TY - JOUR
T1 - Exposure to viral and bacterial pathogens among Soay sheep (Ovis aries) of the St Kilda archipelago
AU - Graham, AL
AU - Nussey, DH
AU - Lloyd-Smith, JO
AU - Longbottom, D
AU - Maley, M
AU - Pemberton, JM
AU - Pilkington, JG
AU - Prager, KC
AU - Smith, L
AU - Watt, KA
AU - Wilson, K
AU - McNeilly, TN
AU - Brulisauer, F
PY - 2016/2/1
Y1 - 2016/2/1
N2 - We assessed evidence of exposure to viruses and bacteria in an unmanaged and long-isolated
population of Soay sheep (Ovis aries) inhabiting Hirta, in the St Kilda archipelago, 65 km west of
Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The sheep harbour many metazoan and protozoan
parasites but their exposure to viral and bacterial pathogens is unknown. We tested for herpes viral
DNA in leucocytes and found that 21 of 42 tested sheep were infected with ovine herpesvirus 2
(OHV-2). We also tested 750 plasma samples collected between 1997 and 2010 for evidence of
exposure to seven other viral and bacterial agents common in domestic Scottish sheep. We found
evidence of exposure to Leptospira spp., with overall seroprevalence of 6·5%. However, serological
evidence indicated that the population had not been exposed to border disease, parainfluenza, maedivisna,
or orf viruses, nor to Chlamydia abortus. Some sheep tested positive for antibodies against
Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) but, in the absence of retrospective faecal
samples, the presence of this infection could not be confirmed. The roles of importation, the pathogen–
host interaction, nematode co-infection and local transmission warrant future investigation, to
elucidate the transmission ecology and fitness effects of the few viral and bacterial pathogens on Hirta.
AB - We assessed evidence of exposure to viruses and bacteria in an unmanaged and long-isolated
population of Soay sheep (Ovis aries) inhabiting Hirta, in the St Kilda archipelago, 65 km west of
Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The sheep harbour many metazoan and protozoan
parasites but their exposure to viral and bacterial pathogens is unknown. We tested for herpes viral
DNA in leucocytes and found that 21 of 42 tested sheep were infected with ovine herpesvirus 2
(OHV-2). We also tested 750 plasma samples collected between 1997 and 2010 for evidence of
exposure to seven other viral and bacterial agents common in domestic Scottish sheep. We found
evidence of exposure to Leptospira spp., with overall seroprevalence of 6·5%. However, serological
evidence indicated that the population had not been exposed to border disease, parainfluenza, maedivisna,
or orf viruses, nor to Chlamydia abortus. Some sheep tested positive for antibodies against
Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) but, in the absence of retrospective faecal
samples, the presence of this infection could not be confirmed. The roles of importation, the pathogen–
host interaction, nematode co-infection and local transmission warrant future investigation, to
elucidate the transmission ecology and fitness effects of the few viral and bacterial pathogens on Hirta.
KW - Epidemiology
KW - Parasites
U2 - 10.1017/S0950268816000017
DO - 10.1017/S0950268816000017
M3 - Article
SN - 0950-2688
VL - 144
SP - 1879
EP - 1888
JO - Epidemiology and Infection
JF - Epidemiology and Infection
ER -