Exposure to Toxoplasma gondii in Galapagos Penguins (Spheniscus mendiculus) and Flightless Cormorants (Phalacrocorax harrisi) in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

Volumn 46, Issue 3, 2010, Pages 1005-1011

  Deem, Sharon L ^a,b,c   Merkel, Jane ^a   Ballweber, Lora ^d   Vargas, F Hernan ^c,e   Cruz, Marilyn B ^f   Parker, Patricia G ^a,b  

^a SAINT LOUIS ZOO   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI ST LOUIS   (United States)

^c Charles Darwin Foundation   (Ecuador)

^d Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery   (United States)

^e THE PEREGRINE FUND   (United States)

^f Galapagos National Park Service   (Ecuador)

Author keywords

Antibody prevalence; Feral cats; Flightless cormorant; Galapagos penguin; Phalacrocorax harrisi; Spheniscus mendiculus; Toxoplasma gondii

Indexed keywords

ANIMALIA; AVES; FELIDAE; FELIS CATUS; PHALACROCORACIDAE; PHALACROCORAX HARRISI; PROTOZOA; SPHENISCIDAE; SPHENISCUS MENDICULUS; TOXOPLASMA GONDII;

EID: 78149241206     PISSN: 00903558     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.7589/0090-3558-46.3.1005     Document Type: Article

References (45)

