The assessment of red fox population density is considered relevant to the surveillance of zoonotic agents vectored by this species. However, density is difficult to estimate reliably, since the ecological plasticity and elusive behavior of this carnivore hinder classic methods of inference. In this study, red fox population density was estimated using a non-invasive molecular spatial capture-recapture (SCR) approach in two study areas: one in a known hotspot of the zoonotic cestode Echinococcus multilocularis, and another naïve to the parasite. Parasitological investigations on collected samples confirmed the presence of the parasite exclusively in the former area; the SCR results indicated a higher fox population density in the control area than in the hotspot, suggesting either that the relationship between fox density and parasite prevalence is not linear and/or the existence of other latent factors supporting the parasitic cycle in the known focus. In addition, fox spotlight count data for the two study areas were used to estimate the index of kilometric abundance (IKA). Although this method is cheaper and less time-consuming than SCR, IKA values were the highest in the areas with the lower molecular SCR density estimates, confirming that IKA should be regarded as a relative index only

Celva, R.; Crestanello, B.; Obber, F.; Dellamaria, D.; Trevisiol, K.; Bregoli, M.; Cenni, L.; Agreiter, A.; Danesi, P.; Hauffe, H.C.; Citterio, C.V. (2023-12-30). Assessing Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) Demographics to Monitor Wildlife Diseases: A Spotlight on Echinococcus multilocularis. PATHOGENS, 12 (1): 60. doi: 10.3390/pathogens12010060 handle: https://hdl.handle.net/10449/78635

Assessing Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) Demographics to Monitor Wildlife Diseases: A Spotlight on Echinococcus multilocularis

Crestanello, Barbara;Hauffe, Heidi Christine;
2023-12-30

Abstract

The assessment of red fox population density is considered relevant to the surveillance of zoonotic agents vectored by this species. However, density is difficult to estimate reliably, since the ecological plasticity and elusive behavior of this carnivore hinder classic methods of inference. In this study, red fox population density was estimated using a non-invasive molecular spatial capture-recapture (SCR) approach in two study areas: one in a known hotspot of the zoonotic cestode Echinococcus multilocularis, and another naïve to the parasite. Parasitological investigations on collected samples confirmed the presence of the parasite exclusively in the former area; the SCR results indicated a higher fox population density in the control area than in the hotspot, suggesting either that the relationship between fox density and parasite prevalence is not linear and/or the existence of other latent factors supporting the parasitic cycle in the known focus. In addition, fox spotlight count data for the two study areas were used to estimate the index of kilometric abundance (IKA). Although this method is cheaper and less time-consuming than SCR, IKA values were the highest in the areas with the lower molecular SCR density estimates, confirming that IKA should be regarded as a relative index only
Echinococcus multilocularis
IKA
Abundance
Density
Disease surveillance
Non-invasive genotyping
Red fox
Spatial capture-recapture
Wildlife management
Zoonoses
Settore BIO/07 - ECOLOGIA
30-dic-2023
Celva, R.; Crestanello, B.; Obber, F.; Dellamaria, D.; Trevisiol, K.; Bregoli, M.; Cenni, L.; Agreiter, A.; Danesi, P.; Hauffe, H.C.; Citterio, C.V. (2023-12-30). Assessing Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) Demographics to Monitor Wildlife Diseases: A Spotlight on Echinococcus multilocularis. PATHOGENS, 12 (1): 60. doi: 10.3390/pathogens12010060 handle: https://hdl.handle.net/10449/78635
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
2023 P Hauffe.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Versione editoriale (Publisher’s layout)
Licenza: Creative commons
Dimensione 7.74 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
7.74 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10449/78635
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 4
  • Scopus 4
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 4
social impact