Fig 6 - uploaded by Anne Loison
Content may be subject to copyright.
Breeding rates for the first 4 years of life of females for 10 chamois populations. Populations are ranked according to increasing 3-year-old breeding rate. All data, except those from our study (Bauges population, no9) are from Bauer (1i 985). 1: Hochswab, Switzerland; 2: Augsmatthorn, Switzerland; 3: Harper/ Avoca, New Zealand; 4: Arawata, New Zealand; 5: Appenzell, Switzerland; 6: Rangitatal Copland, New Zealand; 7: Swiss Jura, Switzerland; 8: Blackforest, Germany; 9: Bauges, France; 10: Wanaka, New Zealand
Source publication
Data on short- and long-term consequences of epizootics on population dynamics are needed to understand limiting processes in populations and to establish management rules for hunted species. We studied a chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) population in the French Alps that was affected by an epizootic of keratoconjunctivitis in 1977. This epizootic and...
Citations
... Sheep and goats may show different clinical findings in relation to the disease. While mucopurulent conjunctivitis, follicular conjunctivitis, iritis with hypopyon and corneal ulceration, and rarely phthisis bulbi are observed in advanced cases in sheep, it is determined that permanent corneal opacities and blindness occur in goats (Loison et al. 1996). Untreated cases result in mucopurulent conjunctivitis and corneal ulceration resulting in corneal opacification and temporary blindness. ...
Infectious keratoconjunctivitis is an infectious disease that negatively affects animal welfare causing systemic or local clinical signs in small ruminants and causes significant economic losses in herds. It is important to determine the etiologic agent causing the infection in the development of the protection and control strategies against the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of infectious keratoconjunctivitis cases in small ruminants raised in Siirt province in Türkiye. Infectious keratoconjunctivitis was graded according to the symptoms determined by clinical examination. The presence of Chlamydia spp., Mycoplasma spp. and Moraxella ovis was investigated by PCR in swab samples obtained from the animals with keratoconjunctivitis. Infectious keratoconjunctivitis was detected in 263 (19.86%) of 1324 animals examined in the study. Of the animals with infectious keratoconjunctivitis, 163 (61.97%) were sheep and 100 (38.02%) were goats. The detection rate of infectious keratoconjunctivitis was higher in sheep than goats. In 56 (21.29%), 109 (41.44%), 67 (25.47%), and 31 (11.78%) of the cases, findings of stage 1, 2, 3, and 4 infectious keratoconjunctivitis were detected, respectively. Of the eye swab samples taken from 263 animals with infectious keratoconjunctivitis, 5 (1.90%) were positive for Mycoplasma spp. and 6 (2.28%) were positive for M. ovis. It was determined that the distribution of the bacterial agents varied according to the stage of infectious keratoconjunctivitis. No statistically significant correlation was found in the distribution of bacterial agents among identified samples according to species, sex, age, and infectious keratoconjunctivitis stage of the animals. It was thought that the data obtained in the study would contribute to the studies for protection and control by determining the incidence and aetiology of infectious keratocon-junctivitis cases observed in small ruminants.
... Sheep and goats may show different clinical findings in relation to the disease. While mucopurulent conjunctivitis, follicular conjunctivitis, iritis with hypopyon and corneal ulceration, and rarely phthisis bulbi are observed in advanced cases in sheep, it is determined that permanent corneal opacities and blindness occur in goats (Loison et al. 1996). Untreated cases result in mucopurulent conjunctivitis and corneal ulceration resulting in corneal opacification and temporary blindness. ...
