Avian cholera outbreaks threaten seabird species on Amsterdam Island

• Published in: PLOS ONE
• Main Authors: Jaeger, Audrey, Lebarbenchon, Camille, Bourret, Vincent, Bastien, Matthieu, Lagadec, Erwan, Thiebot, Jean-Baptiste, Boulinier, Thierry, Delord, Karine, Barbraud, Christophe, Marteau, Cédric, Dellagi, Koussay, Tortosa, Pablo, Weimerskirch, Henri
• Other Authors: Ecologie marine tropicale dans les Océans Pacifique et Indien (ENTROPIE Réunion ), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical (PIMIT), Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-IRD-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD France-Sud )-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Françaises, ANR-11-BSV7-0003,EVEMATA,Ecologie évolutive du transfert maternel d'anticorps(2011)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2018
• Subjects: Sequence databases; Penguins; Birds; Seabirds; Bone marrow; Cholera; Islands; [SDV.BA.MVSA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Animal biology/Veterinary medicine and animal Health; [SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie; Indian; Amsterdam Island
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-01848829; https://hal.science/hal-01848829v1/document; https://hal.science/hal-01848829v1/file/journal.pone.0197291.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0197291

International audience Infectious diseases may be particularly critical for the conservation of endangered species. A striking example is the recurrent outbreaks that have been occurring in seabirds on Amsterdam Island for the past 30 years, threatening populations of three Endangered sea-bird species and of the endemic, Critically Endangered Amsterdam albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis. The bacteria Pasteurella multocida (avian cholera causative agent), and to a lesser extent Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae (erysipelas causative agent), were both sus-pected to be responsible for these epidemics. Despite this critical situation, demographic trends were not available for these threatened populations, and the occurrence and charac-terization of potential causative agents of epizootics remain poorly known. The aims of the current study were to (i) provide an update of population trends for four threatened seabird species monitored on Amsterdam Island, (ii) assess the occurrence of P. multocida, and E. rhusiopathiae in live birds from five species, (iii) search for other infectious agents in these samples and, (iv) isolate and genotype the causative agent(s) of epizooties from dead birds. Our study shows that the demographic situation has worsened substantially in three seabird species during the past decade, with extremely low reproductive success and declining populations for Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses Thalassarche carteri, sootyalbatrosses Phoebetria fusca, and northern rockhopper penguins Eudyptes moseleyi. Pasteurella multocida or E. rhusiopathiae were detected by PCR in live birds of all five investi-gated species, while results were negative for eight additional infectious agents. A single strain of P. multocida was repeatedly cultured from dead birds, while no E. rhusiopathiae could be isolated. These results highlight the significance of P. multocida in this particular eco-epidemiological system as the main agent responsible for epizootics. The study stresses the urgent need to implement mitigation ...