We tested 30 serum samples collected during 2004–09 from 22 free-ranging Marsican brown bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus) in the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise, Italy, for antibodies against canine distemper virus (CDV), canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), Brucella spp., and eight Leptospira interrogans sensu lato serovars. Antibody to CDV was detected in 11 samples (37%); only two bears (10%) had detectable CAV-2 and Brucella spp. antibodies; three bears were positive for L. interrogans serovar Bratislava; and one sample had antibody against L. interrogans serovar Copenhageni. All samples were positive for CPV-2 antibody. The CPV-2 antibody titers varied from 1∶640 to 1∶10,240, suggesting that transmission was still active. Fifty percent of bears were positive for antibody to two or more pathogens. Our results highlight the need to consider infectious diseases as a potential risk for Marsican brown bear conservation.
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1 January 2015
Serologic Evidence for Selected Infectious Diseases in Marsican Brown Bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus) in Italy (2004–09)
Cristina Esmeralda Di Francesco,
Leonardo Gentile,
Vincenza Di Pirro,
Lara Ladiana,
Silvia Tagliabue,
Fulvio Marsilio
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Journal of Wildlife Diseases
Vol. 51 • No. 1
January 2015
Vol. 51 • No. 1
January 2015
brown bear
infectious diseases
serology
Ursus arctos marsicanus