SEROLOGICAL SURVEY FOR SELECT INFECTIOUS AGENTS IN WILD MAGELLANIC PENGUINS (SPHENISCUS MAGELLANICUS)

UHART, MARCELA; VANSTREELS, RALPH ERIC THIJL; GALLO, LUCIANA; COOK, ROBERT A.; KARESH, WILLIAM B.

JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES

WILDLIFE DISEASE ASSOC, INC

Lugar: Journal of Wildlife Diseases; Año: 2019 vol. 56

0090-3558

Despite being the most numerous penguin species in South America, pathogen exposure in the Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) has not yet been assessed comprehensively. In this study, sera collected from 1,058 Magellanic Penguins at ten breeding colonies along the entire latitudinal range of this species in Argentina during ten breeding seasons spanning two decades (1994?2008) were explored for antibodies to select infectious agents. Antibodies reacting against 16 pathogens were detected (values within brackets represent the 95% confidence interval of the seroprevalence): Aspergillus sp. (11.9 ? 18.9%), Chlamydia psittaci (4.9 ? 8.7%), Salmonella Pullorum (1.8 ? 5.2%), Salmonella Typhimurium (72.1 ? 88.0%), Aviadenovirus sp. (13.6 ? 23.8%), Duck Atadenovirus A (17.0 ? 31.8%), Anatid herpesvirus 1 (0.2 ? 2.5%), Avian orthoreovirus (1.8 ? 6.2%), Avian coronavirus M41 (38.7 ? 48.5%), Avian coronavirus C46 (54.9 ? 64.5%), Avian coronavirus A99 (32.8 ? 42.3%), Avian coronavirus JMK (35.5 ? 45.1%), Tremovirus A (0.1 ? 1.4%), Avian avulavirus 1 (40.2 ? 47.8%), Avian avulavirus 2 (40.0 ? 47.7%) and Avian avulavirus 3 (42.5 ? 50.6%). No antibodies were detected against nine infectious agents: Gallid alphaherpesvirus 1, Gallid alphaherpesvirus 2, Infectious bursal disease virus, Avastrovirus 2, West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, Western equine encephalitis virus and Influenza A virus. While restricted by limitations inherent to serological methods, our results provide baseline knowledge for a key species in the South Atlantic Ocean. This information is essential for adaptive conservation management in a time of increasing environmental stressors over the Patagonian Sea, one of the world?s richest pelagic seabird communities.