Impact of Annual Bacterial Epizootics on Albatross Population on a Remote Island

Type Article
Date 2020-06
Language English
Author(s) Jaeger Audrey1, 2, Gamble Amandine3, 4, Lagadec Erwan1, 5, Lebarbenchon Camille1, Bourret Vincent3, Tornos Jérémy3, 6, Barbraud Christophe7, Lemberger Karin8, Delord Karine7, Weimerskirch Henri7, Thiebot Jean-Baptiste5, 7, Boulinier Thierry3, Tortosa PabloORCID1
Affiliation(s) 1 : UMR PIMIT (Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical), CNRS 9192, INSERM 1187, IRD 249, Plateforme Technologique CYROI, Université de La Réunion, Sainte-Clotilde, La Réunion, France
2 : UMR ENTROPIE (Écologie marine tropicale des océans Pacifique et Indien) CNRS, IRD 250, Université de La Réunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin, CS 92003, 97744, Saint Denis Cedex 9, La Réunion, France
3 : Centre d’Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive (CEFE), CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
4 : Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
5 : Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Françaises, Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises, rue Gabriel Dejean, Saint Pierre, La Réunion, France
6 : Ceva Biovac Campus, Beaucouzé, France
7 : Centre d’Études Biologiques de Chizé, UMR CNRS 7372, Université La Rochelle, Villiers en Bois, France
8 : Vet Diagnostics, 14, Avenue Rockefeller, 69008, Lyon, France
Source Ecohealth (1612-9202) (Springer Science and Business Media LLC), 2020-06 , Vol. 17 , N. 2 , P. 194-202
DOI 10.1007/s10393-020-01487-8
WOS© Times Cited 7
Keyword(s) Bacteria, Disease ecology, Eco-epidemiology, Molecular biology, Seabird, Wildlife
Abstract

The reduced species richness typical of oceanic islands provides an interesting environmental setup to examine in natura the epidemiological dynamics of infectious agents with potential implications for public health and/or conservation. On Amsterdam Island (Indian Ocean), recurrent die-offs of Indian yellow-nosed albatross (Thalassarche carteri) nestlings have been attributed to avian cholera, caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida. In order to help implementing efficient measures for the control of this disease, it is critical to better understand the local epidemiology of P. multocida and to examine its inter- and intra-annual infection dynamics. We evaluated the infection status of 264 yellow-nosed albatrosses over four successive breeding seasons using a real-time PCR targeting P. multocida DNA from cloacal swabs. Infection prevalence patterns revealed an intense circulation of P. multocida throughout the survey, with a steady but variable increase in infection prevalence within each breeding season. These epizootics were associated with massive nestling dies-offs, inducing very low fledging successes (≤ 20%). These results suggest important variations in the transmission dynamics of this pathogen. These findings and the developed PCR protocol have direct applications to guide future research and refine conservation plans aiming at controlling the disease.

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Jaeger Audrey, Gamble Amandine, Lagadec Erwan, Lebarbenchon Camille, Bourret Vincent, Tornos Jérémy, Barbraud Christophe, Lemberger Karin, Delord Karine, Weimerskirch Henri, Thiebot Jean-Baptiste, Boulinier Thierry, Tortosa Pablo (2020). Impact of Annual Bacterial Epizootics on Albatross Population on a Remote Island. Ecohealth, 17(2), 194-202. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-020-01487-8 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00822/93420/