How to translate text using browser tools
5 July 2021 Exposure to Select Pathogens in an Expanding Moose (Alces alces) Population in North Dakota, USA
Charlie S. Bahnson, Daniel M. Grove, James J. Maskey Jr., Jason R. Smith
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Forty female moose (Alces alces) captured in North Dakota, US, in March 2014 were tested for antibodies to a variety of pathogens. Antibodies to West Nile virus (WNV) were detected in 39 (98%) moose following a year with a high number of human cases, suggesting the population accurately reflects WNV activity. Fifteen percent of moose (6/40) had antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, implying expansion of the tick vector into the area. Antibodies to Anaplasma spp. were detected in 55% of moose (22/40), a higher rate than previously detected in cattle from the region. Low titers (100–400) to one or more serovars of Leptospira spp. were detected in 23% of moose (9/40), a common finding in wild ruminants. Exposure to other pathogens was uncommon (<8%; <3/40) or not documented. Survival and recruitment were high during the study period, suggesting a limited population-level impact at current levels of exposure and environmental co-stressors.

© Wildlife Disease Association 2021
Charlie S. Bahnson, Daniel M. Grove, James J. Maskey Jr., and Jason R. Smith "Exposure to Select Pathogens in an Expanding Moose (Alces alces) Population in North Dakota, USA," Journal of Wildlife Diseases 57(3), 648-651, (5 July 2021). https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-20-00150
Received: 14 August 2020; Accepted: 16 December 2020; Published: 5 July 2021
KEYWORDS
Alces alces
Anaplasma
Borrelia
Leptospira
moose
North Dakota
serology
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top