41% and 75%; bobcat 31%, 22% and 43%; domestic cat 45%, 10% and 1%. Bartonella spp. were highly prevalent among
domestic cats in Southern California compared to other cohort groups. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus exposure was primarily associated with species and age, and was not influenced by geographic location. Pumas were more likely to be
infected with FIV than bobcats, with domestic cats having the lowest infection rate. Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence was high in both pumas and bobcats across all sites; in contrast, few domestic cats were seropositive, despite the fact that feral, free ranging domestic cats were targeted in this study. Interestingly, a directly transmitted species-specific disease (FIV) was not associated with geographic location, while exposure to indirectly transmitted diseases – vectorborne for Bartonella spp. and ingestion of oocysts via infected prey or environmental exposure for T. gondii – varied significantly by site. Pathogens transmitted by direct contact may be more dependent upon individual behaviors and intra-specific encounters. Future studies will integrate host density, as well as landscape features, to better understand
the mechanisms driving disease exposure and to predict zones of cross-species pathogen transmission among wild and domestic felids.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
| Research Group: | Ecology |
| Research Field: | Ecology not elsewhere classified |
| Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
| Objective Group: | Other environmental management |
| Objective Field: | Other environmental management not elsewhere classified |
| UTAS Author: | Carver, SS (Associate Professor Scott Carver) |
| ID Code: | 80248 |
| Year Published: | 2012 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 68 |
| Deposited By: | Zoology |
| Deposited On: | 2012-10-24 |
| Last Modified: | 2017-11-01 |
| Downloads: | 337 View Download Statistics |
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