[en] Background: Snow leopards, Panthera uncia, are a threatened apex predator, scattered
across the mountains of Central and South Asia. Disease threats to wild snow leopards
have not been investigated.
Methods and Results: Between 2008 and 2015, twenty snow leopards in the South Gobi
desert of Mongolia were captured and immobilised for health screening and radio-collaring.
Blood samples and external parasites were collected for pathogen analyses using enzymelinked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA), microscopic agglutination test (MAT), and nextgeneration
sequencing (NGS) techniques. The animals showed no clinical signs of disease,
however, serum antibodies to significant zoonotic pathogens were detected. These pathogens
included, Coxiella burnetii, (25% prevalence), Leptospira spp., (20%), and Toxoplasma
gondii (20%). Ticks collected from snow leopards contained potentially zoonotic bacteria from
the genera Bacillus, Bacteroides, Campylobacter, Coxiella, Rickettsia, Staphylococcus and
Streptococcus.
Conclusions: The zoonotic pathogens identified in this study, in the short-term did not
appear to cause illness in the snow leopards, but have caused illness in other wild felids.
Therefore, surveillance for pathogens should be implemented to monitor for potential longerterm
disease impacts on this snow leopard population.
Disciplines :
Zoology
Author, co-author :
Esson, Carol
Skerratt, L.F.
Berger, L.
Malmsten, J
Strand, T.
Lundkvist, A.
Jarhult, J.D.
Michaux, Johan ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences de la vie > Laboratoire de génétique de la conservation
Mijiddorj, T.
Bayrakçısmith, R.
Mishra, C.
Johansson, O.
Language :
English
Title :
Health and zoonotic Infections of snow leopards Panthera unica in the South Gobi desert of Mongolia
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