Introduction and Establishment of Raccoon Rabies on Islands: Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA as a Case Study
Autor: | Nancy L. Stedman, Sonia M. Hernandez, Benjamin L. Carswell, Charlie S. Bahnson, Steven E. Nelson, Sebastian Ortiz, Yank Moore, Michael J. Yabsley, Trista I. Becker, Elizabeth J. Elsmo, Heather Fenton, Pamela A. Yager, Terry M. Norton, Lillian A. Orciari, Kevin D. Niedringhaus |
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Rok vydání: | 2018 |
Předmět: |
Georgia
Rabies 040301 veterinary sciences Insular biogeography 030231 tropical medicine Zoology Biology medicine.disease_cause Enteritis 0403 veterinary science 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine parasitic diseases medicine Animals Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Epizootic Islands Ecology Canine distemper Rabies virus 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences medicine.disease Urban wildlife Cats Tourist destinations Raccoons |
Zdroj: | Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 54:329-334 |
ISSN: | 0090-3558 |
DOI: | 10.7589/2016-12-286 |
Popis: | The introduction of rabies virus (RABV) to barrier islands, which are often popular tourist destinations with resource-rich habitats and connectivity and proximity to the mainland, is especially concerning because it can easily become endemic due to factors like dense rabies-vector populations (e.g., raccoons [ Procyon lotor]), high inter- and intraspecies contact rates, and anthropogenic activities such as supplemental feeding of feral cats ( Felis catus). In January 2013, a neurologic raccoon found on the Jekyll Island (JI), Georgia, US causeway tested positive for rabies. Mortality investigations of 29 raccoons have been conducted between December 2012-May 2017. The two most common diagnoses were RABV ( n=11) and canine distemper virus (CDV; n=8). Parvoviral enteritis was diagnosed in four raccoons but no coinfections were diagnosed. There was no apparent seasonality for rabies cases, but all CDV cases occurred in spring-fall. Most (64%) rabies submissions came from residential or recreational use areas located near feral cat feeding stations. Jekyll Island is a popular destination where tourists engage in numerous outdoor activities which facilitate human-wildlife interactions. Concerns regarding public and animal health highlight the importance of rabies surveillance, prevention, and control on islands. This is the first report of rabies on JI and emphasizes the importance of disease investigations because the assumption that neurologic raccoons have CDV, an endemic pathogen, can miss the establishment of novel pathogens such as RABV. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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