Pathogen surveillance in Southern Ocean pinnipeds

Knowledge of the health status and potential effect of disease outbreaks among Southern Ocean fauna may be decisive for its conservation. We assessed the exposure and infection of Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella, AFS) and Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonine, SES) to parapoxvirus,Pho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Research
Main Authors: Núñez-Egido, Sandra, Lowther, Andrew, Nymo, Ingebjørg H., Klein, Jörn, Breines, Eva M., Tryland, Morten
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2020
Subjects:
Antarctic fur seal
parapoxvirus
Southern elephant seal
Southern Ocean
wildlife disease
zoonosis
Antarctic
Austral
Bouvetøya
Antarc*
Antarctic Fur Seal
Antarctic Fur Seals
Arctocephalus gazella
Elephant Seal
Elephant Seals
Polar Research
Southern Elephant Seal
Southern Elephant Seals
Online Access:https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/3841
https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v39.3841
Description
Summary:Knowledge of the health status and potential effect of disease outbreaks among Southern Ocean fauna may be decisive for its conservation. We assessed the exposure and infection of Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella, AFS) and Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonine, SES) to parapoxvirus,Phocid alphaherpesvirus-1(PhHV-1), smoothBrucellaspp. andToxoplasma gondii. AFS (n= 65) serum and swab samples, and SES (n= 13) serum samples from the sub--Antarctic island of Bouvetøya (54°25’S, 03°22’E) were collected during two austral summers (2014/15, 2017/18). Three polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests amplifying the DNA polymerase,B2LandGIFparapoxvirus genomic regions were performed, investigating DNA from mucosal swab samples. The glycoprotein B gene was targeted to detect PhHV-1 viral DNA. Sera were assayed forT. gondiiand smoothBrucellaspp.antibodies with indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Parapoxvirus PCR amplicons of the expected size were generated in two of the 29 AFS pups (nasal swabs, 2014/15), targeting theB2L(n= 2) and DNA polymerase (n= 1) genes, whereas theGIFPCR did not amplify target sequences. The PCR amplicons were sequenced and blasted in GenBank, revealing highest similarity with a seal parapoxvirus, confirming the presence of the virus in AFS for the first time. No PhHV-1 amplicons were generated, and antibodies againstT. gondiior smoothBrucellaspp. were not detected. Our data indicate that these seals are host for parapoxvirus but are neither exposed to smoothBrucellaspp. norT. gondii. Evidence of PhHV-1 shedding was not detected.

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