Exposure of yellow-legged gulls to Toxoplasma gondii along the Western Mediterranean coasts: Tales from a sentinel
Por:
Gamble, A, Ramos, R, Parra-Torres, Y, Mercier, A, Galal, L, Pearce-Duvet, J, Villena, I, Montalvo, T, Gonzalez-Solis, J, Hammouda, A, Oro, D, Selmi, S, Boulinier, T
Publicada:
1 abr 2019
Resumen:
Efficiently tracking and anticipating the dynamics of infectious agents in wild populations requires the gathering of large numbers of samples, if possible at several locations and points in time, which can be a challenge for some species. Testing for the presence of specific maternal antibodies in egg yolks sampled on the colonies could represent an efficient way to quantify the exposure of breeding females to infectious agents, particularly when using an abundant and widespread species, such as the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis). We used such an approach to explore spatio-temporal patterns of exposure to Toxoplasma gondii, a pathogenic protozoan responsible of toxoplasmosis in humans and other warm-blooded vertebrates. First, we tested the validity of this approach by exploring the repeatability of the detection of specific antibodies at the egg level using two different immunoassays and at the clutch level using an occupancy model. Then, samples gathered in 15 colonies from France, Spain and Tunisia were analysed using an immunoassay detecting antibodies specifically directed against T. gondii. Prevalence of specific antibodies in eggs was overall high while varying significantly among colonies. These results revealed that T. gondii circulated at a large spatial scale in the western Mediterranean yellow-legged gull population, highlighting its potential role in the maintenance community of this parasite. Additionally, this study illustrates how species commensal to human populations like large gulls can be used as wildlife sentinels for the tracking of infectious agents at the human-wildlife interface, notably by sampling eggs.
Filiaciones:
Gamble, A:
Univ Montpellier, Univ Paul Valery Montpellier 3, EPHE, CNRS,IRD,CEFE, Montpellier, France
Ramos, R:
Univ Barcelona, Fac Biol, Dept Evolutionary Biol Ecol & Environm Sci, Barcelona, Spain
Parra-Torres, Y:
Univ Barcelona, Fac Biol, Dept Evolutionary Biol Ecol & Environm Sci, Barcelona, Spain
Mercier, A:
Univ Limoges, Fac Med, Lab Parasitol Mycol, Neuroepidemiol Trop,INSERM,UMR S 1094, F-87025 Limoges, France
CHU Limoges, Toxoplasma Biol Resource Ctr, Ctr Natl Reference Toxoplasmose, F-87042 Limoges, France
Galal, L:
Univ Limoges, Fac Med, Lab Parasitol Mycol, Neuroepidemiol Trop,INSERM,UMR S 1094, F-87025 Limoges, France
Pearce-Duvet, J:
Univ Montpellier, Univ Paul Valery Montpellier 3, EPHE, CNRS,IRD,CEFE, Montpellier, France
Villena, I:
Univ Reims, Lab Parasitol Mycol, EA 3800, UFR Med,SFR CAP SANTE, Reims, France
CHU Reims, Lab Parasitol Mycol, Ctr Natl Reference Toxoplasmose, Hop Maison Blanche, Reims, France
Montalvo, T:
Agencia Salut Publ Barcelona, Serv Vigilancia & Control Plagues Urbanes, Barcelona, Spain
CIBERESP, Madrid, Spain
Gonzalez-Solis, J:
Univ Barcelona, Fac Biol, Dept Evolutionary Biol Ecol & Environm Sci, Barcelona, Spain
Hammouda, A:
Univ Gabes, Fac Sci Gabes, UR Ecol Faune Terrestre UR17ES44, Gabes, Tunisia
Oro, D:
CSIC UIB, IMEDEA, Esporles, Spain
CSIC, CEAB, Blanes, Spain
Selmi, S:
Univ Gabes, Fac Sci Gabes, UR Ecol Faune Terrestre UR17ES44, Gabes, Tunisia
Boulinier, T:
Univ Montpellier, Univ Paul Valery Montpellier 3, EPHE, CNRS,IRD,CEFE, Montpellier, France
Green Published, gold, Green Submitted
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