Infectious keratoconjunctivitis is an infectious disease that negatively affects animal welfare causing systemic or local clinical signs in small ruminants and causes significant economic losses in herds. It is important to determine the etiologic agent causing the infection in the development of the protection and control strategies against the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of infectious keratoconjunctivitis cases in small ruminants raised in Siirt province in Türkiye. Infectious keratoconjunctivitis was graded according to the symptoms determined by clinical examination. The presence of Chlamydia spp., Mycoplasma spp. and Moraxella ovis was investigated by PCR in swab samples obtained from the animals with keratoconjunctivitis. Infectious keratoconjunctivitis was detected in 263 (19.86%) of 1324 animals examined in the study. Of the animals with infectious keratoconjunctivitis, 163 (61.97%) were sheep and 100 (38.02%) were goats. The detection rate of infectious keratoconjunctivitis was higher in sheep than goats. In 56 (21.29%), 109 (41.44%), 67 (25.47%), and 31 (11.78%) of the cases, findings of stage 1, 2, 3, and 4 infectious keratoconjunctivitis were detected, respectively. Of the eye swab samples taken from 263 animals with infectious keratoconjunctivitis, 5 (1.90%) were positive for Mycoplasma spp. and 6 (2.28%) were positive for M. ovis. It was determined that the distribution of the bacterial agents varied according to the stage of infectious keratoconjunctivitis. No statistically significant correlation was found in the distribution of bacterial agents among identified samples according to species, sex, age, and infectious keratoconjunctivitis stage of the animals. It was thought that the data obtained in the study would contribute to the studies for protection and control by determining the incidence and aetiology of infectious keratoconjunctivitis cases observed in small ruminants.
... IKC morbidity usually ranges between 50% and 90%, with mortality between 15% and 20% due to starvation or falling from cliffs, as blindness hinders the animal from finding food and moving around safely. However, mortality can reach 30% in IKC outbreaks [35][36][37], and the combination of natural mortality and disease management through removal of the affected individuals can have significant demographic effects [38]. The obvious ocular lesions caused by IKC raise social concern, as wild mountain ruminants are ecologically, culturally, and economically relevant [7]. ...
Infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) is an eye disease caused by Mycoplasma conjunctivae that affects domestic and wild caprines, including Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica), a medium-sized mountain ungulate. However, its role in IKC dynamics in multi-host communities has been poorly studied. This study assessed M. conjunctivae in Iberian ibex and seasonally sympatric domestic small ruminants in the Natural Space of Sierra Nevada (NSSN), a mountain habitat in southern Spain. From 2015 to 2017, eye swabs were collected from 147 ibexes (46 subadults, 101 adults) and 169 adult domestic small ruminants (101 sheep, 68 goats). Mycoplasma conjunctivae was investigated through real-time qPCR and statistically assessed according to species, sex, age category, year, period, and area. The lppS gene of M. conjunctivae was sequenced and phylogenetically analysed. Mycoplasma conjunctivae was endemic and asymptomatic in the host community of the NSSN. Three genetic clusters were shared by ibex and livestock, and one was identified only in sheep, although each host species could maintain the infection independently. Naïve subadults maintained endemic infection in Iberian ibex, with an epizootic outbreak in 2017 when the infection spread to adults. Wild ungulates are epidemiologically key in maintaining and spreading IKC and other shared diseases among spatially segregated livestock flocks.
... Mycoplasma conjunctivae is considered the major cause of IKC in caprine species (Giacometti et al. 2002). IKC outbreaks are characterized by a short duration (1-2 years), high morbidity, low mortality (around 30%), and spontaneous recovery (Loison et al. 1996). After an IKC epizootic episode, the number of kid and adult females typically decreases between 10 and 19% (Arnal et al. 2013), recovering 1 year after the outbreak. ...
... After an IKC epizootic episode, the number of kid and adult females typically decreases between 10 and 19% (Arnal et al. 2013), recovering 1 year after the outbreak. Mortality rates associated with IKC are in 6% of kids, 70% of yearlings, 20% of females, and 9% of males (% of kids, 52% of yearlings) (Loison et al. 1996;Arnal et al. 2013). ...
Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) is a medium-sized and gregarious mountain ungulate with populations affected by periodic outbreaks of border disease virus (BD), infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC), and sarcoptic mange (SM). Even though the impact of each disease on chamois populations has been described in detail, there is a lack of information about the potential impact of concomitant epidemics and the synzootic potential (co-occurring enzootic or epizootic processes producing worse health outcomes in wildlife) on chamois populations. Furthermore, whether a specific order of apparition of epidemics is more or less harmful for the host population is practically unknown not only for chamois but also for most mammal populations. Using a population viability analysis (PVA), we studied the consequences of multiple disease outbreaks with synzootic potential on growth rates and probabilities of extinction of virtual populations exposed to hard winters, density dependence, and co-occurring BD, IKC, and SM outbreaks. Such infections are not under cross-immunity nor density-dependent processes and thus are supposed to affect population demography independently. Heavy snowfalls are also likely to occur in our simulated populations. Our simulations showed that a second outbreak, even caused by a low virulent pathogen, causes an increase in the probability of extinction of the host population with regard to the first outbreak. IKC-BD-and SM-BD-affected populations had a higher risk of becoming extinct in 50 years confirming the extra risk of multiple outbreaks on the viability of the affected populations.
... Such outbreaks are usually associated with variable mortality rates until sarcoptic mange becomes enzootic and the population eventually starts recovering. Nevertheless, the affected populations do not always reach the densities existing before the epizootics, which are also conditioned by other factors such as population abundance and genetic variability before the outbreak, interspecific competition, culling management strategy, and other population, environment, and management factors (Fandos 1991;Loison et al. 1996;Pérez et al. 1997aPérez et al. , 2021Pérez et al. , 2022León-Vizcaíno et al. 1999;González-Quirós et al. 2002a, b;González-Candela et al. 2004;Rossi et al. 2007;Nores and González-Quirós 2009;Espinosa et al. 2020;Granados et al. 2020) (Fig. 2). ...
... Mycoplasma conjunctivae is transmitted through direct contact and by flies, which act as mechanical vectors Giacometti et al. 2002a;Fernández-Aguilar et al. 2019), allowing infectious keratoconjunctivitis to spread at a speed estimated over 15 km/year (Degiorgis et al. 2000). This disease is characterized by a relatively high morbidity with a low mortality ranging from 5% up to 27%, mostly due to starvation or falls in the steep mountain environment inhabited by wild caprines during the blindness stage of the disease (Loison et al. 1996;Degiorgis et al. 2000;Giacometti et al. 2002a). Mountain ungulate populations can be demographically affected both by keratoconjunctivitis epidemics and the associated culling management to try to reduce density to decrease M. conjunctivae transmission, but populations usually recover in 5 years after the outbreak (Gauthier 1991;Loison et al. 1996). ...
... This disease is characterized by a relatively high morbidity with a low mortality ranging from 5% up to 27%, mostly due to starvation or falls in the steep mountain environment inhabited by wild caprines during the blindness stage of the disease (Loison et al. 1996;Degiorgis et al. 2000;Giacometti et al. 2002a). Mountain ungulate populations can be demographically affected both by keratoconjunctivitis epidemics and the associated culling management to try to reduce density to decrease M. conjunctivae transmission, but populations usually recover in 5 years after the outbreak (Gauthier 1991;Loison et al. 1996). Clinical infectious keratoconjunctivitis follows a seasonal pattern, with more cases in summer due to the increase of susceptible host densities, because of the birth of naïve kids and the higher abundance of insect vectors of M. conjunctivae. ...
Iberian ibex (Caprapyrenaica) is an ecologically and economically relevant medium-sized emblematic mountain ungulate. Diseases participate in the population dynamics of the species as a regulating agent, but can also threaten the conservation and viability of vulnerable population units. Moreover, Iberian ibex can also be a carrier or even a reservoir of pathogens shared with domestic animals and/or humans, being therefore a concern for livestock and public health. The objective of this review is to compile the currently available knowledge on (1) diseases of Iberian ibex, presented according to their relevance on the health and demography of free-ranging populations; (2) diseases subjected to heath surveillance plans; (3) other diseases reported in the species; and (4) diseases with particular relevance in captive Iberian ibex populations. The systematic review of all the information on diseases affecting the species unveils unpublished reports, scientific communications in meetings, and scientific articles, allowing the first comprehensive compilation of Iberian ibex diseases. This review identifies the gaps in knowledge regarding pathogenesis, immune response, diagnostic methods, treatment, and management of diseases in Iberian ibex, providing a base for future research. Moreover, this challenges wildlife and livestock disease and wildlife population managers to assess the priorities and policies currently implemented in Iberian ibex health surveillance and monitoring and disease management.
