Widespread Exposure to Mosquitoborne California Serogroup Viruses in Caribou, Arctic Fox, Red Fox, and Polar Bears, Canada

Northern Canada is warming at 3 times the global rate. Thus, changing diversity and distribution of vectors and pathogens is an increasing health concern. California serogroup (CSG) viruses are mosquitoborne arboviruses; wildlife reservoirs in northern ecosystems have not been identified. We detecte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Emerging Infectious Diseases
Main Authors: Buhler, Kayla J., Dibernardo, Antonia, Pilfold, Nicholas W., Harms, N. Jane, Fenton, Heather, Carriere, Suzanne, Kelly, Allicia, Schwantje, Helen, Aguilar, Xavier Fernandez, Leclerc, Lisa-Marie, Gouin, Geraldine G., Lunn, Nicholas J., Richardson, Evan S., McGeachy, David, Bouchard, Émilie, Ortiz, Adrián Hernández, Samelius, Gustaf, Lindsay, L. Robbin, Drebot, Michael A., Gaffney, Patricia, Leighton, Patrick, Alisauskas, Ray, Jenkins, Emily
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2023
Subjects:
Research
Arctic
Canada
Arctic Fox
Climate change
Human health
Online Access:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9796188/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36573538
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2901.220154
Description
Summary:Northern Canada is warming at 3 times the global rate. Thus, changing diversity and distribution of vectors and pathogens is an increasing health concern. California serogroup (CSG) viruses are mosquitoborne arboviruses; wildlife reservoirs in northern ecosystems have not been identified. We detected CSG virus antibodies in 63% (95% CI 58%–67%) of caribou (n = 517), 4% (95% CI 2%–7%) of Arctic foxes (n = 297), 12% (95% CI 6%–21%) of red foxes (n = 77), and 28% (95% CI 24%–33%) of polar bears (n = 377). Sex, age, and summer temperatures were positively associated with polar bear exposure; location, year, and ecotype were associated with caribou exposure. Exposure was highest in boreal caribou and increased from baseline in polar bears after warmer summers. CSG virus exposure of wildlife is linked to climate change in northern Canada and sustained surveillance could be used to measure human health risks.

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