Browsing by Author "Pruvot, Mathieu"
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- ItemOpen AccessEco-epidemiology of production limiting diseases at the wildlife-livestock interface: beef cattle and elk in southwestern Alberta, Canada(2014-08-15) Pruvot, Mathieu; Orsel, Karin; Kutz, SusanThe circulation of pathogens at the wildlife-livestock interface have great consequences for conservation, livestock production and public health. In southwestern Alberta, interactions between cattle and elk (Cervus elaphus) can be opportunities for pathogen transmissions. In this study, we explored the inter-species transmission of livestock pathogens between cattle and elk. Diagnostic tests initially developed for cattle were evaluated and adapted for use in elk. The occurrence of five pathogens (Bovine Herpesvirus 1, Bovine Viral Diarrhoea virus, Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis- MAP, Neospora caninum and Fascioloides magna) in geographically overlapping cattle and elk herds was assessed in relation to the pathogen transmission route. Finally, the spatio-temporal patterns of interactions between cattle and elk were described: we first assessed factors influencing the use of cattle pasture by elk, and then defined and measured different types of interactions corresponding to different pathogen characteristics and transmission routes. Only pathogens with indirect transmission routes (MAP, N. caninum, and F. magna) were found in both elk and cattle. Pathogens that persist in the environment, or within intermediate or definitive hosts, may have more opportunities for indirect transmissions, as they do not rely on strict spatio-temporal proximity. This was also illustrated by the increase in interaction rates when the definitions of “interaction” were based on increasing length of pathogen persistence in the environment. Elk avoided cattle presence, except during winter months, possibly increasing direct contacts at this period. When direct contact is necessary for pathogen transmission, specific features of the ranch, such as cultivated hay land, mineral supplements, water sources may also play a critical role by attracting elk on pastures in closer proximity to cattle. This study highlighted the need for the evaluation and validation of diagnostic tools for wildlife species. It contributed to identify the combined effects of pathogen characteristics and inter-species interactions on the transmission of multi-host pathogens. Finally, it identified the benefit of integrating the diversity of pathogen characteristics and life cycles into descriptions of inter-species interaction patterns, and the need for detailed livestock management information to provide reliable assessments of these interactions.
- ItemOpen AccessHair Biomarkers to Support Barren-ground Caribou Health Monitoring and Management(2022-06-07) Rakic, Filip; Kutz, Susan; Pruvot, Mathieu; Whiteside, DouglasBarren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) are a keystone species of Canada, whose population health is a current and future management priority. Many of these historically numerous populations, including the Bluenose-East (BNE) and Dolphin and Union (DU) herds, have severely declined in the last two decades, thus there is an impetus to understand the health status of these populations. Considering the challenges associated with monitoring Arctic wildlife, hair is a practically advantageous sample type that is currently opportunistically collected. I evaluated two biomarkers derived from caribou hair (trace element and cortisol concentrations) in the context of opportunistic monitoring and review the literature to understand how to best orient Rangifer health research into management and conservation. First, I reviewed the most abundant health literature on caribou, the Rangifer infectious disease literature, and documented numerous barriers to health information dissemination and implementation. I then outlined practical solutions to facilitate solutions-oriented Rangifer health research. Second, I examined two biomarkers pertinent to caribou health, hair trace element and hair cortisol concentrations that provide seasonal measures of nutrition and contribute to allostatic load, respectively. I demonstrated that these biomarkers vary between anatomic sampling locations and provided recommendations for future hair collection protocols. Furthermore, I uncovered associations of these biomarkers with sex, season, year, and sampling source that have implications for future monitoring and biomarker interpretation. This work has advanced our understanding of two biomarkers derived from caribou hair, outlined future research avenues to improve the robustness of these monitoring tools, and demonstrated broadly how to better translate caribou health research into management and conservation frameworks.
