Progress 03/26/19 to 03/11/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience were pheasant producers in California and other stakeholders including the California Dept of Food and Agriculture Changes/Problems:Because we were unable to survey a large enough group of producers we were unable to do the anticipated SIR (Susceptible, Infected, Recovered) and/or SEIR (Susceptible, Exposed, Infected and Recovered) models. In place of that a survey was completed of biosecurity practices on commercial pheasant farms. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A workshop was planned with the phesant industry but due to lack of participation it was cancelled unfortunately. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As an extension veterinarian with a focus on poultry heath and food safety epidemiology, this is an extremely difficult audience to reach. In short, unfortunately they don't want contact with academia and government and are afraid that their practices will draw in their mind unecessary attention and regulation. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Releasing pen-reared game birds onto public and private wildlands is a common management practice in California, but little is known of the potential for pathogens to spread via this practice. Following a preliminary serologic survey completed in 2015, serological data were collected from 6 wildland sites from wild (n = 46) and pen-reared (n = 65) ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) in the Central Valley of California during 2016 and 2017. Subsequently, disease surveillance on pen-reared pheasants was performed by performing nNecropsy ecropsies, avian serology and ancillary diagnostics, s were performed in addition to serological testing on 40 pen-reared pheasants submitted from five commercial gamebird farms in 2017. Farm owners were subsequently interviewed to gather information on production practices that could be relevant to pathogen transmission. The aim of this study was to investigate exposure to infectious disease agents which could be transmitted to other wildlife or domesticated birds. Pen-reared pheasants sampled across seven breeding farms were seropositive against hemorrhagic enteritis virus (HEV), infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT), infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), paramyxovirus type 1 (PMV-1), and Pasteurella multocida (PM). Furthermore, based on necropsy surveillance all submitted pen-reared pheasants from three of these farms were positive by PCR for Siadenovirus, the causative agent of marble spleen disease (MSD), which is genetically similar to HEV of turkeys. Previously released pen-reared pheasants captured at our study sites (n = 6) were also seropositive for HEV, ILT, and PM. In wild pheasant, antibodies were detected against HEV, IBDV, and PM. Therefore, based on serological surveillance, both wild and pen-reared pheasants appear to be exposed to similar pathogens, making it difficult to demonstrate a causative link based on serological data alone. ?
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Dwight, Ian A., Peter S. Coates, Simone T. Stoute, C. Gabriel Senties-Cue, Radhika V. Gharpure, and Maurice E. Pitesky. "Serologic surveillance of wild and pen-reared ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) as a method of understanding disease reservoirs." Journal of wildlife diseases 54, no. 2 (2018): 414-418.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
"Health surveillance of a potential bridge host: pathogen exposure risks posed to avian populations augmented with pheasants raised on game breeding farms"
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