Aleutian mink disease: Spatio‐temporal variation of prevalence and influence on the feral American mink

Abstract

Pathogens are one of the factors driving wildlife population dynamics. The spread of pathogens in wildlife is currently highly related to the transmission of pathogens from farmed animals, which has increased with the constant development of farming. Here, we analysed the spatio-temporal variation in the prevalence of Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) antibodies in feral American mink (Neovison vison) populations in Poland(1,153 individuals from nine sites) in relation to mink farming intensity. AMDV was detected in feral mink at all study sites and the prevalence ranged from 0.461 in the northern region to 0.826 in the western region. Mink males and adults were infected more often than females and subadults; the infection was also more frequent during the mink breeding season than during non-breeding. The prevalence of AMDV changed nonlinearly in consecutive years and the peak of prevalence was every 3-4 years. The predicted AMDV prevalence was low at sites where the number of farmed mink was also low and increased linearly with the increase in the number of mink kept on farms. The predicted AMDV prevalence at sites with low mink farming intensity strongly varied between years, whereas at sites with high mink farming intensity, the predicted prevalence did not change significantly. AMDV infection affected the mink's body condition and caused an increase in the size of the spleen, liver and kidneys. This study shows that Aleutian mink disease strongly affects feral mink but the spatio-temporal variation of its prevalence is complex and partly related to the transmission of the virus from farmed mink to feral populations. The study highlights the complexity of AMDV circulation in feral mink populations and implicates a potential spillover of the virus to native species.

Does the American mink displace the European polecat? A need for more research on interspecific competition between invasive and native species

“…Although the key environmental factors that affect polecat and mink abundance are known, the interactions between these two mustelids may be more complex than discussed thus far, going beyond food and habitat niche overlap. For example, the American mink contributes to the maintenance of the life cycle of some pathogens (helminthes and diseases), which may have implications for the conservation of native mustelids (Torres et al 2008;Kołodziej-Sobocińska et al 2018, 2020Zalewski et al 2021b); however, still not much is known about the interspecific transfer of parasites and pathogens between the mink and polecat (especially the Aleutian mink disease parvovirus).…”

Seroprevalence and Molecular Epidemiology of Aleutian Disease in Various Countries during 1972–2021: A Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The prevalence of anti-AMDV antibodies was determined to be 69.60%, but it varied between regions, sex and age groups and seasons. The prevalence of antibodies ranged from 46.10% in the northern region to 82.60% in the western region [36]. The cited authors also confirmed that AMDV circulation in feral mink can lead to potential spillover to native species, such as pine marten (Martes martes), European polecat (Mustela putorius), stone marten (Martes foina), river otter (Lutra lutra) and European badger (Meles meles) [36].…”

“…In studies that relied on the CIEP or ELISA techniques, the prevalence of anti-AMDV antibodies was determined to be in the range of 0.00 to 61.66% (arithmetic mean (A.M.) 32.07%) in free-ranging American minks [5,34], 23.80 to 82.60% (A.M. 59.89%) in farmed American minks [3,[34][35][36][37] and 0.00 to 32.00% (A.M. 17.30%) in European minks [5,13,38]. The prevalence of anti-AMDV antibodies in different countries is shown in Table 1.…”

“…Based on the data for 1981-2017, the prevalence of anti-AMDV antibodies was found to be between 56.70% (CIEP) and 76.40% (ELISA) (Table 1) [37]. The prevalence of anti-AMDV antibodies in Poland was investigated in the largest population of animals by Zalewski et al [36]. A total of 1153 feral American mink from nine sites were studied.…”

“…The prevalence of antibodies ranged from 46.10% in the northern region to 82.60% in the western region [36]. The cited authors also confirmed that AMDV circulation in feral mink can lead to potential spillover to native species, such as pine marten (Martes martes), European polecat (Mustela putorius), stone marten (Martes foina), river otter (Lutra lutra) and European badger (Meles meles) [36]. This most recent serological study revealed the scale of the problem in the Polish mink population, and further research is needed to confirm the reported results.…”