10.5061/DRYAD.XD2547DM3
Haynes, Ellen
0000-0002-0033-0304
University of Georgia
Coker, Sarah
University of Georgia
Yabsley, Michael
University of Georgia
Niedrighaus, Kevin
University of California, Davis
Ramey, Andrew
U.S. Geological Survey
Verocai, Guilherme
Texas A&M University
Hilderbrand, Grant
U.S. Geological Survey
Joly, Kyle
National Park Service
Gustine, David
U.S. Geological Survey
Mangipane, Buck
National Park Service
Leacock, William
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Crupi, Anthony
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Cleveland, Christopher
University of Georgia
Results of survey for selected parasites in Alaska brown bears (Ursus arctos)
Dryad
dataset
2022
FOS: Veterinary science
Babesia
Bartonella
grizzly bear
Helminths
Sarcoptic mange
2022-09-25T00:00:00Z
2022-09-25T00:00:00Z
en
39439 bytes
4
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
To assess the prevalence of endo- and ectoparasites in Alaska brown bears
(Ursus arctos), blood and fecal samples were collected during 2013 – 2016
from five locations: Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
(GAAR), Katmai National Park (KATM), Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
(LACL), Yakutat Forelands (YAK), and Kodiak Island (KOD). Standard fecal
centrifugal-flotation was used to screen for gastrointestinal parasites,
molecular techniques were used to test blood for the presence of
Bartonella and Babesia spp., and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
(ELISA) was used to detect antibodies to Sarcoptes scabiei, a species of
mite recently associated with mange in American black bears (Ursus
americanus). From fecal flotations (n=160), we identified the
following helminths: Uncinaria sp. (n=16, 10.0%), Baylisascaris sp. (n=5,
3.1%), Dibothriocephalus sp. (n=2, 1.2%), and taeniid-type eggs (n=1,
0.6%). Molecular screening for intraerythrocytic parasites (Babesia spp.)
and intracellular bacteria (Bartonella spp.) was negative for all bears
tested. We detected antibodies to S. scabiei in six out of 59 (10.2%)
individuals. The data set contains 238 rows, each row representing a
capture/sampling event for an individual bear. The location of the bear,
month and year of sampling, and bear demographic information (ID number,
sex, and age) are provided for each entry, as well as as which of
the three tests (fecal flotation, Bartonella/Babesia PCR, Sarcoptes ELISA)
were performed on samples collected during that capture event. Results are
provided for each test when it was performed. For fecal flotation, there
are columns for presence of the four detected parasite genera (1= present,
0 = absent), as well as a column for other fecal findings. For
Bartonella/Babesia testing, a positive or negative result is provided when
the tests were performed. For the Sarcoptes ELISA, results are provided
based on bear positive controls and dog positive controls. Samples were
reported as positive when they were positive when run with both positive
controls.
As part of ongoing inter-agency research, personnel from the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and U.S. Geological Survey sampled 166 brown bears during July
2013–July 2017 at five locations: Gates of the Arctic National Park and
Preserve (GAAR), Katmai National Park (KATM), Kodiak Island (KOD), Lake
Clark National Park and Preserve (LACL), and the Yakutat Forelands. Bears
were captured and handled as reported by Ramey et al. (2019), with all
capture, handling, and sampling procedures approved by Animal and Care Use
Committees for Alaska Department of Fish and Game (2013-028), NPS
(2014.A2, 2014.A3), USFWS (2012-14), and USGS (2014-1, 2014-10, 2015-4,
2015-6). Feces were collected opportunistically from the rectums of 114
anesthetized bears from GAAR, KATM, KOD, and LACL one to five times during
the study period, stored in 70% ethanol, then processed using double
centrifugal flotation with Sheather’s sucrose solution (specific gravity
1.25). Blood was collected as described by Ramey et al. (2019) from 156
bears from all sites and tested for Bartonella and Babesia species, with
44 bears screened twice. Genomic DNA was extracted using a DNeasy® Blood
and Tissue Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) following the manufacturer’s
protocol. Nested PCR was performed using GoTaq® Flexi DNA Polymerase
(Promega, Madison, Wisconsin, USA). For Bartonella spp., the ITS gene was
targeted using the primers and cycling conditions described by Trataris et
al. (2012). Primary PCR primers were QHVE-1 and QHVE-3; secondary primers
were QHVE-12 and QHVE-14b. For Babesia spp., the 18S gene was targeted
using primers and cycling conditions described by Yabsley et al. (2005).
Primary PCR primers were 3.1 and 5.1; secondary primers were RLB-F and
RLB-R. Amplicons were purified using the QIAquick gel extraction kit
(Qiagen) and submitted for bi-directional sequencing at the Georgia
Genomics and Bioinformatics Core (Athens, Georgia, USA). Serum samples
(n=59) were collected from 53 individual bears in 2016 and 2017 from GAAR,
LACL, and KATM and tested for antibodies to Sarcoptes scabiei using a
commercial indirect ELISA kit designed for domestic dogs
(Sarcoptes-ELISA 2001, Afosa, Germany). Modifications for use in black
bears (Ursus americanus) were implemented as described (Niedringhaus et
al. 2020). Relevent Citations: Niedringhaus KD, Brown JD, Ternent M,
Peltier SK, Van Wick P, Yabsley MJ. 2020. Serology as a tool to
investigate sarcoptic mange in American black bears (Ursus americanus) J
Wildl Dis 56:350-358. Ramey AM, Cleveland CA, Hilderbrand GV, Joly K,
Gustine DD, Mangipane B, Leacock WB, Crupi AP, Hill DE, Dubey JP, Yabsley
MJ. 2019. Exposure of Alaska brown bears (Ursus arctos) to bacterial,
viral, and parasitic agents varies spatiotemporally and may be influenced
by age. J Wildl Dis 55:576-588. Trataris AN, Rossouw J, Arntzen L,
Karstaedt A, Frean J. 2012. Bartonella spp. in human and animal
populations in Gauteng, South Africa, from 2007 to 2009. J Vet Res
79:E1–8 Yabsley MJ, Davidson WR, Stallknecht DE, Varela AS, Swift PK,
Devos Jr. JC, Dubay SA. 2005. Evidence of tick-borne organisms in Mule
deer (Odocoileus hemionus) from the Western United States. Vector Borne
Zoonotic Dis 5:351-362.