Publication
European Hares in Chile: A Different Lagomorph Reservoir for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis?
Publisher:
Wildlife Disease Association
Date:
07-2011
DOI:
10.7589/0090-3558-47.3.734
Abstract: Ruminants are the principal host for infection by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map), the cause of Johne's disease. Based on studies of a Map-infected population of European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Scotland, lagomorphs as a broad taxonomic order were proposed as potential nonruminant reservoirs for Map. To determine whether a different lagomorph species may serve as a wildlife reservoir, we investigated Map infection in European hares (Lepus europaeus) sharing habitat with known Map-infected dairy cattle in southern Chile. Fecal, mesenteric lymph node, and ileal s les were aseptically collected from 385 wild hares for liquid culture and real-time polymerase chain reaction identification of acid-fast isolates. All tissue s les were also acid-fast stained and examined microscopically. We isolated Map from at least one tissue from 48 hares (12.6%) and fecal s les from 16 hares (4.2%). No Map was found in tissues of eight of the fecal-culture-positive hares. Histologically, all tissues from all hares were within normal limits, and no acid-fast organisms were observed in any s le. Active infection, implying lification of the organism secondary to resultant disease, was not evident. With this report Map isolations on a population versus incidental detection have now been made from two lagomorph species. However, although the rabbit population studied in Scotland appears to function as a Map reservoir, the hares studied in Chile appear to be a dead-end host, serving only as potential mechanical vectors for the organism.