Development of resistance to sarcoptic mange in ibex |
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Authors: | Jesús M. Pérez Antonio J. López-Montoya Francisco J. Cano-Manuel Ramón C. Soriguer Paulino Fandos José E. Granados |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Animal and Plant Biology, and Ecology, Jaén University, Campus Las Lagunillas, s.n., E-23071 Jaén, Spain;2. Departament of Statistics and Operational Research, Jaén University, Campus Las Lagunillas, s.n., E-23071, Jaén, Spain;3. Junta de Andalucía, Departamento de Actuaciones en el Medio Natural, Av. Joaquina Eguaras 2, Granada, E-18013 Spain;4. Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio, s.n., Sevilla, E-41092 Spain CIBERESP, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain;5. C/Ocaña, 44, 2° D, E-28047, Madrid, Spain;6. Wildlife Ecology and Health (WE&H) group |
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Abstract: | Sarcoptic mange affects mammal host species worldwide and, particularly, wild Caprinae throughout much of Eurasia. In the Iberian Peninsula, several outbreaks of sarcoptic mange in Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) have been reported since the 1980s. Using data from a period of long-term monitoring and a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA)-generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) model approach, we performed a time-series analysis of the monthly prevalence of sarcoptic mange in the Iberian ibex population in Sierra Nevada Natural Space in southern Spain. In January 2003–March 2021, we documented a significant negative trend in sarcoptic mange prevalence, albeit with some interannual peaks. These findings can only be explained if a certain level of resistance to sarcoptic mange exists in hosts that, along with other factors, could provoke this reduced prevalence. Prevalence values varied seasonally, with maximum values in spring and minimum values at the end of summer, which may be due to factors linked to climate, host behavior, and endocrine activity. Our model predicts that the prevalence of sarcoptic mange in the Iberian ibex will continue to decrease over the next 2 years. Despite the inherent challenges involved, diagnosing and monitoring of wildlife diseases are integral to obtaining reliable epidemiological data and designing appropriate management strategies. |
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Keywords: | epidemiology Iberian ibex management prevalence sarcoptic mange wildlife diseases |
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