Veterinary Infectious Diseases Commons^™

Predicting Dispersal And Conflict Risk For Wolf Recolonization In Colorado, Mark A. Ditmer, George Wittemyer, Katherine A. Zeller, Stewart W. Breck, Robert J. Fletcher Jr., Kevin R. Crooks

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

1. The colonization of suitable yet unoccupied habitat due to natural dispersal or human introduction can benefit recovery of threatened species. Predicting habitat suitability and conflict potential of colonization areas can facilitate conservation planning.

2. Planning for reintroduction of gray wolves (Canis lupus) to the United States state of Colorado is underway. Assessing which occupancy sites minimize the likelihood of human-wolf conflict during dispersal events and seasonal movements is critical to the success of this initiative.

3. We used a spatial absorbing Markov chain (SAMC) framework, which extends random walk theory and probabilistically accounts for both movement behavior …

Straight From The Coyote’S Mouth: Genetic Identification Of Prey Through Oral Swabs Of Predators, Julie K. Young, Amanda M. Mast, James A. Walton, Torrey Rodgers, Antionette J. Piaggio, Daniel R. Taylor, Karen E. Mock

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Human-carnivore conflicts often involve the depredation of domestic livestock. These depredation events are rarely observed, yet mitigation typically involves identifying the species or individual involved for removal or relocation. We tested a molecular method to identify individuals involved in depredation events using mouth swabs to determine if prey DNA could be detected, and for how long. We fed mule deer Odocoileus hemionus meat to captive coyotes Canis latrans and swabbed their mouths at five predetermined intervals between 2–72 h after consumption of the deer meat. We assessed two different molecular forensic methods to analyze the saliva swabs: qPCR for species …

Development And Evaluation Of Prototype Toxicant-Delivery Bait Stations For The Control Of The Small Indian Mongoose, Carmen C. Antaky, Robert T. Sugihara, Israel L. Leinbach, Shane R. Siers, Emily W. Ruell, Steven C. Hess

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We conducted research to develop a safe and effective toxic bait to control the small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata), an invasive vertebrate predator impacting the survival of native species in Hawai‘i (United States) and in other parts of the world. A preserved fish-based bait product was found to be highly palatable to mongooses in cage trials and subsequent formulations with diphacinone (0.005%) showed promise as an efficacious toxic bait for mongooses. This product is intended for future use to control mongooses in conservation and urban areas, and as a biosecurity tool at ports of entry to address accidental …

Environmental Transmission Of Influenza A Virus In Mallards, Kim M. Pepin, Clinton B. Leach, Nicole L. Barrett, Jeremy W. Ellis, Kaci K. Vandalen, Colleen T. Webb, Susan A. Shriner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Abstract

Influenza A viruses present a major challenge for animal and human health. They circulate widely in wild waterfowl and frequently spillover into poultry, emphasizing the need for risk-based surveillance in wild birds and an understanding of the relative importance of different transmission mechanisms. We addressed this objective with a replicated (N = 6) experimental infection study in which we serially exposed eight cohorts of four naïve contact mallards to an experimentally infected mallard and a shared water pool. Viral concentration in the water was a better predictor of transmission than several direct measures of viral shedding in the …

Genomic Regions Associated With Pseudorabies Virus Infection Status In Naturally Infected Feral Swine (Sus Scrofa), Courtney F. Bowden, Jennifer N. Kiser, Ryan S. Miller, Alexandra C. Buckley, Paola M. Boggiatto, Rachael M. Giglio, Vienna R. Brown, Dorian Garrick, Holly L. Neibergs, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Scott E. Speidel, Timothy J. Smyser

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Pseudorabies virus (PRV)—the causative agent of Aujeszky’s disease—was eliminated from commercial pig production herds in the United States (US) in 2004; however, PRV remains endemic among invasive feral swine (Sus scrofa). The circulation of PRV among abundant, widespread feral swine populations poses a sustained risk for disease spillover to production herds. Risk–based surveillance has been successfully implemented for PRV in feral swine populations in the US. However, understanding the role of host genetics in infection status may offer new insights into the epidemiology and disease dynamics of PRV that can be applied to management strategies. Genetic mechanisms underlying …

