(Table 2) Seroprevalence against Trichinella spp. in Ursus maritimus from Svalbard and Barents Sea pack ice

• Main Authors: Asbakk, Kjetil, Aars, Jon, Derocher, Andrew E, Wiig, Øystein, Oksanen, Antti, Born, Erik W, Dietz, Rune, Sonne, Christian, Godfroid, Jacques, Kapel, Christian M O
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2011
• Subjects: Age; relative; number of years; Area/locality; Barents Sea; BarentsSea_bear; Biological sample; BIOS; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); Event label; International Polar Year (2007-2008); IPY; Sample amount; Sampling date; Svalbard; Svalbard_bear; Ursus maritimus; seroprevalence of antibodies; International Polar Year
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.807093; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.807093

Blood samples of live-caught polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from Svalbard collected 1991-2000 (Period 1) and 2006-2008 (Period 2) and from the pack ice of the Barents Sea collected in Period 1, were assayed for antibodies against Trichinella spp. by ELISA. Of 54 cubs-of-the-year included in the Period 1 sample, 53 were seronegative, indicating that exposure to Trichinella infected meat is uncommon during the first months of life for polar bears in the Svalbard region. Of 30 mother-offspring pairs, 18 mothers were seropositive with seronegative offspring (n = 27), suggesting (1) that maternal antibodies had dropped to levels below detection limit by the time of capture in April (offspring approximately 4 months old), and (2) supporting experimental studies in other animal models showing that vertical transmission of Trichinella spp. is uncommon. Bear 1 year and older had higher prevalence in Svalbard (78%) than in the Barents Sea (51%). There was no temporal change in prevalence for bears from Svalbard during the time between the two periods. The prevalence increased with age in both sexes. A positive correlation was found between anti-Toxoplasma gondii and anti-Trichinella spp. antibodies.