1. ALTERIO, N., H. MOLLER, AND H. RATZ. 1998. Movements and habitat use of feral house cats, Felis catus, stoats Mustela erminea and ferrets Mustela furo, in grassland surrounding Yelloweyed Penguin Megadyptes antipodes breeding areas in spring. Biological Conservation 83: 187-194.
2. AHKUSH, K. D., M. A. MILLER, C. M. LEUTENEGGER, I. A. GARDNER, A. E. PACKHAM, A. R. HECKEROTH, A. M. TENTER, B. C. BARR, AND P. A. CONRAD. 2003. Molecular and bioassay-based detection of Toxoplasma gondii oocyst uptake by mussels (Mytilus gallojjrovincialis). International. Journal of Parasitology 33: 1087-1097.
3. BATAILLE, A., A. A. CUNNINGHAM, V. CEDEÑO, M. CRUZ, G. EASTWOOD, D. M. FONSECA, C. E. CAUSTON, R. AZUERO, J. LOAYZA, J. D. CRUZ MARTINEZ, AND S. J. GOODMAN. 2009. Evidence for regular ongoing introductions of mosquito disease vectors into the Galapagos Islands. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. doi; 10.1098/rspb.2009.0998.
4. BOERSMA, P. D. 1977. An ecological and behavioural study of the Galapagos Penguin. Living Bird 15: 43-93.
5. -. 2008. Penguins as marine sentinels. BioScience 58: 597-607.
6. BOLLMER, J. L., F. H. VARGAS, AND P. G. PARKER. 2007. Low MHC variation in the endangered Galápagos Penguin (Spheniscus rnendiculus). Immunogenetics 59: 593-602.
7. CAUSTON, C. 2007. Riesgos asociados con las rutas aereas actuales y propuestas hacia Galapagos. Informe Galapagos 2006-2007. F. C. D. Parque Nacional Galapagos, INGALA, pp. 55-59.
8. CRUZ, F., V. G. CARRION, K. J. CAMPBELL, C. LAVOIE, AND C. J. DONLAN. 2009. Bio-economics of largescale eradication of feral goats from Santiago Island, Galápagos. Journal of Wildlife Management 73: 191-200.
9. CUNNINGHAM, A. A., P. DASZAK, AND J. P. RODRÍGUEZ. 2003. Pathogen pollution: Defining a parasitological threat to biodiversity conservation. Journal of Parasitology 89 (Suppl): S78-S83.
10. DEEM, S. L., M. CRUZ, G. JIMÉNEZ-UZCÁTEGUI, B. FESSL, R. E. MILLER, AND P. G. PARKER. 2008. Pathogens and parasites: An increasing threat to the conservation of Galapagos avifauna. In Galapagos Report 2007-2008. Puerto Ayora, Galapagos, Ecuador, pp. 125-130.
11. DUBEY, J. P. 2002. A review of toxoplasmosis in wild birds. Veterinary Parasitology 106: 121-153.
12. -. 2008. Toxoplasma. In C. T. Atkinson, N. J. Thomas and D. B. Hunter (eds.). Parasitic diseases of wild birds. Wiley-Blackwell, Ames, Iowa, pp. 204-222.
13. -, AND C. P. BEATTIE. 1988. Toxoplasmosis of animals and man. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, pp. 1-220.
14. -, AND G. DESMONTS. 1987. Serological response of equids fed Toxoplasma gondii oocysts. Equine Veterinary Journal 19: 337-339.
15. -, W. B. SCANDRETT, O. C. H. KWOK, AND A. A. GAJADHAR. 2000. Prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in ostriches (Struthio camelus). Journal of Parasitology 86: 623-624.
16. DUFFIE, C. V., T. C. GLENN, H. VARGAS, AND P. G. PARKER. 2009. Genetic structure within and between island populations of the flightless cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi). Molecular Ecology 18: 2103-2111.
17. GONZÁLEZ, J. A., C. MONTES, J. RODRÍGUEZ, AND W. TAPIA. 2008. Rethinking the Galapagos Islands as a complex, social-ecological system: Implications for conservation and management. Ecology & Society. 13. www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol13/iss2/. Accessed April 2010.
18. GOTTDENKER, N., T. WALSH, H. VARGAS, M. DUNCAN, J. MERKEL, G. JIMÉNEZ-UZCÁTEGUI, R. E. MILLER, M. DAILEY, AND P, G. PARKER. 2005. Assessing the risks of introduced chickens and their pathogens to native birds in the Galápagos Archipelago. Biological Conservation 126: 429-439.
19. GREINER, M., AND I. A. GARDNER. 2000. Epidemiologic issues in the validation of veterinary diagnostic tests. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 45: 3-22.
20. HARRIS, M. 1974. A field guide to the birds of Galapagos. Collins, St. James's Place, London, United Kingdom, pp. 39-40.
21. JIMÉNEZ-UZCÁTEGUI, G., AND F. H. VARGAS. 2008. Censo del Pingüino de Galápagos y Cormorán no volador 2008. Informe técnico para la Fundación Charles Darwin y Servicio Parque Nacional Galápagos. Estación Científica Charles Darwin. Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, 19 pp.
22. -, V. CARRÍON, J. ZABALA, P. BUITRÓN, AND B. MILSTEAD. 2007. Estado de los vertebrados introducidos en Galápagos. In Informe Galápagos 2006-2007. F.C.D., Parque Nacional Galápagos, INCALA, pp. 140-145.
23. KONECNY, M. J. 1987. Food habits and energetics of feral house cats in the Galapagos Islands. Oikos 50: 24-32.
24. LEVIN, I. I., D. C. OUTLAW, F. H. VARGAS, AND P. G. PARKER. 2009. Plasmodium blood parasite found in endangered Galapagos Penguins (Spheniscus mendiculus). Biological Conservation. doi:10. 1016/j.biocon.2009.06.017.
25. LEVY, J. K., P. C. CRAWFORD, M. R. LAPPIN, E. J. DUBOVI, M. G. LEVY, R. ALLEMAN, S. J. TUCKER, AND E. L. CLIFFORD. 2008. Infectious diseases of dogs and cats on Isabela Island, Galapagos. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 22: 60-65.
