New Potential Role of European Mouflon (Ovis aries musimon) in the Epidemiology of Border Disease in the Pyrenees
View/Open
This document contains embargoed files until 2025-04-21
Author
Loring, Ángela
Carrera-Faja, Laura
Puig Ribas, Maria
Marco, Ignasi
Cabezón, Oscar
Espunyes, Johan
Publication date
2023-10-24ISSN
1943-3700
Abstract
Since 2001, high-mortality outbreaks of border disease (BD) have negatively affected populations of Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica pyrenaica). Studies in the affected areas determined that sympatric wild ruminants did not seem to have an epidemiologic role in the circulation of border disease virus (BDV). However, the recent increase in European mouflon (Ovis aries musimon) densities might enhance the risk of pathogen transmission among chamois and mouflons. We conducted a serologic and virologic investigation of BDV in European mouflon from the Spanish Pyrenees, with the aim of determining potential changes in the role of this species in BDV epidemiology. From 2018 to 2022, we detected antibodies against BDV in 31/185 (16.7%) animals but did not detect BDV RNA in any spleen sample (0/65). These results indicate that BDV infection is occurring in these mouflon populations to a greater extent than previously described, which could shift the current understanding of BD epidemiology in the Pyrenees and cause an unpredictable effect on both chamois and mouflon populations. Further studies on the molecular identification of BDV in mouflon and chamois are required to better understand the contribution of mouflon in the epidemiology of BD.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Accepted version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
619 - Veterinary science
Pages
14
Publisher
Wildlife Disease Association
Is part of
Journal of Wildlife Diseases
Citation
Loring, Ángela, Laura Carrera-Faja, M. Ribas, Rosa Rosell, Ignasi Marco, Óscar Cabezón, and Johan Espunyes. 2023. “New Potential Role of European Mouflon (Ovis Aries Musimon) in the Epidemiology of Border Disease in the Pyrenees.” Journal of Wildlife Diseases 59 (4): 786-790. doi:10.7589/jwd-d-22-00181.
Program
Sanitat Animal
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- ARTICLES CIENTÍFICS [2635]
Rights
Copyright© Wildlife Disease Association 2023