Tuberculosis serosurveillance and management practices of captive African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.

Autor: Rosen LE; Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.; Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA., Hanyire TG; Wildlife Veterinary Unit, Department of Livestock and Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation, Harare, Zimbabwe.; Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, South Africa., Dawson J; Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe., Foggin CM; Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe., Michel AL; Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, South Africa., Huyvaert KP; Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA., Miller MA; DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa., Olea-Popelka FJ; Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.; Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Research Group, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Transboundary and emerging diseases [Transbound Emerg Dis] 2018 Apr; Vol. 65 (2), pp. e344-e354. Date of Electronic Publication: 2017 Nov 16.
DOI: 10.1111/tbed.12764
Abstrakt: Transfrontier conservation areas represent an international effort to encourage conservation and sustainable development. Their success faces a number of challenges, including disease management in wildlife, livestock and humans. Tuberculosis (TB) affects humans and a multitude of non-human animal species and is of particular concern in sub-Saharan Africa. The Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area encompasses five countries, including Zimbabwe, and is home to the largest contiguous population of free-ranging elephants in Africa. Elephants are known to be susceptible to TB; thus, understanding TB status, exposure and transmission risks to and from elephants in this area is of interest for both conservation and human health. To assess risk factors for TB seroprevalence, a questionnaire was used to collect data regarding elephant management at four ecotourism facilities offering elephant-back tourist rides in the Victoria Falls area of Zimbabwe. Thirty-five working African elephants were screened for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex antibodies using the ElephantTB Stat-Pak and the DPP VetTB Assay for elephants. Six of 35 elephants (17.1%) were seropositive. The risk factor most important for seropositive status was time in captivity. This is the first study to assess TB seroprevalence and risk factors in working African elephants in their home range. Our findings will provide a foundation to develop guidelines to protect the health of captive and free-ranging elephants in the southern African context, as well as elephant handlers through simple interventions. Minimizing exposure through shared feed with other wildlife, routine TB testing of elephant handlers and regular serological screening of elephants are recommended as preventive measures.
(© 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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