Three pathogens in sympatric populations of pumas, bobcats, and domestic cats: implications for infectious disease transmission
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Title
Three pathogens in sympatric populations of pumas, bobcats, and domestic cats: implications for infectious disease transmission
Description
Anthropogenic landscape change can lead to increased opportunities for pathogen transmission between domestic and non-domestic animals. Pumas, bobcats, and domestic cats are sympatric in many areas of North America and share many of the same pathogens, some of which are zoonotic. We analyzed bobcat, puma, and feral domestic cat samples collected from targeted geographic areas. We examined exposure to three pathogens that are taxonomically diverse (bacterial, protozoal, viral), that incorporate multiple transmission strategies (vector-borne, environmental exposure/ingestion, and direct contact), and that vary in species-specificity. Bartonella spp., Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), and Toxoplasma gondii IgG were detected in all three species with mean respective prevalence as follows: puma 16%, 41% and 75%; bobcat 31%, 22% and 43%; domestic cat 45%, 10% and 1%. Bartonella spp. were highly prevalent among domestic cats in Southern California compared to other cohort groups. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus exposure was primarily associated with species and age, and was not influenced by geographic location. Pumas were more likely to be infected with FIV than bobcats, with domestic cats having the lowest infection rate. Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence was high in both pumas and bobcats across all sites; in contrast, few domestic cats were seropositive, despite the fact that feral, free ranging domestic cats were targeted in this study. Interestingly, a directly transmitted species-specific disease (FIV) was not associated with geographic location, while exposure to indirectly transmitted diseases – vector-borne for Bartonella spp. and ingestion of oocysts via infected prey or environmental exposure for T. gondii – varied significantly by site. Pathogens transmitted by direct contact may be more dependent upon individual behaviors and intra-specific encounters. Future studies will integrate host density, as well as landscape features, to better understand the mechanisms driving disease exposure and to predict zones of cross-species pathogen transmission among wild and domestic felids.
Bibliographic Citation
Bevins, S. N., S. Carver, E. E. Boydston, L. M. Lyren, M. Alldredge, K. A. Logan, S. P. D. Riley, R. N. Fisher, T. W. Vickers, W. Boyce, M. Salman, M. R. Lappin, K. R. Crooks, and S. VandeWoude. 2012. Three Pathogens in Sympatric Populations of Pumas, Bobcats, and Domestic Cats: Implications for Infectious Disease Transmission. PLoS One 7(2):e31403. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0031403
Creator
Bevins, Sarah N.
Carver, Scott
Boydston, Erin E.
Lyren, Lisa M.
Logan, Kenneth A.
Riley, Seth P. D.
Fisher, Robert N.
Vickers, T. Winston
Boyce, Walter
Salman, Mo
Lappin, Michael R.
Crooks, Kevin R.
VandeWoude, Sue
Alldredge, Mathew W.
Subject
Vector-pathogen relationships
Puma
Bobcat
Cats, domestic
Infectious diseases
Extent
10 pages
Date Created
2012-02-08
Type
Article
Format
application/pdf
Language
English
Is Part Of
PLoS One
Collection
Citation
Bevins, Sarah N. et al., “Three pathogens in sympatric populations of pumas, bobcats, and domestic cats: implications for infectious disease transmission,” CPW Digital Collections, accessed April 20, 2024, https://cpw.cvlcollections.org/items/show/77.