Toxoplasma gondii antibody prevalence and two new genotypes of the parasite in endangered Hawaiian Geese (nene: Branta sandvicensis )

Thierry M. Work; Shiv K. Verma; Chunlei Su; John Medeiros; Thomas Kaiakapu; Oliver C. Kwok; Jitender P. Dubey

doi:10.7589/2015-09-235

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Toxoplasma gondii antibody prevalence and two new genotypes of the parasite in endangered Hawaiian Geese (nene: Branta sandvicensis )

Thierry M. Work·Shiv K. Verma·Chunlei Su·John Medeiros·Thomas Kaiakapu·Oliver C. Kwok·Jitender P. Dubey

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Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite transmitted by domestic cats ( Felis catus ) that has historically caused mortality in native Hawaiian birds. To estimate how widespread exposure to the parasite is in nene (Hawaiian Geese, Branta sandvicensis ), we did a serologic survey for T. gondii antibody and genetically characterized parasite DNA from the tissues of dead birds that had confirmed infections by immunohistochemistry. Of 94 geese sampled, prevalence on the island of Kauai, Maui, and Molokai was 21% ( n =42), 23% ( n =31), and 48% ( n =21), respectively. Two new T. gondii genotypes were identified by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism from four geese, and these appeared segregated geographically. Exposure to T. gondii in wild nene is widespread and, while the parasite is not a major cause of death, it could have sublethal or behavioral effects. How to translate such information to implement effective ways to manage feral cats in Hawaii poses challenges.

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Journal of Wildlife Diseases Article

Source-reported bounding extent: 20.56079574020845° to 22.243344409235707° latitude; -159.80712890625° to -155.9564208984375° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Thierry M. Work, Shiv K. Verma, Chunlei Su, John Medeiros, Thomas Kaiakapu, Oliver C. Kwok, Jitender P. Dubey. 2016. Toxoplasma gondii antibody prevalence and two new genotypes of the parasite in endangered Hawaiian Geese (nene: Branta sandvicensis ). https://doi.org/10.7589/2015-09-235

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