The geographic distribution, and the biotic and abiotic predictors of select zoonotic pathogen detections in Canadian polar bears

Abstract Increasing Arctic temperatures are facilitating the northward expansion of more southerly hosts, vectors, and pathogens, exposing naïve populations to pathogens not typical at northern latitudes. To understand such rapidly changing host–pathogen dynamics, we need sensitive and robust survei...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific Reports
Main Authors: Christina M. Tschritter, Peter van Coeverden de Groot, Marsha Branigan, Markus Dyck, Zhengxin Sun, Emily Jenkins, Kayla Buhler, Stephen C. Lougheed
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024
Subjects:
Medicine
R
Science
Q
Ursus maritimus
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-62800-x
https://doaj.org/article/447bd11fb02940d78ddd2c4c3c33d286
Description
Summary:Abstract Increasing Arctic temperatures are facilitating the northward expansion of more southerly hosts, vectors, and pathogens, exposing naïve populations to pathogens not typical at northern latitudes. To understand such rapidly changing host–pathogen dynamics, we need sensitive and robust surveillance tools. Here, we use a novel multiplexed magnetic-capture and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) tool to assess a sentinel Arctic species, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus; n = 68), for the presence of five zoonotic pathogens (Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, Francisella tularensis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp.), and observe associations between pathogen presence and biotic and abiotic predictors. We made two novel detections: the first detection of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex member in Arctic wildlife and the first of E. rhusiopathiae in a polar bear. We found a prevalence of 37% for E. rhusiopathiae, 16% for F. tularensis, 29% for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, 18% for T. gondii, and 75% for Trichinella spp. We also identify associations with bear age (Trichinella spp.), harvest season (F. tularensis and MTBC), and human settlements (E. rhusiopathiae, F. tularensis, MTBC, and Trichinella spp.). We demonstrate that monitoring a sentinel species, the polar bear, could be a powerful tool in disease surveillance and highlight the need to better characterize pathogen distributions and diversity in the Arctic.

Similar Items