Heightened Resolution in Wildlife Health Monitoring and Outbreak Investigations through the Use of Molecular and Genomic Tools

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atmire.migration.oldid3491
dc.contributor.advisorOrsel, Karin
dc.contributor.authorForde, Taya Linden
dc.date.accessioned2015-09-02T14:10:14Z
dc.date.embargolift2017-02-01T14:10:14Z
dc.date.issued2015-09-02
dc.date.submitted2015en
dc.description.abstractWildlife health monitoring and outbreak investigations are essential for understanding effects of disease on population dynamics. Furthermore, they are important for determining the distribution and diversity of pathogens that could influence conservation efforts or livestock or human health, and they provide baseline information for evaluating the impacts of anthropogenic changes on ecosystem health. Molecular and genomic tools can greatly enhance detection and genetic characterization of pathogens in wildlife populations. This thesis comprises three parts that explore the use of molecular tools of varying complexity for addressing particular monitoring objectives, using bacterial pathogens of wild ungulates as examples. In Part 1, polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the herd-level infection status of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) in Canadian wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) in the absence of successful bacterial culture, thereby providing important data for translocation decisions. In Part 2, pathogen transmission at the wildlife-livestock interface was examined using genotyping. The detection of multiple MAP genotypes in a Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) population in an area of southwestern Alberta where beef cattle are grazed was an impetus to investigate whether strain sharing of MAP was occurring between these sympatric species. Finally, in Part 3, whole-genome sequencing was used to examine the diversity of the poorly characterized multi-host pathogen Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. Initially prompted by an investigation into large-scale muskox (Ovibos moschatus wardi) mortalities in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago associated with E. rhusiopathiae, the population structure and genomic variability of this bacterium were determined, while accounting for homologous recombination. This provided a framework within which to investigate the diversity of E. rhusiopathiae in muskoxen, caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) and moose (Alces alces), yielding important insights for delineating outbreaks and inferring transmission. In conclusion, this thesis clearly demonstrated the value of integrating molecular and genomic tools into wildlife health monitoring, including heightened pathogen detection, understanding multi-host diseases, and determining microbial diversity for interpreting outbreaks. Ultimately, as part of a multidisciplinary approach to studying wildlife health, these tools will greatly enhance our understanding of microbial diversity and epidemiology, and provide critical new knowledge to promote evidence-based wildlife conservation and management.en_US
dc.description.embargoterms12 monthsen_US
dc.identifier.citationForde, T. L. (2015). Heightened Resolution in Wildlife Health Monitoring and Outbreak Investigations through the Use of Molecular and Genomic Tools (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26349en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/26349
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11023/2420
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.facultyVeterinary Medicine
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectBiology--Molecular
dc.subjectVeterinary Science
dc.subject.classificationwildlifeen_US
dc.subject.classificationHealthen_US
dc.subject.classificationMonitoringen_US
dc.subject.classificationungulateen_US
dc.subject.classificationMycobacteriumen_US
dc.subject.classificationErysipelothrixen_US
dc.subject.classificationGenomicsen_US
dc.subject.classificationMolecularen_US
dc.titleHeightened Resolution in Wildlife Health Monitoring and Outbreak Investigations through the Use of Molecular and Genomic Tools
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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