DOI: 10.5061/dryad.xd2547dm3
title: Results of survey for selected parasites in Alaska brown bears (Ursus arctos)

description: To assess the prevalence of endo- and ectoparasites in Alaska brown bears
 (Ursus arctos), blood and fecal samples were collected during 2013 – 2016
 from five locations: Gates of the Arctic National Park and
 Preserve (GAAR), Katmai National Park (KATM), Lake Clark National Park and
 Preserve (LACL), Yakutat Forelands (YAK), and Kodiak Island
 (KOD). Standard fecal centrifugal-flotation was used to screen for
 gastrointestinal parasites, molecular techniques were used to test blood
 for the presence of Bartonella and Babesia spp., and an
 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect antibodies to
 Sarcoptes scabiei, a species of mite recently associated with
 mange in American black bears (Ursus americanus). From fecal flotations
 (n=160), we identified the following helminths: Uncinaria sp.
 (n=16, 10.0%), Baylisascaris sp. (n=5, 3.1%), Dibothriocephalus sp. (n=2,
 1.2%), and taeniid-type eggs (n=1, 0.6%). Molecular screening for
 intraerythrocytic parasites (Babesia spp.) and intracellular bacteria
 (Bartonella spp.) was negative for all bears tested. We
 detected antibodies to S. scabiei in six out of 59 (10.2%)
 individuals. The data set contains 238 rows, each row representing a
 capture/sampling event for an individual bear.  The
 location of the bear, month and year of sampling, and bear demographic
 information (ID number, sex, and age) are provided for each entry, as well
 as as which of the three tests (fecal flotation,
 Bartonella/Babesia PCR, Sarcoptes ELISA) were performed on samples
 collected during that capture event. Results are provided for each test
 when it was performed. For fecal flotation, there are columns for presence
 of the four detected parasite genera (1= present, 0 = absent), as well as
 a column for other fecal findings. For Bartonella/Babesia
 testing, a positive or negative result is provided when the tests were
 performed. For the Sarcoptes ELISA, results are provided based on bear
 positive controls and dog positive controls. Samples were reported as
 positive when they were positive when run with both positive
 controls. 
description: As part of ongoing inter-agency research, personnel from the
 Alaska Department of Fish and Game, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and
 Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey sampled 166 brown bears
 during July 2013–July 2017 at five locations: Gates of the Arctic National
 Park and Preserve (GAAR), Katmai National Park (KATM), Kodiak Island
 (KOD), Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (LACL), and the Yakutat
 Forelands. Bears were captured and handled as reported by Ramey et al.
 (2019), with all capture, handling, and sampling procedures approved by
 Animal and Care Use Committees for Alaska Department of Fish and Game
 (2013-028), NPS (2014.A2, 2014.A3), USFWS (2012-14), and USGS (2014-1,
 2014-10, 2015-4, 2015-6).  Feces were collected
 opportunistically from the rectums of 114 anesthetized bears from GAAR,
 KATM, KOD, and LACL one to five times during the study period, stored in
 70% ethanol, then processed using double centrifugal flotation
 with Sheather’s sucrose solution (specific gravity 1.25). 
 Blood was collected as described by Ramey et al. (2019) from 156
 bears from all sites and tested for Bartonella and Babesia species, with
 44 bears screened twice. Genomic DNA was extracted using a DNeasy® Blood
 and Tissue Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) following the manufacturer’s
 protocol. Nested PCR was performed using GoTaq® Flexi DNA Polymerase
 (Promega, Madison, Wisconsin, USA). For Bartonella spp., the ITS gene was
 targeted using the primers and cycling conditions described by Trataris et
 al. (2012). Primary PCR primers were QHVE-1 and QHVE-3; secondary primers
 were QHVE-12 and QHVE-14b. For Babesia spp., the 18S gene was targeted
 using primers and cycling conditions described by Yabsley et al. (2005).
 Primary PCR primers were 3.1 and 5.1; secondary primers were RLB-F and
 RLB-R. Amplicons were purified using the QIAquick gel extraction kit
 (Qiagen) and submitted for bi-directional sequencing at the Georgia
 Genomics and Bioinformatics Core (Athens, Georgia, USA). 
 Serum samples (n=59) were collected from 53 individual bears in
 2016 and 2017 from GAAR, LACL, and KATM and tested for antibodies to
 Sarcoptes scabiei using a commercial indirect ELISA kit designed for
 domestic dogs (Sarcoptes-ELISA 2001, Afosa, Germany). Modifications for
 use in black bears (Ursus americanus) were implemented as described
 (Niedringhaus et al. 2020).   
 Relevent Citations: Niedringhaus KD, Brown JD,
 Ternent M, Peltier SK, Van Wick P, Yabsley MJ. 2020. Serology as a tool to
 investigate sarcoptic mange in American black bears (Ursus americanus) J
 Wildl Dis 56:350-358.  Ramey AM, Cleveland CA,
 Hilderbrand GV, Joly K, Gustine DD, Mangipane B, Leacock WB, Crupi AP,
 Hill DE, Dubey JP, Yabsley MJ. 2019. Exposure of Alaska brown bears (Ursus
 arctos) to bacterial, viral, and parasitic agents varies spatiotemporally
 and may be influenced by age. J Wildl Dis 55:576-588. 
 Trataris AN, Rossouw J, Arntzen L, Karstaedt A, Frean J. 2012.
 Bartonella spp. in human and animal populations in Gauteng, South Africa,
 from 2007 to 2009. J Vet Res 79:E1–8  Yabsley MJ,
 Davidson WR, Stallknecht DE, Varela AS, Swift PK, Devos Jr. JC, Dubay SA.
 2005. Evidence of tick-borne organisms in Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
 from the Western United States. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis
 5:351-362.