Qualitative risk assessment of impact of Toxoplasma gondii on health of beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas, from the Eastern Beaufort Sea, Northwest Territories

Arctic Science

Colleen Crill¹  Matilde Tomaselli²  Rajnish Sharma³  Dongyun Jung³  Emily J. Jenkins³  Kshitiz Shrestha⁴  Lisa L. Loseto⁵  Sonja K. Ostertag⁶  Christina M. Bredtmann⁷  Cristina Rodríguez-Pinacho⁸  Prateek Jindal⁹  Dayna Schultz^1,10 

[1] Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada.;Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.;Department of Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada.;Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University (Bangkok) and Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France.;Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, Canada. Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, 500 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.;Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, Canada.;Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14163, Germany.;Institute of Veterinary Public Health, University of Bern, Bern, 3097, Switzerland.;School of Public Health and Zoonoses, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab 141004, India.;Toxicology Graduate Program, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B3, Canada.;

关键词: qualitative risk assessment;    toxoplasma gondii;    beluga whales;    delphinapterus leucas;    beaufort sea;   

DOI  :  10.1139/as-2017-0037

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

In recent years, the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii has increasingly been recognized in Arctic fauna, including beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in the Eastern Beaufort Sea (EBS), Northwest Territories. We qualitatively assessed the risks of T. gondii to the health of EBS beluga because of their importance in livelihood of Arctic communities as well as their potential role as sentinels. This risk assessment used a standard framework including hazard identification, hazard characterization, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. We conclude that currently, the EBS beluga are at moderate risk of exposure to T. gondii, and low risk of developing disease associated with toxoplasmosis, based on the small amount of data available (only healthy, hunter-harvested animals have been examined). Although there was a high level of uncertainty due to limited published data and the challenges in determining prevalence and significance of disease in wild marine mammal populations, overall the EBS population was currently considered to be at a low risk for population level impacts of toxoplasmosis. Finally, we identify knowledge gaps that can guide future research, provide better evidence for future risk assessments, and ultimately better detect and mitigate changing risks for health of Arctic beluga, as well as the communities that rely on sustainable, healthy populations for harvest.

【 授权许可】

Unknown