Brucellosis in the Arctic and Northern Regions

Fernández-Aguilar, Xavier; Nymo, Ingebjørg Helena; Beckmen, Kimberlee B.; Dresvyanikova, Svetlana; Egorova, Irina; Kutz, Susan

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-87853-5_10

Cited by 4 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 206 publications

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“…Similar observations in the DU caribou herd were reported by Ekaluktutiak harvesters (Tomaselli et al, 2018;Hanke et al, 2021). Brucella is a zoonotic bacterium (Aguilar et al, 2022), thus its apparent increase in the DU caribou herd represents a risk to food safety. On the other hand, the presence of harmless nose bot larvae or non-zoonotic Taenia (tapeworm) cysts in caribou carcasses can give the meat a displeasing appearance, and, in some cases, would lead harvesters to discard the meat.…”

Section: Dimensions Of Environmental Healthsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Two diseases that knowledge keepers identified as increasing near the population peak and decline, brucellosis and besnoitiosis, can have detrimental effects in caribou. Brucella suis biovar 4 can cause reproductive impairment, reduced mobility, and reduced survival, and has been documented during some caribou herd declines (Ferguson, 1997;Carlsson et al, 2018;Aguilar et al, 2022). A subset of 82 DU caribou tested in 1991 were negative for this bacterium, but more serological surveys (16.3% from 2015 to 2021) and observations by harvesters in Kugluktuk and Ekaluktutiak indicate that it is now present in the herd at a relatively high prevalence (this paper; Gunn et al, 1991;Tomaselli, 2018;Hanke et al, 2021;Fernandez Aguilar et al, 2023).…”

Section: Dimensions Of Environmental Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Supporting Inuit food sovereignty through collaborative research of an at-risk caribou herd

Hanke,

Niptanatiak Dumond,

Di Francesco

et al. 2024

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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IntroductionClimate change is increasing vulnerability to food insecurity and biodiversity loss for many Indigenous Peoples globally. For Inuit, food sovereignty is one expression of Indigenous self-determination, and it includes the right of all Inuit to define their own conservation policies. Caribou conservation is particularly pertinent because of the central role caribou play in Inuit food systems. The “Dolphin and Union” (DU) caribou herd is a critical component of Inuit food systems in the Canadian Arctic and has declined by 89% in 2020 (3,815) from the peak measured by aerial survey in 1997 (34,558).MethodsOur first objective was to identify insights about this herd from and with Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (knowledge). Using thematic analysis, we created a collective account on the DU caribou herd through a research partnership among Indigenous knowledge keepers, government, and academia. Our second objective was to put our findings into the broader literature on the DU caribou herd and connect isolated data on their abundance and distribution.ResultsWe found understanding Inuit knowledge of caribou meant situating harvesters’ knowledge within their family history, harvesting methods, conservation ethics, and in relation to other harvesters. Through this framework, we conceptualized Inuit-described metrics of caribou status, resulting in three sub-themes of caribou trends over time – their abundance, distribution, and health, − and ending with conservation concerns and potential actions. The synthesized data indicated that the overall population size increased since ~1990s and then decreased after ~2000s alongside a range contraction. Our results add value to co-management literature by (1) articulating Inuit-described metrics of a population decline that inform continued monitoring and incorporation of these metrics into management planning and (2) synthesizing data from various studies on the DU caribou herd abundance and distribution that assists management to make informed conservation decisions based on Inuit and Western knowledge.DiscussionResults from this research contribute to understanding the six dimensions of environmental health, i.e., availability, stability, accessibility, health and wellness, Inuit culture, and decision-making power and management relating to caribou. The results contribute information that is used by to support environmental health, i.e., knowledge systems, policy, and co-management relating to caribou. Thus, this collaborative research study supports the expression of Inuit food sovereignty through caribou conservation.

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Section: Dimensions Of Environmental Healthsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Dimensions Of Environmental Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supporting Inuit food sovereignty through collaborative research of an at-risk caribou herd

Hanke,

Niptanatiak Dumond,

Di Francesco

et al. 2024

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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“…Brucella suis biovar 4 was the main infectious agent isolated from abnormalities submitted by hunters during the study period (Table 3). Although sporadic, these lesions are consistently reported in caribou herds affected by brucellosis 35 , and we can reasonably assume that at least a fraction of the exposed caribou develop severe lesions that could negatively impact survival. 7,13 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

An integrative and multi-indicator approach for wildlife health applied to an endangered caribou herd

Aguilar,

Leclerc,

Mavrot

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Assessing wildlife health in remote regions requires a multi-faceted approach, which commonly involves convenient samplings and the need of identifying and targeting relevant and informative indicators. We applied a novel wildlife health framework and critically assessed the value of different indicators for understanding the health status and trends of an endangered tundra caribou population. Samples and data from the Dolphin and Union caribou herd were obtained between 2015 and 2021, from community-based surveillance programs and from captured animals. We documented and categorized indicators into health determinants (infectious diseases and trace elements), processes (cortisol, pathology), and health outcomes (pregnancy and body condition). During a recent period of steep population decline, our results indicated a relatively good body condition and pregnancy rates, and decreasing levels of stress, along with a low adult cow survival. We detected multiple factors as potential contributors to the reduced survival, including Brucella suis biovar 4, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae and lower hair trace minerals. These results remark the need of targeted studies to improve detection and investigations on caribou mortalities. We also identified differences in health indicators between captured and hunter sampled caribou, highlighting the importance of accounting for sampling biases. This integrative approach that drew on multiple data sources has provided unprecedented knowledge on the health in this herd and highlights the value of documenting individual animal health to understand causes of wildlife declines.

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“…Brucella suis biovar 4 was the main infectious agent isolated from abnormalities submitted by hunters during the study period (Table 4). Although sporadic, these lesions are consistently reported in caribou herds affected by brucellosis (Aguilar et al 2022), and we can reasonably assume that at least a fraction of the exposed caribou develop severe lesions that could negatively impact survival.…”

Section: Health Determinants In Relation To Their Effects and Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 67%

An integrative and multi-indicator approach for wildlife health applied to an endangered caribou herd

Fernández-Aguilar

Leclerc

Association³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Assessing wildlife health in remote regions requires a multi-faceted approach that may include convenience samplings and the involvement of local communities. Combining data from hunted and captured caribou, we assessed the value of multiple indicators for understanding the health of the endangered Dolphin and Union caribou herd in Arctic Canada. We documented health determinants (infectious diseases and trace elements), processes (cortisol, pathology), and health outcomes (pregnancy and body condition). During a recent period of steep population decline our results suggested relatively good body condition and pregnancy rates and decreasing levels of stress, along with low adult cow survival. We identified multiple determinants of health as potential contributors to reduced survival, including Brucella suis biovar 4, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae and lower hair trace minerals. This integrative approach that drew on multiple data sources has provided unprecedented knowledge on the health in this herd and highlights the value of documenting individual animal health to understand causes of wildlife declines.

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Brucellosis in the Arctic and Northern Regions

Cited by 4 publications

References 206 publications

Supporting Inuit food sovereignty through collaborative research of an at-risk caribou herd

Supporting Inuit food sovereignty through collaborative research of an at-risk caribou herd

An integrative and multi-indicator approach for wildlife health applied to an endangered caribou herd

An integrative and multi-indicator approach for wildlife health applied to an endangered caribou herd

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