Disease threats to the endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus)

Abstract

The Iberian lynx, (Lynx pardinus), is the most endangered felid in the world. To determine whether sympatric carnivores are reservoirs of pathogens posing a disease risk for the lynx, evidence of exposure to 17 viral, bacterial and protozoan agents was investigated in 176 carnivores comprising 26 free-living lynx, 53 domestic cats, 28 dogs, 33 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), 24 Egyptian mongooses (Herpestes ichneumon), 10 common genets (Genetta genetta) and 2 Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) in the areas inhabited by the last two populations of Iberian lynx, both in Andalusia (South-Western Spain). The results indicated that the lynx had low rates of contact with viral pathogens, with one seropositive finding each for feline leukemia virus, parvovirus and canine adenovirus-1, whereas contact with bacteria and protozoa appeared more frequent. Active infections with parvovirus, Ehrlichia spp., Mycobacterium bovis, Leptospira interrogans and Cytauxzoon spp. were confirmed. In contrast, 53% of the domestic cats were exposed to some infectious agent (prevalence range 4.5-11.4%). Antibodies to canine distemper virus and parvovirus were frequently found in dogs (32% and 42%, respectively) and foxes (30% and 12%). Past or present infections with parvovirus, Ehrlichia spp., Chlamydophila spp., M. bovis, Salmonella enterica, L. interrogans, Toxoplasma gondii, and Neospora caninum were also detected in these and other species surveyed. Questionnaires to owners revealed that 14% of the dogs but none of the cats had been vaccinated, and no cat had been neutered. Based on the apparent absence of acquired immunity of the lynx against infectious agents, the frequent detection of agents among sympatric carnivores, and the reported lack of immunocompetence of the Iberian lynx, a disease outbreak among the local abundant carnivores may pose a serious disease risk for lynx conservation.

Fig. 1

Map of the study areas where Iberian lynx and other sympatric carnivores were studied for exposure against infectious and protozoan pathogens. Approximate lynx distributions areas are adapted from Guzmán et al. (2004). Locations of samples with exact known origin are shown with symbols representing the different species surveyed. Sample size is given into the symbols.

Fig. 2

Results of the survey for pathogens in Iberian lynx (Lp), domestic cat (Fc), dog (Cf), red fox (Vv), Egyptian mongoose (Hi), common genet (Gg) and Eurasian badger (Mm) in lynx areas. Black columns: evidences of contact with the agent; white columns: detection of active infections. Sample size is shown in the top of the column (absence of data means that no animal was analysed). See Table 2 and text for further details.