Exposure to infectious deseases in magellanic penguins from Patagonia: a summary for the last decade.

UHART, M.; MARULL, C.; KARESH, B; COOK, R.; QUINTANA, F.; FRERE, E.; GANDINI, P.; WILSON, R.P.

Hobart, Australia.

Congreso; VI International Pengüin Conference; 2007

Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus Magellanicus) are the most abundant seabird speciesalong the Patagonian shores in Argentina. However, current changes in the marine ecosystemthey depend on could affect their long-term survival. Commercial fisheries, tourism, oilexploration and drilling, mining, industrial and urban development are of growing concern.Establishing baseline health parameters allows us to predict the effects of environmentalchanges reflected on biological indicators. Penguins are good sentinels of marine environmentalhealth: they forage in specific areas and on specific prey, reflecting the condition of marineresources. Because of their colonial nature, they are particularly susceptible to catastrophicevents and disease epidemics. And their annual migration exposes them to a variety of threats inareas of difficult management and monitoring.In an effort to understand the effects of long-term environmental stressors on Patagoniashorebirds, we began monitoring Magellanic penguin health along the coastline in 1993.Serological evidence of infectious disease exposure to infectious laryngotracheitis, avianencephalomyelitis, avian influenza, avian reovirus, infectious bursal disease, infectiousbronchitis virus, paramyxovirus types1, 2, and 3, avian adenovirus, Salmonellosis, Chlamydiosisand Aspergillosis will be presented. Spatial and temporal variations in pathogen exposure will bediscussed in relation to their implications for Magellanic penguin conservation.