Wildlife Interactions on Baited Places and Waterholes in a French Area Infected by Bovine Tuberculosis

Abstract

Interactions among wildlife species are major drivers for the transmission of multi-host pathogens, such as Mycobacterium bovis, which also affect livestock. Although France is officially free from bovine tuberculosis (bTB), some areas are still harboring infection in cattle and wildlife. We aimed at characterizing the visits of susceptible wild species (badger, red deer, and wild boar) at baited places and waterholes, considered as possible hotspots for contacts. We described the visits in terms of frequency, duration, and number of individuals and studied the influence of the season. Then, we estimated the frequency of intraspecies and interspecies interactions occurring at baited places and waterholes which may lead to bTB transmission, including direct and indirect contacts through the soil or water. We used camera traps placed on baited places and waterholes on 13 locations monitored during 21 months. The number of visits, their duration, and the number of individuals per visit were analyzed by generalized linear mixed models for each targeted species. The frequency of the interspecies and intraspecies interactions was also analyzed separately. The season, the type of site (baited place or waterhole), and the location were the explanatory variables. Badgers’ visits and interactions were more frequent than for other species (mean: 0.60 visit/day and 5.42 interactions/day) especially on baited places. Red deer only visited waterholes. Wild boars visited most often baited places in spring–summer and waterholes in autumn–winter. They came in higher number than other species, especially on baited places. Direct interactions were uncommon. The most frequent interspecies interactions occurred between red deer and wild boar (mean: 4.02 interactions/day). Baited places and waterholes are important interfaces between the different wild species involved in the bTB multi-host system in this area. They can thus promote intraspecies and interspecies bTB transmission. Baiting ban should be carried on and management of waterholes should be considered as tool to limit the spread of bTB in wildlife.

Mycobacterium bovis Infection in Red Foxes in Four Animal Tuberculosis Endemic Areas in France

“…The interface between cattle and foxes is most probably indirect as foxes are less often seen in direct contact with cattle than for instance with badgers [ 5 , 28 ]. Interspecific contacts can also occur between foxes and wild ungulates, especially on baited places and waterholes [ 29 ], and between foxes and badgers. Given that GPS location of badgers, wild boar or deer was not available, spatial location between them, and foxes was not possible in our study.…”

Risk factors associated to a high Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex seroprevalence in wild boar (Sus scrofa) from a low bovine tuberculosis prevalence area

“…This could be due to the fact that interspecies interactions are not the only factor involved in the circulation and/or transmission of the bacterium. Actually, intraspecies interactions are often more common [46,47], but this is influenced by each epidemiological scenario. In our study area, most of the seropositive animals were detected in Gipuzkoa, a province where wild boars showed also the highest antibody titres.…”

Wild Boar: A Reservoir of Foodborne Zoonoses

“…Maintaining low wild boar population density and restricting the use of supplementary feeding are efficient management tools for controlling the spread of pathogens in the wild boar population and decreasing the transmission risk (Boadella, 2015, Cano-Manuel et al, 2014, Madeira et al, 2017, Risco et al, 2014. These control strategies are especially important for controlling tuberculosis in countries where livestock are considered officially free of the tuberculosis in livestock (Payne et al, 2017).…”