Pathogens take wings: disease transmission in migratory birds along the Palearctic-African Flyway
Photo: P. Kamath
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Wild birds have been implicated as an environmental reservoir, capable of maintaining and transmitting a variety of viral and bacterial pathogens. In this international collaborative project, our goal is to understand the role that migratory birds play in spreading various disease causing agents around the world. Data are being collected from five focal avian species (Barn Swallow, Barn Owl, Common Crane, Mallard, Steppe Buzzard) that reside and/or stop over in a bottleneck region along the Palearctic-African Flyway in Israel. Millions of wild birds migrating between breeding sites in Europe and Asia and overwintering sites in Africa stopover in this region to feed and rest during their migration. Individual birds will be tested for various pathogens, including avian influenza virus, Newcastle Disease virus, Salmonella bacteria, and avian malaria. In addition, multiple sub-projects will assess the role of the gut microbial community (i.e., microbiome) to individual and population health. Many birds will be fitted with GPS tags that record the movement and locations of individuals as they migrate, breed, and overwinter over a period of many months to several years.This study will provide new methods and tools for describing and predicting disease transmission by migrating birds.
Collaborators: Wayne Getz (UC Berkeley), Rauri Bowie (UC Berkeley), Ran Nathan (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) |
Determining etiological agent for white-tailed deer mortality in Wisconsin
Funded by a Pittman-Robertson grant the Wildlife Disease Genetics Lab has partnered with USGS, University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to (1) identify the etiologic agent underlying recently observed cases of pneumonia-related mortality in Wisconsin white-tailed deer, and (2) assess the relationship between pneumonia fatalities and CWD infections in the state!
Collaborators: Wendy Turner (University of Wisconsin, US Geological Survey), Daniel Storm (Wisconsin DNR), Daniel Walsh (USGS), Marie Pinkerton (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Marie Gilbertson (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Collaborators: Wendy Turner (University of Wisconsin, US Geological Survey), Daniel Storm (Wisconsin DNR), Daniel Walsh (USGS), Marie Pinkerton (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Marie Gilbertson (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Investigating the genetic basis for susceptibility to anthrax in wild ungulates
Photo: P. Kamath
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An individual’s ability to resist infection plays a key role in the evolution of pathogen virulence and fitness. Conversely, pathogens can be powerful selective agents in natural host populations. Several studies have shown variation in pathogen susceptibility among host genotypes. In this project, we are examining the evolution of resistance to anthrax two host species (zebra, kudu) of two natural systems (Etosha National Park, Namibia; Kruger National Park, South Africa).
Collaborators: Wendy Turner (University of Wisconsin, US Geological Survey), Henriette van Heerden (University of Pretoria, South Africa), Ryan Easterday (University of Oslo, Norway), Kyrre Kausrud (University of Oslo, Norway) |
Wild turkey disease ecology and evolution
Lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV) is an avian exogenous retrovirus that causes lymphoid tumors in multiple organs and gross or microscopic lesions particularly on the skin. Historically, it was thought to only infect domestic turkeys in Israel and Europe until 2009, when it was diagnosed in a wild turkey in the United States. Subsequent surveys revealed a high average prevalence of LPDV in wild turkeys across 17 states. However, little is known about LPDV due to its recent detection and identification in both wild turkeys and the United States. With a reported mortality rate of 10% among LPDV-positive wild turkeys and 82% prevalence in Maine’s wild turkey population, further research is needed to investigate LPDV transmission and the potential effects of LPDV on wild turkey health. This project will (1) assess local scale individual- and population-level risk factors of infection, (2) analyze the distribution, evolution, and transmission dynamics of LPDV, (3) evaluate potential individual fitness effects of LPDV infection, including nest success, adult survival, and co-infection status, and (4) compare the detection level of LPDV from minimally-invasive cloacal swabs to current sampling methods. Local scale research is necessary to determine individual risk factors and provide insight on patterns of infection and disease transmission that can inform monitoring strategies, game-bird management, local poultry farms, and future assessment of avian-viral pathogen systems.
Collaborators: Erik Blomberg (University of Maine), Kelsey Sullivan (Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife), Peter Milligan (University of Maine-Augusta), Matt Gonnerman (University of Maine) |
Tick-borne pathogens in winter ticks and moose
Tick-borne diseases can have negative impacts on Maine’s economy, including both through the direct effects to human and domestic animal health and the indirect effects on participation in outdoor recreation and tourism. Moose, in particular, are an important natural resource in the state and some moose populations in the Northeast have experienced dramatic declines due to winter tick infestations. The proposed study will examine the pathogens carried by winter ticks on moose, and the relationship between pathogen strains and moose health. The results will provide data to inform the state’s management of moose and to develop strategies for reducing tick-borne disease infection risks to humans and livestock. This project would also provide research training opportunities to two undergraduate students and provide data to seed future research proposals.
Collaborators: Sandra De-Urioste-Stone (University of Maine), Anne Lichtenwalner (University of Maine, Cooperative Extension, Animal Health Laboratory), Sabrina Morano (University of Maine), Lee Kantar (Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife), Ben Simpson (Penobscot Indian Nation Department of Natural Resources). |
Bighorn sheep pneumonia: Genetic links among Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae strains in wild and domestic sheep and goats
Photo: P. Kamath
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Epizootic pneumonia outbreaks have contributed to declines in bighorn sheep populations across the western United States, and the disease continues to challenge bighorn conservation and management efforts. Using a multi-locus sequence-based genetic typing (MLST) approach, we are examining the genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure of the bacterium Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae in reservoir (domestic sheep and goat) and spillover (bighorn sheep and mountain goat) hosts affected by bronchopneumonia across the West. This study integrates pathogen sequence data with host species, location, and sampling year in phylogenetic analyses to (1) examine M. ovipneumoniae genetic diversity and relatedness among hosts and locations, and (2) evaluate patterns of pathogen spillover and persistence in bighorn sheep populations. This broad-scale molecular epidemiologic investigation of M. ovipneumoniae transmission dynamics may inform the development of effective management strategies for both controlling the disease and promoting bighorn sheep re-establishment.
Collaborators: Tom Besser (Washington State University), Francer Cassirer (Idaho Fish and Game), Paul Cross (USGS), Kezia Manlove (Washington State University) |