Estimating Northern Spotted Owl (Strix Occidentalis Caurina) Pair Detection Probabilities Based On Call-Back Surveys Associated With Long-Term Mark-Recapture Studies, 1993–2018, Katie M. Dugger, Alan B. Franklin, Damon B. Lesmeister, Raymond J. Davis, J. David Wiens, Gary C. White, James D. Nichols, James E. Hines, Charles B. Yackulic, Carl J. Schwarz, Steven A. Ackers, L. Steven Andrews, Larissa L. Bailey, Robin Bown, Jesse Burgher, Kenneth P. Burnham, Peter C. Carlson, Tara Chestnut, Mary M. Conner, Krista E. Dilione, Eric D. Forsman, Scott A. Gremel, Keith A. Hamm, Dale R. Herter, J. Mark Higley, Rob B. Horn, Julianna M. Jenkins, William L. Kendall, David W. Lapmphear, Christopher Mccafferty, Trent L. Mcdonald, Janice A. Reid, Jeremy T. Rockweit, David C. Simon, Stan G. Sovern, James K. Swingle, Heather Wise

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina; hereinafter NSO) was listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act in 1990 and population declines have continued since that listing. Given the species’ protected status, any proposed activities on Federal lands that might impact NSO require consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and part of that consultation often includes surveys to determine presence and occupancy status of the species in the proposed activity area. The objective of this report is to present study-area specific estimates of the probability of detection for NSO pairs from twelve 2-week seasonal survey periods …

Light Wavelength And Pulsing Frequency Affect Avoidance Responses Of Canada Geese, Ryan B. Lunn, Patrice E. Baumhardt, Bradley F. Blackwell, Jean Paul Freyssinier, Esteban Fernández-Juricic

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Collisions between birds and aircraft cause bird mortality, economic damage, and aviation safety hazards. One proposed solution to increasing the distance at which birds detect and move away from an approaching aircraft, ultimately mitigating the probability of collision, is through onboard lighting systems. Lights in vehicles have been shown to lead to earlier reactions in some bird species but they could also generate attraction, potentially increasing the probability of collision. Using information on the visual system of the Canada goose (Branta canadensis), we developed light stimuli of high chromatic contrast to their eyes. We then conducted a controlled …

Population Density Of The Small Indian Mongoose (Urva Auropunctata) Across Multiple Habitat Types And Seasons In Puerto Rico, Are R. Berentsen, Caroline C. Sauvé, Mel J. Rivera-Rodriguez, Fabiola B. Torres-Toledo, Richard B. Chipman, Amy T. Gilbert

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata) is a rabies reservoir on several Caribbean Islands including Puerto Rico. In the continental United States, oral rabies vaccination (ORV) has been used to control and locally eliminate rabies viruses targeting meso-carnivores including raccoons (Procyon lotor), grey foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), and coyotes (Canis latrans), and has more recently been proposed to mitigate and control mongoose rabies in Puerto Rico. A fundamental understanding of the population density of the target species is an important factor in planning bait application rates prior to ORV operations. In Puerto Rico, …

Changes In Wild Pig (Sus Scrofa) Relative Abundance, Crop Damage, And Environmental Impacts In Response To Control Efforts, Joseph W. Treichler, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Charles R. Taylor, James C. Beasley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background

As the population and range of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) continue to grow across North America, there has been an increase in environmental and economic damages caused by this invasive species, and control efforts to reduce damages have increased concomitantly. Despite the expanding impacts and costs associated with population control of wild pigs, the extent to which wild pig control reduces populations and diminishes environmental and agricultural damages are rarely quantified.The goal of this study is to quantify changes in wild pig relative abundance and subsequent changes in damages caused by invasive wild pigs in response to …

Risk Of African Swine Fever Virus Transmission Among Wild Boar And Domestic Pigs In Poland, Kim M. Pepin, Tomasz Borowik, Maciej Frant, Kamila Plis, Tomasz Podgórski

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Introduction

African swine fever (ASF) is a notifiable disease of swine that impacts global pork trade and food security. In several countries across the globe, the disease persists in wild boar (WB) populations sympatric to domestic pig (DP)operations, with continued detections in both sectors. While there is evidence of spillover and spillback between the sectors, the frequency of occurrence and relative importance of different risk factors for transmission at the wildlife-livestock interface remain unclear.