... A lower density may also increase vital rates. After an outbreak of keratoconjunctivitis in a chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) population, the population bounded back in 5 years due to higher fecundity after the population reduction (Loison et al., 1996). Outbreaks must therefore be frequent to limit the population over the long term. ...
Climate changes may lead to tipping points where the epidemiological characteristics of infectious wildlife diseases suddenly change, leading to outbreaks. However, empirically documented cases of the extent to which emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) affect populations of large vertebrates are few, partly because of the limited surveillance of remote wildlife populations. EIDs may potentially lead to higher mortality than mean mortality levels. Here, we quantified the likely impact of digital necrobacillosis on the survival and population dynamics of wild alpine reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Hardangervidda National Park (NP), Norway. The outbreak of digital necrobacillosis in 2019 contributed to a decrease in the summer survival rate of juveniles to 51% compared to an average of 88% in 2005–2018 and 77% in 2020. However, since the outbreak mainly reduced juvenile survival, the impact on short‐term population dynamics was moderate, lowering the population growth rate (λ) before harvest from an average value of 1.18 (2005–2018) to 1.08 (2019) before harvest. In 2019, anomalous climate conditions with a high daily mean temperature combined with the highest recorded daily precipitation in late summer were observed. Further studies are required to document the pathological development of digital necrobacillosis across demographic groups and proximate and ultimate causes of mortality.
... Mycoplasma conjunctivae is considered the major cause of IKC in caprine species (Giacometti et al., 2002). IKC outbreaks are characterized by a short duration (1-2 years), high morbidity, low mortality (around 30%), and spontaneous recovery (Loison et al., 1996). After an IKC epizootic episode, the number of kid and adult females typically decreases between 10 to 19% ( . ...
Southern chamois ( Rupicapra pyrenaica ) is a medium-sized and gregarious mountain ungulate with populations affected by periodic outbreaks of border disease virus (BD), infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC), and sarcoptic mange (SM). Even though the impact of each disease on chamois populations has been described in detail, there is a lack of information about the potential impact of concomitant epidemics and the synzootic potential (co-occurring enzootic or epizootic processes producing worse health outcomes in wildlife) on chamois populations . Furthermore, whether a specific order of apparition of epidemics is more or less harmful for the host population is practically unknown not only for chamois but also for most mammal populations. Using a population viability analysis (PVA), we studied the consequences of multiple disease outbreaks with synzootic potential on growth rates and probabilities of extinction of virtual populations exposed to hard winters, density dependence and co-occurring BD, IKC and SM outbreaks. Such infections are not under cross-immunity nor density-dependent processes and thus are supposed to affect population demography independently. Heavy snowfalls are also likely to occur in our simulated populations. Our simulations showed that a second outbreak, even caused by a low virulent pathogen, causes an increase in the probability of extinction of the host population with regard to the first outbreak. IKC-BD and SM-BD affected populations had a higher risk of becoming extinct in 50 years confirming the extra risk of multiple outbreaks on the viability of the affected populations.
... No reliable data exist on twinning probability, although it may presumably vary between 1% and 3% among reproducing females. Breeding success (i.e., kids to adult females ratio in summer) is inversely related to population density, especially in young females, and ranges from c. 0.52 to 0.90 (Loison et al. 1996;Pioz et al. 2008). Breeding success is strongly age-dependent: Morin et al. (2016) found a peak of 0.70 for prime-aged females (4-7 years), with reproductive senescence occurring at 8+ years of age. ...
... section "Parasites and Diseases" for further details). However, Alpine chamois populations can normally recover from such events within a few years through subsequent higher reproductive performance (e.g., Rossi et al. 1995;Loison et al. 1996). Density dependence affects juvenile body mass (Garel et al. 2011b), mortality rate, and juvenile to female ratio (Capurro et al. 1997;Willisch et al. 2013). ...
