title: Surveillance of coyotes to detect bovine tuberculosis, Michigan.
abstract: Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is endemic in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the northeastern portion of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Bovine TB in deer and cattle has created immense financial consequences for the livestock industry and hunting public. Surveillance identified coyotes (Canis latrans) as potential bio-accumulators of Mycobacterium bovis, a finding that generated interest in their potential to serve as sentinels for monitoring disease risk. We sampled 175 coyotes in the bovine TB-endemic area. Fifty-eight tested positive, and infection prevalence by county ranged from 19% to 52% (statistical mean 33%, SE 0.07). By contrast, prevalence in deer (n = 3,817) was lower (i.e., 1.49%; Mann-Whitney U4,4 = 14, p<0.001). By focusing on coyotes rather than deer, we sampled 97% fewer individuals and increased the likelihood of detecting M. bovis by 40%. As a result of reduced sampling intensity, sentinel coyote surveys have the potential to be practical indicators of M. bovis presence in wildlife and livestock.
authors.affiliation: US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA. kurt.c.vercauteren@aphis.usda.gov
authors.forename: Kurt C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: VerCauteren
authors.forename: Todd C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Atwood
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: DeLiberto
authors.forename: Holly J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Justin S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.forename: Bruce V
authors.initials: BV
authors.lastname: Thomsen
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gidlewski
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Payeur
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology*; D002417:Cattle; D046029:Coyotes / Q000382:microbiology*; D003670:Deer / Q000382:microbiology; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D008824:Michigan / Q000453:epidemiology; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015995:Prevalence; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D014380:Tuberculosis, Bovine / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology