Widespread Exposure to Mosquitoborne California Serogroup Viruses in Caribou, Arctic Fox, Red Fox, and Polar Bears, Canada

• Published in: Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Main Authors: Kayla J. Buhler, Antonia Dibernardo, Nicholas W. Pilfold, N. Jane Harms, Heather Fenton, Suzanne Carriere, Allicia Kelly, Helen Schwantje, Xavier Fernandez Aguilar, Lisa-Marie Leclerc, Geraldine G. Gouin, Nicholas J. Lunn, Evan S. Richardson, David McGeachy, Émilie Bouchard, Adrián Hernández Ortiz, Gustaf Samelius, L. Robbin Lindsay, Michael A. Drebot, Patricia Gaffney, Patrick Leighton, Ray Alisauskas, Emily Jenkins
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2023
• Subjects: arboviruses; California serogroup viruses; vector-borne infections; viruses; zoonoses; climate change; Medicine; R; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic; Canada; Arctic Fox; Climate change; Human health
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2901.220154; https://doaj.org/article/0bbbf1c86911432f92f76172cb7f3741

Northern Canada is warming at 3 times the global rate. Thus, changing diversity and distribution of vectors and pathogens is an increasing health concern. California serogroup (CSG) viruses are mosquitoborne arboviruses; wildlife reservoirs in northern ecosystems have not been identified. We detected CSG virus antibodies in 63% (95% CI 58%–67%) of caribou (n = 517), 4% (95% CI 2%–7%) of Arctic foxes (n = 297), 12% (95% CI 6%–21%) of red foxes (n = 77), and 28% (95% CI 24%–33%) of polar bears (n = 377). Sex, age, and summer temperatures were positively associated with polar bear exposure; location, year, and ecotype were associated with caribou exposure. Exposure was highest in boreal caribou and increased from baseline in polar bears after warmer summers. CSG virus exposure of wildlife is linked to climate change in northern Canada and sustained surveillance could be used to measure human health risks.