Disease hazard identification and assessment associated with wildlife population declines

Disease is increasingly being recognised as a risk factor in declining wildlife populations around the globe. However, there are limited protocols to assess disease risks in declining wildlife. Using epidemiological principles, we define a step‐by‐step framework to complete this complex and critical...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecological management & restoration 2015-05, Vol.16 (2), p.142-152
Main Authors: Pacioni, Carlo, Eden, Paul, Reiss, Andrea, Ellis, Trevor, Knowles, Graeme, Wayne, Adrian F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal diseases
Animal populations
Bettongia
Bettongia penicillata
disease risk assessment
Encephalomyocarditis virus
gastrointestinal system
hazard identification
helminths
Macropodid herpesvirus 1
Neospora caninum
pathogens
population dynamics
predation
risk factors
Salmonella
sociodemographic characteristics
Toxoplasma gondii
toxoplasmosis
Wallal virus
Warrego virus
wildlife
Wildlife conservation
wildlife disease
wildlife diseases
Wildlife management
wildlife population declines
woylie
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Disease is increasingly being recognised as a risk factor in declining wildlife populations around the globe. However, there are limited protocols to assess disease risks in declining wildlife. Using epidemiological principles, we define a step‐by‐step framework to complete this complex and critical task. As an example, we assessed the potential role of diseases in relation to the decline of the woylie or brush‐tailed bettong (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi) in Western Australia. Between 1999 and 2006, woylie populations declined by 90%. The wildlife disease risk assessment began with a list of all known or suspected diseases to which the woylie, a species of macropod, is susceptible. This list was assessed against the spatial, temporal and demographic characteristics of the decline. Diseases causing widespread and high mortalities or debilitation leading to predation received high scores. Based on this assessment, priority diseases or pathogens for investigation identified were haemoparasites, gastrointestinal helminths, Neospora caninum, Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii), Encephalomyocarditis virus, Macropod Orbiviruses (Wallal virus and Warrego virus), Macropod Herpesviruses (Macropodid herpesvirus 1 and 2) and Salmonella spp.
ISSN:1442-7001
1839-3330
1442-8903
DOI:10.1111/emr.12155