Exposure of Free-Ranging Maned Wolves (Chrysocyon Brachyurus) to Infectious and Parasitic Disease Agents in the Noël Kempff Mercado National Park, Bolivia

Abstract

Maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus) are neotropic mammals, listed as a CITES Appendix II species, with a distribution south of the Amazon forest from Bolivia, through northern Argentina and Paraguay and into eastern Brazil and northern Uruguay. Primary threats to the survival of free-ranging maned wolves include habitat loss, road kills, and shooting by farmers. An additional threat to the conservation of maned wolves is the risk of morbidity and mortality due to infectious and parasitic diseases. Captive maned wolves are susceptible to, and die from, common infectious diseases of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) including canine distemper virus (CDV), canine parvovirus (CPV), rabies virus, and canine adenovirus (CAV). Results from this study show that free-ranging maned wolves in a remote area of Bolivia have been exposed to multiple infectious and parasitic agents of domestic carnivores, including CAV, CDV, CPV, canine coronavirus, rabies virus, Leptospira interrogans spp., Toxoplasma gondii, and Dirofilaria immitis, and may be at increased risk for disease due to these agents.

Maned Wolves of Noel Kempff Mercado National Park

“…A veterinarian performed a physical examination and collected blood, urine, and fecal samples for analysis of pathogen exposure, health metrics, and genetic analysis. Deem and Emmons (2005) . We estimated age from tooth wear, compared with that of a known-age individual on the same study area and the wear trajectories of other individuals followed for multiple years.…”

Severe Anemia Caused by Babesiosis in a Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)

“…Exposure to canine distemper virus, rabies virus, canine parvovirus, canine adenovirus, Dirofilaria immitis, Ehrlichia canis, Rickettsia rickettsii, Leptospira interrogans spp., and Toxoplasma gondii has been documented in South American domestic dogs and the wild populations of maned wolves living close to them. 2,6 Captive populations of maned wolves are at risk for acquisition of the same infectious diseases from other canid species within zoo collections and from domestic dogs that may live in proximity to zoologic institutions. Canine babesiosis caused by various species of the genus Babesia has been on the rise in North America within the past 2 decades 1 and should be considered a disease of potential concern in captive maned wolves.…”

Hematology and Blood Chemistry Parameters Differ in Free-Ranging Maned Wolves (Chrysocyon Brachyurus) Living in the Serra Da Canastra National Park Versus Adjacent Farmlands, Brazil

“…To date, similar studies have not been conducted for any Latin American carnivore. Although there is no direct evidence of disease in Brazilian freeranging maned wolf populations, a recent study in Bolivia has shown that wild individuals of this species have been exposed to common infectious diseases of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris; Deem and Emmons, 2005). The pathogens include canine distemper virus, canine parvovirus, rabies virus, canine coronavirus, canine adenovirus, Leptospira interrogans, Toxoplasma gondii, and Dirofilaria immitis.…”

“…To date, health-related data have been generated for wild maned wolves, including information on hematology, blood chemistry, and incidence of parasitic infestations (Dietz, 1984;Mattos, 2003;Deem and Emmons, 2005). No systematic study has been conducted to explore the influence of age, gender, and adjacency to human development/activities on hematology and blood chemistry normal values.…”