- ItemOpen AccessLeveraging Community-based Samples to Assess Health and Reproduction of Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus)(2023-12-08) Hee, Olivia; Kutz, Susan; Pruvot, Mathieu; Adamczewski, JanThe muskox (Ovibos moschatus), is a keystone species that is important for ecosystem health, subsistence, and culture. Despite their importance, several populations in the Canadian Arctic have experienced declines. Collaborations with communities and harvesters give us a better understanding of the drivers of these declines, and simultaneously help alleviate some barriers to research in the Arctic. In my thesis, I aimed to refine the use of harvester-based samples to improve muskox health and reproduction monitoring. First, I investigated the use of segmental analyses of guard hairs in muskoxen. I specifically asked whether there was a generalizable guard hair growth rate that could be applied for temporal assessment of biomarkers. To do this, I investigated guard hair growth rates from captive muskoxen over time and across body locations. I found that growth rates were faster than a previously described rate, and that growth rates varied intra-annually and across body locations. These findings indicate that there is not a generalizable guard hair growth rate, and that hair growth patterns at an individual level need to be considered. Second, I evaluated two methods for pregnancy determination in muskoxen: pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAG) in filter paper samples and fecal progesterone metabolites (FPM). I first tested captive pregnant and non-pregnant muskoxen, and found that measuring PAG was highly accurate for diagnosing pregnancy during gestation. Quantifying FPM concentrations was less specific in early- and late-gestation, but was accurate in mid-winter. PAG levels followed a biphasic pattern during gestation, with a decrease in January, while FPM concentrations were low in early- and late-gestation, and high in winter. I applied these tests to samples collected from wild muskoxen by harvesters from Kugluktuk and Ekaluktutiak, Nunavut, and Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories. I observed similar patterns in PAG levels and FPM concentrations, and diagnostic utility, in the wild muskoxen. With practical and reliable tools, we create more robust wildlife health monitoring programs, which in turn supports ecosystem and community health. As the Arctic is experiencing unprecedented changes, wildlife health surveillance is more important than ever to respond effectively to threats to wildlife and human populations.
- ItemOpen AccessThe modification and evaluation of an ELISA test for the surveillance of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection in wild ruminants(BioMed Central, 2013-01-09) Pruvot, Mathieu; Forde, Taya L; Steele, Jillian; Kutz, Susan J; De Buck, Jeroen; van der Meer, Frank; Orsel, Karin
- ItemOpen AccessPathogens at the livestock-wildlife interface in Western Alberta: does transmission route matter?(BioMed Central, 2014-02-12) Pruvot, Mathieu; Kutz, Susan J; van der Meer, Frank; Musiani, Marco; Barkema, Herman W; Orsel, Karin
- ItemOpen AccessThe Behaviour of Reproductive Female Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus) in the Albertan Rocky Mountains(2023-05-02) Monteiro, Thiago A.; Barclay, Robert; Ruckstuhl, Kathreen; Musiani, Marco; Pruvot, MathieuWhile there has been substantial work conducted on bat maternity colonies, there is a lack of research on females inhabiting the Rocky Mountains. I collated data from multiple sources and investigated the effect elevation and latitude has on Little Brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) reproductive timing. I conducted research in the Canadian portion of the Rocky Mountains to investigate the effect that colder, wetter nights, and a shorter summer season has on reproduction. I hypothesized that reproductive females would reduce their energy expenditure and/or energy intake would increase, compared to individuals at lower elevations. I studied diet, movement, torpor, and reproductive timings of females in a large (n=700+) maternity colony located around the Kananaskis Lakes in Alberta. To accomplish this, I caught individuals and attached 29 temperature-sensitive radio transmitters to adult females from May to August 2021, noting their reproductive status. I collected fecal samples from individuals and communal roosts for morphological and genetic analysis of prey. I recorded tagged individuals’ presence and skin temperature, and recorded bat box temperatures. Day-roosts were located by following tagged females, and nightly emergence counts were conducted multiple times a week to record changes in colony size. Females used buildings, bat boxes and rock faces for roosts, consistently emerging before sunset and in inclement weather. The majority of females' day roosts were within a 5km range throughout the season, with similar frequencies of roost switching among the various reproductive groups. The estimated gestation time was between 59 and 82 days and longer than the 50-60 average for the species. While there was no significant difference between reproductive stages in the amount of torpor used per day, non-reproductive females spent as much as 99% of the day in torpor (n=11). PCR analysis of guano confirmed consumption of spiders, which has not been confirmed in Alberta previously. These data provide insights into the additional challenges reproductive female Little Brown bats face in the Rocky Mountains and confirm my predictions regarding an extended gestation period, and foraging behaviour. It also highlights the importance of buildings as alternate roosts in the mountains, and their potential in sustaining populations.