Methods

To address this gap, we leveraged ASF surveillance data from WB and DP across Eastern Poland from 2014–2019 in an analysis that quantified the relative …

Changes In Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites In Captive Coyotes (Canis Latrans): Influence Of Gender, Time, And Reproductive Status, Eric M. Gese, Patricia A. Terletzky, Cole A. Bleke, Erika T. Stevenson, Susannah S. French

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Simple summary

Biologists have long considered producing offspring a demanding time in the life of any animal, with reproducing and raising offspring being physiologically stressful. We examined whether breeding and producing pups was more stressful than other life-history stages among captive coyotes (Canis latrans) using fecal sampling and subsequent assays for glucocorticoid metabolites. Using 12 pairs of coyotes (five pairs produced pups, seven pairs did not), we examined fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCM) covering 11 biological time periods for one year. We found high individual variability among both females and males with no apparent statistical effect of reproduction on …

Individual‑Level Patterns Of Resource Selection Do Not Predict Hotspots Of Contact, Anni Yang, Raoul Boughton, Ryan S. Miller, Nathan P. Snow, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Kim C. Pepin, George Wittemyer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Contact among animals is crucial for various ecological processes, including social behaviors, disease transmission, and predator–prey interactions. However, the distribution of contact events across time and space is heterogeneous, influenced by environmental factors and biological purposes. Previous studies have assumed that areas with abundant resources and preferred habitats attract more individuals and, therefore, lead to more contact. To examine the accuracy of this assumption, we used a use-available framework to compare landscape factors influencing the location of contacts between wild pigs (Sus scrofa) in two study areas in Florida and Texas (USA) from those influencing non-contact space use. …

Differential Canid Predation Of Translocated Juvenile Desert Tortoises (Gopherus Agassizii) Using Chemical Signature Differences, Derek B. Hall, Bruce A. Kimball, Jennifer M. Germano, Eric M. Gese, Jeanette A. Perry

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Differential predation was observed in a population of 59 translocated juvenile desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) of known sex during a juvenile translocation survival study between September 2012 and November 2017. The main source of mortality was attributed to coyote (Canis latrans) and kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) predation. Predation was skewed with higher female mortality than male mortality. We tested the hypothesis that juvenile females smell different than males, which leads to increased canid predation. We also explored differences in chemical signatures of resident adult female and male desert tortoises. We collected oral, cloacal, and …

Home Range Overlap Between Small Indian Mongooses And Free Roaming Domestic Dogs In Puerto Rico: Implications For Rabies Management, Caroline C. Sauvé, Are R. Berentsen, Steven F. Llanos, Amy T. Gilbert, Patrick A. Leighton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata) is the primary terrestrial wildlife rabies reservoir on at least four Caribbean islands, including Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, mongooses represent a risk to public health, based on direct human exposure and indirectly through the transmission of rabies virus to domestic animals. To date, the fundamental ecological relationships of space use among mongooses and between mongooses and domestic animals remain poorly understood. This study is the first to report mongoose home range estimates based on GPS telemetry, as well as concurrent space use among mongooses and free roaming domestic dogs (FRDD; Canis …

Type And Frequency Of Wild Pig-Domestic Livestock Contacts And Operator Concern For Disease Spread, Sophie C. Mckee, Daniel F. Mooney, Ryan S. Miller

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) can levy substantial costs to domestic livestock operations and global supply chains due to disease introduction. Producers can take defensive action to avert these costs, but the factors influencing these decisions are not well understood. We examined survey data to characterize the type and frequency of contacts between wild pigs and domestic livestock and investigated the determinants of farm operator concern for disease introduction using an ordered logit model. We found that operators with livestock kept in buildings were more concerned about disease than those with livestock kept in fenced areas or that roam …

Hepatozoon Spp. Infection In Wild Canids In The Eastern United States, Eliza Baker, Alex Clemson, Debra Miller, Kayla Buck Garrett, Christopher A. Cleveland, Justin Brown, Kyle Van Why, Richard W. Gerhold Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background Hepatozoon spp. are apicomplexan parasites known to cause musculoskeletal disease in a variety of animals. Two species are known to infect wild and domestic canids in the United States: Hepatozoon canis and H. americanum.

