Giardia and Cryptosporidium in resident wildlife species in Arctic Alaska

• Published in: Food and Waterborne Parasitology
• Main Authors: Caroline Van Hemert, Lora R. Ballweber, David R. Sinnett, Todd C. Atwood, Anthony Fischbach, David D. Gustine, Kristy L. Pabilonia
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2023
• Subjects: Arctic fox; Caribou; Cryptosporidium; Giardia; Polar bear; Pacific walrus; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic; Pacific; Arctic Fox; Climate change; Odobenus rosmarus; Rangifer tarandus; Ursus maritimus; Vulpes lagopus; Alaska; walrus*
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fawpar.2023.e00206; https://doaj.org/article/22d4d6e76e3c477fad1e81ed78b4db2c

Giardia and Cryptosporidium are zoonotic protozoan parasites that can infect humans and other taxa, including wildlife, often causing gastrointestinal illness. Both have been identified as One Health priorities in the Arctic, where climate change is expected to influence the distribution of many wildlife and zoonotic diseases, but little is known about their prevalence in local wildlife. To help fill information gaps, we collected fecal samples from four wildlife species that occur seasonally on the northern Alaska coastline or in nearshore marine waters—Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), polar bear (Ursus maritimus), Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), and caribou (Rangifer tarandus)—and used immunofluorescence assays to screen for Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts. We detected Giardia cysts in 18.3% and Cryptosporidium oocysts in 16.5% of Arctic foxes (n = 109), suggesting that foxes may be potentially important hosts in this region. We also detected Giardia cysts in a single polar bear (12.5%; n = 8), which to our knowledge represents the first such report for this species. Neither parasite was detected in walruses or caribou.