... Hadwen and Palmer observed keratitis in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Alaska (Hadwen and Palmer 1922) and similar observations were also reported by Dietrich (1981), Loison et al. (1996), and Taylor et al. (1996). In the last decade, numerous studies have been reported on IKC in reindeer (Evans et al. 2008) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the western states of the USA (Dubay et al. 2000;Edmunds et al. 2008;Munoz Gutierrez et al. 2018); Infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) is an ocular disease affecting cattle and sheep worldwide (Dagnall 1994;Brown et al. 1998). ...
Infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) has not been observed in European deer (Cervus elaphus). Our case concerned two red deer bulls in a natural environment, which had orientation disorders and/or circle movement. A detailed post-mortem examination of one of the bulls revealed extensive conjunctivitis in both eyes, clouding and ulceration of the cornea. There were no lesions in the other organs, particularly in the central nervous system (CNS). The histopathological examination of the eyeballs showed corneal epithelium erosions and vascularisation and an inflammatory infiltration of the stroma. Descemet’s membrane was found to be disrupted and the corneal stroma was fused with the iris. The remaining structure of the eye did not show any lesions. Furthermore, the polymerase chain reaction analysis for OvHV-1, BHV-1, BHV-5, CapHV-1, CcHV-1, and EHV-1 showed negative results. In the agar culture, only single bacteria were present. There were no Thelazia spp. worms in the conjunctival sac, but numerous Lipoptena cervi flies were present on the skin in the eye region and on the corneal surface. The findings of our case study and those reported in the literature suggest that IKC is a polyetiological disease, where the composition of the pathogenic agents may differ from case to case. The present study suggests that the mechanical irritation of L. cervi parasites could be a contributing factor to the corneal damage, infection and chronic inflammation resulting in a loss of vision in red deer.
... No reliable data exist on twinning probability, although it may presumably vary between 1% and 3% among reproducing females. Breeding success (i.e., kids to adult females ratio in summer) is inversely related to population density, especially in young females, and ranges from c. 0.52 to 0.90 (Loison et al. 1996;Pioz et al. 2008). Breeding success is strongly age-dependent: Morin et al. (2016) found a peak of 0.70 for prime-aged females (4-7 years), with reproductive senescence occurring at 8+ years of age. ...
... section "Parasites and Diseases" for further details). However, Alpine chamois populations can normally recover from such events within a few years through subsequent higher reproductive performance (e.g., Rossi et al. 1995;Loison et al. 1996). Density dependence affects juvenile body mass (Garel et al. 2011b), mortality rate, and juvenile to female ratio (Capurro et al. 1997;Willisch et al. 2013). ...
[Published in: Handbook of the Mammals of Europe – Terrestrial Cetartiodactyla (Eds. Zachos, F. and L. Corlatti). Springer Nature.]
The chamois is the most abundant mountain ungulate of Europe. Although the taxonomy of the genus has been subject to continuous revisions since the beginning of the twentieth century, currently two species are recognized: the Northern chamois Rupicapra rupicapra, and the Southern chamois Rupicapra pyrenaica. In this chapter we follow this classification, and present an up-to-date synthesis of the biology, ecology, behaviour and conservation status of the two species. After introducing the taxonomic status and the recent controversies surrounding the systematic of the genus, we provide an account of the current distribution of the chamois within its native range, from the Cantabrians to the Caucasus, from Poland to Turkey. For both species, we describe: the main morphological, physiological and genetic features; an overview of the main life history traits (growth, survival and reproduction); the relationships between chamois and its environment (space use, diet) and how internal and external variables impact on the dynamics of its populations, including competition with wild and domestic ungulates; its social behaviour throughout the year and male mating system; the most relevant diseases and their demographic impacts; the issues surrounding its management and conservation. This chapter will provide researchers and people interested in chamois with the opportunity to access the most relevant advances on the biology of these iconic species.
