Canine distemper virus (CDV) and rabies virus (RABV) occur worldwide in wild carnivore and domestic dog populations and pose threats to wildlife conservation and public health. In Etosha National Park (ENP), Namibia, anthrax is endemic and generates carcasses frequently fed on by an unusually dense population of black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas). Using serology, phylogenetic analyses (on samples obtained from February 2009–July 2010), and historical mortality records (1975–2011), we assessed jackal exposure to Bacillus anthracis (BA; the causal bacterial agent of anthrax), CDV, and RABV. Prevalence of antibodies against BA (95%, n=86) and CDV (71%, n=80) was relatively high, while that of antibodies against RABV was low (9%, n=81). Exposure to BA increased significantly with age, and all animals >6 mo old were antibody-positive. As with BA, prevalence of antibodies against CDV increased significantly with age, with similar age-specific trends during both years of the study. No significant effect of age was found on the prevalence of antibodies against RABV. Three of the seven animals with antibodies against RABV were monitored for more than 1 yr after sampling and showed no signs of active infection. Mortality records revealed that rabid animals are destroyed nearly every year inside the ENP tourist camps. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that jackal RABV in ENP is part of the same transmission cycle as other dog-jackal RABV cycles in Namibia.
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Research Article|
April 01 2012
BLACK-BACKED JACKAL EXPOSURE TO RABIES VIRUS, CANINE DISTEMPER VIRUS, AND BACILLUS ANTHRACIS IN ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK, NAMIBIA
Steve E. Bellan
;
Steve E. Bellan
7
1 Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, 137 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, California 94720-3114, USA
7 Corresponding author (email: steve.bellan@gmail.com)
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Carrie A. Cizauskas
;
Carrie A. Cizauskas
1 Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, 137 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, California 94720-3114, USA
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Jacobeth Miyen
;
Jacobeth Miyen
2 Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Virology Department, Rabies Unit, Old Soutpan Road, P Bag X05, Onderstepoort 0110, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa
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Karen Ebersohn
;
Karen Ebersohn
3 Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, P Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa
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Martina Küsters
;
Martina Küsters
4 Berkeley Etosha Anthrax Research Project, PO Box 3720 Vineta, Swakopmund, Namibia
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K. C. Prager
;
K. C. Prager
5 Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California, Los Angeles, 610 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, California 90095-7239, USA
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Moritz Van Vuuren
;
Moritz Van Vuuren
3 Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, P Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa
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Claude Sabeta
;
Claude Sabeta
2 Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Virology Department, Rabies Unit, Old Soutpan Road, P Bag X05, Onderstepoort 0110, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa
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Wayne M. Getz
Wayne M. Getz
1 Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, 137 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, California 94720-3114, USA
6 School of Mathematical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa
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J Wildl Dis (2012) 48 (2): 371–381.
Article history
Received:
May 19 2011
Accepted:
November 01 2011
Citation
Steve E. Bellan, Carrie A. Cizauskas, Jacobeth Miyen, Karen Ebersohn, Martina Küsters, K. C. Prager, Moritz Van Vuuren, Claude Sabeta, Wayne M. Getz; BLACK-BACKED JACKAL EXPOSURE TO RABIES VIRUS, CANINE DISTEMPER VIRUS, AND BACILLUS ANTHRACIS IN ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK, NAMIBIA. J Wildl Dis 1 April 2012; 48 (2): 371–381. doi: https://doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-48.2.371
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