THREATS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN DOGS AND MANED WOLVES (CHRYSOCYON BRACHYURUS) IN THE SOUTHEASTERN ARGENTINE CHACO

OROZCO MM, CEBALLOS LA, PINO M DE LA C, GURTLER RE

Iguazú, Argentina

Congreso; 59th Annual International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association; 2010

The maned wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus – a threatened specie - apparently extended its rangeto the southeastern of the Gran Chaco in Argentina during the 1990s. Rural domestic dogsmay pose additional threats to wildlife as reservoir hosts of multiple pathogens. A study onknowledge, attitudes and perception of the local human population in relation to maned wolfwas conducted simultaneously with a serosurvey of maned wolves and dogs in neighboringrural villages in southeastern Santiago del Estero during 2005. The main threats to theconservation of maned wolves reported by local villagers were illegal trade, hunting, roadkills, and dog attacks. Three maned wolves were sampled and they had antibodies to canineadenovirus, canine distemper virus, canine parvovirus and leptospirosis. Domestic dogs weretypically numerous, free-ranging and without veterinary supervision. Dogs had very highantibody prevalence for Neospora caninum and canine coronavirus (67%), canine adenovirus(59%), canine distemper (57%), Toxoplasma gondii (33%) and Leptospira interrogans (20%)and very low seroprevalence for parvovirus. Dirofilaria immitis antigens were also detected in dogs and maned wolves. Multiple logistic regression analysis clustered by village showed that dog antibody prevalence was significantly associated with age only in coronavirus andLeptospira sp., and with dog function only in Leptospira sp. The frequency distribution ofseroreactivity to specific pathogens per dog was highly aggregated. Given the highseroprevalence of infectious diseases in dogs and suitable conditions for disease spillover,rural domestic dogs pose a serious threat to the conservation of the maned wolf and otherlocal wild carnivores.