A snapshot of climate drivers and temporal variation of Ixodes ovatus abundance from a giant panda living in the wild. (April 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fan, Xueyang; Ma, Rui; Yue, Changjuan; Liu, Jiabin; Yue, Bisong; Yang, Wanjing; Li, Yunli; Gu, Jiang; Ayala, James E.; Bunker, Daniel E.; Yan, Xia; Qi, Dunwu; Su, Xiaoyan; Li, Lin; Zhang, Dongsheng; Zhang, Hongwen; Yang, Zhisong; Hou, Rong; Liu, Songrui
• Is Part Of: International journal for parasitology. Volume 20(2023)
• Page Start: 162
• Page End: 169
• Publication Date: 2023-04
• Subjects: Tick -- Ixodes ovatus -- Ailuropoda melanoleuca -- Reintroduction; 16s rRNA 16S ribosomal RNA -- AIC Akaike information criterion -- ANOVA Analysis of variance -- BLAST Basic local alignment search tool -- CI Confidence interval -- COI Coxidase subunit I -- HSD Honest significant differences -- NCBI National center for biotechnology Information -- VIF Variance inflation factors; Parasites -- Periodicals; Parasitology -- Periodicals; Animals -- Periodicals; Wildlife diseases -- Periodicals; Parasites -- Periodicals; Animals, Wild -- Periodicals; Animals; Parasites; Parasitology; Wildlife diseases; Periodicals; 591.7857
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.02.005
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2213-2244

Abstract

Abstract: Ticks and tick-borne diseases have negative impacts on the health of wild animals including endangered and vulnerable species. The giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ), a vulnerable and iconic flagship species, is threatened by tick infestation as well. Not only can ticks cause anemia and immunosuppression in the giant panda, but also bacterial and viral diseases. However, previous studies regarding tick infestation on giant pandas were limited in scope as case reports from sick or dead animals. In this study, an investigation focusing on the tick infestation of a reintroduced giant panda at the Daxiangling Reintroduction Base in Sichuan, China was conducted. Ticks were routinely collected and identified from the ears of the giant panda from March to September in 2021. A linear model was used to test the correlation between tick abundance and climate factors. All ticks were identified as Ixodes ovatus . Tick abundance was significantly different among months. Results from the linear model showed temperature positively correlated to tick abundance, while air pressure had a negative correlation with tick abundance. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first reported investigation of tick species and abundance on a healthy giant panda living in the natural environment, and provides important information for the conservation of giant pandas and other species sharing the same habitat. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: Tick species and abundance from a giant panda living in the wild were systematically investigated for the first time. Climate drivers were correlated with the Ixodes ovatus daily abundance on a giant panda living in the wild. Ixodes ovatus abundance on a giant panda varies among months.