A Multi-Pathogen Screening of Captive Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Germany Based on Serological and Molecular Assays

Abstract

Captive reindeer in German zoos and wildlife parks live outside their natural geographic range and are exposed to a variety of viral, bacterial and protozoan pathogens, some host-specific and some which they are not exposed to in their native habitat. Reindeer blood samples and ticks collected in 2013 from 123 reindeer at 16 different zoological facilities were available from a previous study. The aims of this study were to assess the serological status of these animals with regards to various microorganisms as well as to test ticks (Ixodes ricinus) and blood samples for the presence of Anaplasma spp. DNA in order to evaluate the exposure of captive reindeer in Germany to a variety of pathogens. A total of 119 or 118 serum samples were screened (ELISA) and antibodies were detected (seropositive/tested, prevalence, confidence interval) against alphaherpesvirus (24/119, 20.

Gammaherpesvirus in Cervid Species from Norway: Characterization of a New Virus in Wild and Semi-Domesticated Eurasian Tundra Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus)

“…Previous studies used a competitive ELISA with an antigen based on a conserved epitope among all known members of the malignant catarrhal fever virus group. These studies showed 5.9% seropositivity in captive Eurasian reindeer from Germany (n = 119) [39], 4% in wild Eurasian reindeer from Norway (n = 250) and porcupine caribou from Alaska (n = 232) [40], and 3.5% (n = 3339) in apparently healthy, semi-domesticated Eurasian reindeer from Finnmark County, northern Norway [28]. Such findings contrasted with the prevalence we obtained in this study by PCR (28.2% and 48.6% in semi-domesticated and wild reindeer, respectively).…”

Severe Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia divergens Concomitant Infection in Imported Captive Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)

“…Hence, formal molecular identification of Babesia sp. in wild ruminants is routinely performed (12).…”

“…Disease due to Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection has not been fully described in reindeer, even if the infection seems moderately prevalent (12). The infection in domestic and wild ruminants results in a seldom fatal disease unless complicated by other infections (2,31).…”

“…Blood cell count, hematocrit and hemoglobin were also performed (Hematology analyser XT 200 iV, Sysmex France, F-95944 Roissy). Multiple PCRs on blood samples was performed for Anaplasma (1,12,14,15) and Babesia (16), followed by sequence analysis and BLAST comparison with sequence databanks.…”

“…Infection by Anaplasma spp. is less reported despite the fact that A. phagocytophilum and A. ovis can infect reindeer (10,11,12).…”