Exposure of American Black Bears (<i>Ursus americanus</i>) to Ticks, Tick-Borne Diseases, and Intestinal Parasites in Wisconsin
2024
Nika S. Reichert | Daniela Mathieu | Christopher J. Katz | Kent A. Hatch
We surveyed 159 American black bears (<i>Ursus americanus</i>) over a period of three years for the occurrence of ticks, tick-borne diseases, and intestinal parasites in Wisconsin. We collected blood from the bears to test for the presence of antibodies to <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> (Lyme disease), <i>Rickettsia rickettsii</i> (Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF)), <i>Babesia</i>, <i>Ehrlichia</i>, <i>Ehrlichia canis</i>, <i>Brucella canis</i>, and <i>Anaplasma phagocytophilum.</i> We also examined scat samples for intestinal parasites. We commonly found the tick <i>Dermacentor variabilis</i>, but also present the first report of <i>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</i> on black bears. We detected antibodies to Lyme disease and RMSF. We detected antibodies to <i>E. canis</i> for the first time in a bear and both antibodies to <i>R. rickettsii</i> and <i>A. phagocytophilum</i> for the first time in a black bear in Wisconsin. No antibodies for <i>Babesia</i> or <i>Br. canis</i> were detected. We found eggs of the intestinal parasite <i>Baylasascaris transfuga</i> as well as a low number of <i>Toxascara leonina</i> and unknown <i>Capillaria</i> species occurrences in the examined feces.
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