Broad Range Screening of Vector-Borne Pathogens in Arctic Foxes ( Vulpes lagopus ) in Iceland

The arctic fox ( Vulpes lagopus ) is the only native terrestrial mammal in Iceland. While red foxes ( V. vulpes ) are known to be epidemiologically important carriers of several vector-borne pathogens in Europe, arctic foxes have never been evaluated in a similar context on this continent. This has...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals
Main Authors: Sándor Hornok, Kristin Mühldorfer, Nóra Takács, Regina Hofmann-Lehmann, Marina L. Meli, Miklós Gyuranecz, Ester R. Unnsteinsdóttir, Alex D. Greenwood, Gábor Á. Czirják
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020
Subjects:
arctic fox
Iceland
vector-borne bacteria
vector-borne protozoan parasites
climate change
Veterinary medicine
SF600-1100
Zoology
QL1-991
Arctic
Arctic Fox
Climate change
Vulpes lagopus
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10112031
https://doaj.org/article/8db1bd6778264567817e750c9a155ec5
Description
Summary:The arctic fox ( Vulpes lagopus ) is the only native terrestrial mammal in Iceland. While red foxes ( V. vulpes ) are known to be epidemiologically important carriers of several vector-borne pathogens in Europe, arctic foxes have never been evaluated in a similar context on this continent. This has become especially relevant in the last decade, considering the establishing populations of the tick species Ixodes ricinus in Iceland. In this study, liver DNA extracts of 60 arctic foxes, hunted between 2011–2012, were molecularly screened for vector-borne protozoan parasites ( Trypanosomatidae , Babesia , Theileria , Hepatozoon ) and bacteria ( Anaplasma , Ehrlichia , Rickettsia , Borrelia , hemotropic Mycoplasma ). One sample was real-time qPCR positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum , though this positivity could not be confirmed with sequencing. Samples were negative for all other tested vector-borne pathogens. Results of this study indicate that, except for A. phagocytophilum , Icelandic arctic foxes were apparently “not yet infected” with vector-borne pathogens in 2011–2012, or their infections were “below the detection limit” of applied methods. Taking into account the broad range of target microorganisms analyzed here, as well as the warming climate and increasing presence of the vector I. ricinus in Iceland, our results will be very useful as baseline data for comparison in future monitoring of the emergence of ticks and tick-borne diseases in this country.

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