Methods In this study, blood, heart, and/or spleen samples were collected from 278 wild canids (180 coyotes, 93 red foxes, and 5 gray foxes) in the eastern US and tested via PCR for Hepatozoon. Histology slides of heart and skeletal muscle were assessed for Hepatozoon cysts and associated inflammation when fresh tissue was available (n = 96).

Results Hepatozoon spp. were …

A Next-Generation Sequencing Study Of Arthropods In The Diet Of Laysan Teal Anas Laysanensis, Wieteke A. Hothuijzen, Carmen C. Antaky, Elizabeth N. Flint, Jonathan H. Plissner, Coral A. Wolf, Holly P. Jones

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The critically endangered Laysan teal Anas laysanensis (known as koloa po¯haka in the Hawaiian language), in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands has wild populations on Kamole (Laysan Island), Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll NWR) and Ho¯laniku¯ (Kure Atoll). The Laysan teal face a new risk on Sand Island in Kuaihelani: non-target poisoning via a pending House Mouse Mus musculus eradication program. After mice were observed attacking and depredating Laysan albatross Phoebastria immutabilis (mo¯lı¯) in 2015, plans to eradicate the mice were developed to protect this seabird species. This approach, however, risks poisoning the Laysan teal. To reduce exposure, teal will be translocated during …

Raccoon Densities Across Four Land Cover Types In The Southeastern United States, Jocab E. Hill, James L. Helton, David A. Bernasconi, Wesley C. Dixon, Matt T. Hamilton, Richard B. Chipman, Amy T. Gilbert, James C. Beasley, Guha Dharmarajan, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are the primary reservoir for rabies virus in eastern North America. Management of rabies in raccoons is achieved primarily with the use of oral rabies vaccination (ORV) and effective ORV bait densities are determined in part by the densities of raccoons. Decisions regarding ORV bait densities, however, are limited by an incomplete understanding of raccoon densities across the spectrum of landscapes they occupy. We carried out a markrecapture study of raccoons on the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, USA, from 2017–2019, to develop sex‐ and landscape‐specific raccoon density estimates across 4 rural land cover …

Understory Arthropod Diversity In A Mixed Dryland Ecosystem, Hawai‘I, Matthew J. Madeiros, William P. Haines, Clare E. Aslan, Aaron B. Shiels, Asa Aue, Christina T. Liang

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Tropical drylands are among the most threatened ecosystems worldwide, and fewer than 10% of tropical dry forests in Hawai‘i remain intact. Terrestrial arthropods comprise most of the endemic fauna on many islands, including Hawai‘i, where they provide ecosystem services such as pollination, decomposition, and a reliable prey base for predators. The objective of our study was to measure understory arthropod diversity and relative abundances in two common habitat types within dryland Hawai‘i—a non-native grassland, dominated by Cenchrus setaceus (fountain grass) with few native shrubs, and a native woodland, dominated by Metrosideros polymorpha (‘ōhi‘a). We used generalized additive models to examine …

Movements And Resource Selection Of Wild Pigs Associated With Growth Stages Of Corn, Bethany A. Friesenhahn, Randall W. Deyoung, Michael J. Cherry, Humberto L. Perotto-Baldivieso, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Nathan P. Snow

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are one of the most successful invasive species globally and are often implicated in agricultural damage. This damage is expected to increase as ranges of wild pigs expand, impacting the human food supply and increasing costs of food production. Our objective was to evaluate movement behaviors of wild pigs relative to resource availability and landscape features in an agriculture-dominated landscape, with a goal of informing management practices for reducing damage to corn. We monitored hourly movements of adult wild pigs relative to corn crops using GPS collars during the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons (Feb–Sept) in …