Novel insights into serodiagnosis and epidemiology of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, a newly recognized pathogen in muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus)

Abstract

Background Muskoxen are a key species of Arctic ecosystems and are important for food security and socioeconomic well-being of many Indigenous communities in the Arctic and Subarctic. Between 2009 and 2014, the bacterium Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae was isolated for the first time in this species in association with multiple mortality events in Canada and Alaska, raising questions regarding the spatiotemporal occurrence of the pathogen and its potential impact on muskox populations. Materials and methods We adapted a commercial porcine E. rhusiopathiae enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to test 958 blood samples that were collected from muskoxen from seven regions in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic between 1976 and 2017. The cutoff between negative and positive results was established using mixture-distribution analysis, a data-driven approach. Based on 818 samples for which a serological status could be determined and with complete information, we calculated trends in sample seroprevalences in population time-series and compared them with population trends in the investigated regions. Results Overall, 219/818 (27.8%, 95% Confidence Interval: 24.7-31.0) samples were classified as positive for exposure to E. rhusiopathiae. There were large variations between years and

Implications of Zoonoses From Hunting and Use of Wildlife in North American Arctic and Boreal Biomes: Pandemic Potential, Monitoring, and Mitigation

“…Leptospirosis has not yet been recorded in humans in the Arctic, but serosurveys of Alaskan wildlife found antibodies to Leptospira serovars in caribou ( Rangifer tarandus ), moose ( Alces alc es), and bears (Ursidae) ( 186 ). The cumulative impacts of environmental and climatic changes may be increasing the susceptibility to the bacteria Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in certain wild animal host populations, including multiple unusual mortality events of muskoxen in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and Alaska, and of moose and caribou in British Columbia ( 120 – 122 ). In addition to the health risk for people who interact with these animals or their environments, there is potential for reduced food security for northern communities, through the direct loss of animals from E. rhusiopathiae ( 56 , 120 , 123 ).…”

Zoonotic pathogens in wild muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) and domestic sheep (Ovis aries) from Greenland

“…Samples were screened for antibodies against Erysipelothrix according to Mavrot et al. ( 2020 ). We used a conservative cut‐off value with only samples above the upper limit of the cut‐off confidence intervals (CI) considered positive.…”

“…and Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in muskoxen ( Ovibos moschatus ) and sheep ( Ovis aries ) in Greenland, while a few serological surveys for T. gondii have been performed (Bille, 1974 ; Clausen & Hjort, 1986 ). However, exposure to or shedding of these pathogens have been reported in muskoxen and sheep elsewhere within the Arctic and Subarctic range (Jenkins et al., 2013 ; Kutz et al., 2000 , 2008 , 2012 ; Mavrot et al., 2020 ; Olsen et al., 2019 ; Robertson et al., 2010 ).…”

“…Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae can cause localised cutaneous infections and systemic infections in humans (Wang et al., 2010 ). Furthermore, E. rhusiopathiae has been associated with widespread mortality events in Arctic ungulates (Forde et al., 2016 ; Kutz et al., 2015 ; Mavrot et al., 2020 ) and its presence in Arctic wildlife has recently been recognised as a potential public health concern (Groeschel et al., 2019 ).…”

Data_Sheet_1.PDF

“…Leptospirosis has not yet been recorded in humans in the Arctic, but serosurveys of Alaskan wildlife found antibodies to Leptospira serovars in caribou (Rangifer tarandus), moose (Alces alces), and bears (Ursidae) (186). The cumulative impacts of environmental and climatic changes may be increasing the susceptibility to the bacteria Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in certain wild animal host populations, including multiple unusual mortality events of muskoxen in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and Alaska, and of moose and caribou in British Columbia (120)(121)(122). In addition to the health risk for people who interact with these animals or their environments, there is potential for reduced food security for northern communities, through the direct loss of animals from E. rhusiopathiae (56, 120, 123).…”