Monitoring Seroprevalence of Infectious Diseases in the Florida Panther (Puma concolor coryi)

Desiree Walton; Marie Gilbertson; Mark Cunningham; Dave Onorato; Joshua Ringer; Meggan Craft

doi:10.7589/JWD-D-24-00057

Monitoring Seroprevalence of Infectious Diseases in the Florida Panther (Puma concolor coryi)

J Wildl Dis. 2024 Nov 21. doi: 10.7589/JWD-D-24-00057. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Desiree Walton¹, Marie Gilbertson², Mark Cunningham³, Dave Onorato⁴, Joshua Ringer^{3

5}, Meggan Craft⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circle, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA.
² Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Dr., Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
³ Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 1105 SW Williston Road, Gainesville, Florida 32601, USA.
⁴ Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 298 Sabal Palm Road, Naples, Florida 34114, USA.
⁵ Foothills Wildlife Research Facility, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 4330 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA.
⁶ Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA.

PMID: 39566539
DOI: 10.7589/JWD-D-24-00057

Abstract

Infectious diseases can have detrimental effects on wildlife populations, particularly those that persist at small sizes, have low genetic diversity, and are affected by fragmented habitat. One such example is the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi), which has been intensively managed since the early 1980s, with the current population ranging between 120 and 230 individuals. For more than three decades, panthers have been captured, demographics recorded, and blood samples collected to monitor for multiple infectious diseases; however, an updated comprehensive study of many of these pathogens has not occurred since 1991. Our goal was to identify temporal patterns and spatial clustering in seroprevalence; determine if the pathogens of interest tend to co-occur; and describe relationships between an individual's genetic assignment (admixed or canonical) and seropositivity. We analyzed serology data for eight pathogens representing different modes of transmission (direct, indirect, vector borne) and infection duration (acute, chronic) from 232 panthers collected between 1992 and 2017. Panthers held consistently high seropositivity for feline calicivirus (62.3%) and panleukopenia virus (79.7%) throughout the study, whereas feline herpesvirus and feline leukemia virus were at lower prevalence (3.1% and 2.4%, respectively), although neither had been noted prior to 1992. Panthers were frequently seropositive for canine distemper virus and feline immunodeficiency virus, and seroprevalence fluctuated through time. West Nile virus seropositivity increased over the study period following its introduction in North America in 1999. Panthers were consistently negative for feline coronavirus, which causes feline infectious peritonitis. Genetics and demographics (sex and age) had little influence on serostatus, and coexposure among pathogens did not tend to occur. Both feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus appeared to have spatial clusters of seropositive individuals. Our findings enhance the understanding of pathogen exposure in panthers, informing and supporting ongoing surveillance efforts for timely detection and management of potential disease threats in vulnerable populations.

Keywords: Conservation; epidemiology; felids; serosurvey; wildlife health.