Utilizing hunter harvest effort to survey for wildlife disease: a case study of West Nile virus in greater sage-grouse
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Abstract
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) are highly susceptible to infection with West Nile virus (WNV), with substantial mortality reported in wild populations and in experimentally infected birds. Although sage-grouse are hunted throughout much of their range, they have also recently been considered for protection under the Endangered Species Act. We used blood samples collected on filter-paper strips during the 2006–2010 Oregon, USA, annual sage-grouse hunt to survey for specific WNV-neutralizing antibodies that indicate a previous infection with WNV. During this period, hunters submitted 1,880 blood samples from sage-grouse they harvested. Samples obtained were proportional for all 12 Oregon sage-grouse hunting units. Laboratory testing of 1,839 samples by the WNV epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA) followed by plaque reduction neutralization test on bELISA-positive samples yielded 19 (1%) and 1 (0.05%) positive samples, respectively. These data provided early baseline information for future comparisons regarding the prevalence of WNV-specific neutralizing antibodies in sage-grouse in Oregon. This methodology may provide other states where sage-grouse (or other species) populations are hunted and where WNV constitutes a species conservation concern with a viable option to track the relative prevalence of the virus in populations.
Study Area
Publication type | Article |
---|---|
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Title | Utilizing hunter harvest effort to survey for wildlife disease: a case study of West Nile virus in greater sage-grouse |
Series title | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
DOI | 10.1002/wsb.472 |
Volume | 38 |
Issue | 4 |
Year Published | 2014 |
Language | English |
Publisher | Wiley |
Contributing office(s) | National Wildlife Health Center, Contaminant Biology Program |
Description | 7 p. |
First page | 721 |
Last page | 727 |
Time Range Start | 2006-01-01 |
Time Range End | 2010-12-31 |
Country | United States |
State | Oregon |
County | Baker, Crook ,Deschutes, Lake, Harney, Malheur |
Online Only (Y/N) | N |
Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |