Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii and Brucella spp. in tissues from subsistence harvested northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) of St. Paul Island,Alaska |
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| Authors: | Colleen Duncan Bobette Dickerson Kristy Pabilonia Amy Miller Tom Gelatt |
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| Institution: | .Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Diagnostic Medical Center, 300 West Drake Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80524 USA ;.National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Mammal Lab, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, Washington 98115 USA ;.CytoVet, 5916 Willow Lane, Dallas, Texas 75239 USA |
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| Abstract: | BackgroundThe northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) is an important cultural and nutritional resource for the Aleut community on St. Paul Island Alaska. In recent years, an increasing number of zoonotic pathogens have been identified in the population, but the public health significance of these findings is unknown. To determine the prevalence of Coxiella burnetii and Brucella spp. in northern fur seal tissues, eight tissue types from 50 subsistence-harvested fur seals were tested for bacterial DNA by real-time polymerase chain reaction.FindingsOf the 400 samples tested, only a single splenic sample was positive for Brucella spp. and the cycle threshold (ct) value was extremely high suggesting a low concentration of DNA within the tissue. C. burnetii DNA was not detected.ConclusionsFindings suggest that the risk of humans contracting brucellosis or Q fever from the consumption of harvested northern fur seals is low. |
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| Keywords: | Alaska Brucella Callorhinus ursinus Coxiella burnetii northern fur seal zoonoses |
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