Exposure to Select Pathogens in an Expanding Moose ( Alces alces) Population in North Dakota, USA

• Published in: Journal of wildlife diseases Vol. 57; no. 3; pp. 648 - 651
• Main Authors: Bahnson, Charlie S., Grove, Daniel M., Maskey, James J., Smith, Jason R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wildlife Disease Association 01.07.2021
• Subjects: Alces alces; Anaplasma; Borrelia; Leptospira; moose; North Dakota; serology; SHORT COMMUNICATIONS; West Nile virus; Borrelia; West Nile virus; Alces alces; serology; Anaplasma; moose; North Dakota; Leptospira
• ISSN: 0090-3558; 1943-3700
• DOI: 10.7589/JWD-D-20-00150

Forty female moose (Alces alces) captured in North Dakota, US, in March 2014 were tested for antibodies to a variety of pathogens. Antibodies to West Nile virus (WNV) were detected in 39 (98%) moose following a year with a high number of human cases, suggesting the population accurately reflects WNV activity. Fifteen percent of moose (6/40) had antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, implying expansion of the tick vector into the area. Antibodies to Anaplasma spp. were detected in 55% of moose (22/40), a higher rate than previously detected in cattle from the region. Low titers (100–400) to one or more serovars of Leptospira spp. were detected in 23% of moose (9/40), a common finding in wild ruminants. Exposure to other pathogens was uncommon (<8%; <3/40) or not documented. Survival and recruitment were high during the study period, suggesting a limited population-level impact at current levels of exposure and environmental co-stressors.