26. LINDSAY, D. S., M. V. COLLINS, S. M. MITCHELL, C. N. WETECH, A. C. ROSYPAL, G. J. FLICK, A. LINDQUIST, AND J. P. DUBEY. 2003. Sporulation and survival of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in sea water. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 50: S687-S688.
27. MERKEL, J., H. I. JONES, N. K. WHITEMAN, N. GOTTDENKER, H. VARGAS, E. K. TRAVIS, R. E. MILLER, AND P. G. PARKER. 2007. Microfilariae in Galápagos Penguins (Splieniscus mendiculus) and Flightless Cormorants (Phalacrocorax harrisi): Genetics, morphology and prevalence. Journal of Parasitology 93: 495-503.
28. MILLER, M. A., I. A. GARDNER, C. KREUDER, D. M. PARADIES, K. R. WORCESTER, D. A. JESSUP, E. DODD, M. D. HARRIS, J. A. AMES, A. E. PACKHAM, AND P. A. CONRAD. 2002. Coastal freshwater runoff is a risk factor for Toxoplasma gondii infection of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis). International Journal of Parasitology 32: 997-1006.
29. -, W. A. MILLER, P. A. CONRAD, E. R. JAMES, A. C. MELLI, C. M. LEUTENEGGER, H. A. DABRITZ, A. E. PACKHAM, D. PARADIES, M. HARRIS, J. AMES, D. A. JESSUP, K. WORCESTER, AND M. E. GRIGG. 2008. Type X Toxoplasma gondii in a wild mussel and terrestrial carnivores from coastal California: New linkages between terrestrial mammals, runoff and toxoplasmosis of sea otters. International Journal of Parasitology 38: 1319-1328.
30. NIMS, B. D., F. H. VARGAS, J. MERKEL, AND P. G. PARKER. 2008. Low genetic diversity and lack of population structure in the endangered Galapagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus). Conservation Genetics 9: 1413-1420.
31. NOGALES, M., A. MARTÍN, B. R. TERSHY, C. J. DONLAN, D. VEITCH, N. PUERTA, B. WOOD, AND J. ALSONSO. 2004. A review of feral cat eradiation on islands. Conservation Biology 18: 310-319.
32. PARKER, P. G., N. K. WHITEMAN, AND R. E. MILLER. 2006. Perspectives in ornithology. Conservation medicine in the Galápagos Islands: Partnerships among behavioural, population and veterinary scientists. Auk 123: 625-638.
33. PETRIE, A., AND P. WATSON. 2006. Statistics for veterinary and animal science, 2nd Edition. Blackwell Publishing Ltd., Oxford, United Kingdom, 299 pp.
34. PRESTRUD, K. W., K. ASBAKK, E. FUGLEI, T. MORK, A. STIEN, E. ROPSTAD, M. TRYLAND, G. W. GABRIELSEN, C. LYDERSEN, K. M. KOVACS, M. J. J. E. LOONEN, K. SAGERUP, AND A. OKSANEN. 2007. Serosurvey for Toxoplasma gondii in arctic foxes and possible sources of infection in the high Arctic of Svalbard. Veterinary Parasitology 150: 6-12.
35. SHAPIRO, K., J. LARGIER, J. A. K. MAZET, W. BERNT, J. R, ELL, A. C. MELLI, AND P. A. CONRAD. 2009. Surface properties of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts and surrogate microspheres. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 75: 1185-1191.
36. SNOW, B. K. 1966. Observations on the behaviour and ecology of the Flightless Cormorant Nannapterum harrisi. Ibis 108: 265-280.
37. STEINFURTH, A., AND G. MERLEN. 2005. Predación de gatos salvajes (Felis catus) sobre el pinguino de Galápagos (Spheniscus mendiculus) en Caleta Iguana, Isla Isabela. Report to the Charles Darwin Research Station and Galapagos National Park Service. Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Isla Santa Cruz, Galápagos, pp. 1-8.
38. TRAVIS, E. K., F. H. VARGAS, J. MERKEL, N. GOTTDENKER, R. E. MILLER, AND P. G. PARKER. 2006a. Hematology, plasma chemistry, and serology of flightless cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisis) in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 42: 133-141.
39. -, -, -, -, -, AND -. 2006b. Hematology, serum chemistry, and serology of Galápagos Penguins (Spheniscus mendiculus) in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 42: 625-632.
40. VARGAS, F. H. 2006. The ecology of small populations of birds in a changing climate. PhD Thesis. University of Oxford, Oxford, England, 353 pp.
41. -, S. HARRISON, S. REA, AND D. W. MACDONALD. 2006. Biological effects of El Niño on the Galápagos Penguin. Biological Conservation 127: 107-114.
42. WALLACE, G. D., L. MARSHALL, AND M. MARSHALL. 1972. Cats, rats, and toxoplasmosis on a small Pacific island. American Journal of Epidemiology 95: 475-482.
43. WIKELSKI, M., J. FOUFOPOULOS, H. VARGAS, AND H. SNELL. 2004. Galápagos birds and diseases: Invasive pathogens as threats for island species. Ecology and Society 9:5. www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol9/iss1/art5/. Accessed April 2010.
44. WORK, T. M., J. G. MASSEY, B. A. RIDEOUT, C. H. GARDINER, D. B. LEDIG, O. C. H. KWOK, AND J. P. DUBEY. 2000. Fatal toxoplasmosis in free-ranging endangered 'Alala from Hawaii. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 36: 205-212.
45. -, -, D. S. LINDSAY, AND J. P. DUBEY. 2002. Toxoplasmosis in three species of native and introduced Hawaiian, birds. Journal of Parasitology 88: 1040-1042.