Mercury Exposure Is Associated with Urbanization but not Salmonella Status in White Ibis (Eudocimus albus).
J Wildl Dis
; 60(3): 769-773, 2024 07 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38754863
ABSTRACT
Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous contaminant in wetlands that can cause immunosuppression in birds, which may increase susceptibility to colonization with Salmonella spp. Previously, we found that White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), a recently urbanized wading bird, shed Salmonella spp. at a higher prevalence when captured at urban sites, compared with natural sites. In this study, we sought to determine if Hg burdens in ibis are related to Salmonella status or degree of urbanization or both. We analyzed feathers from 94 ibis in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, along an urbanization gradient (0-68% urbanization) and from individuals with confirmed Salmonella spp. status (shedding or not shedding). We detected Hg in all ibis feathers (0.22-8.47 mg/kg; mean=1.96 mg/kg; SD=1.94). The Hg concentration was not significantly correlated to Salmonella spp. shedding status (Wilcoxon rank sum test, W=1170; P=0.596) but was negatively associated with capture site urbanization level (R2=0.327; P=0.026). Our findings may suggest that the immunosuppressive effects of Hg do not affect Salmonella shedding in the ibis or that Hg burdens were too low to affect Salmonella shedding status. Further, ibis that were captured in high urbanization sites appeared to have a lower risk of Hg exposure than ibis that were captured within low urbanization sites.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Salmonelose Animal
/
Urbanização
/
Doenças das Aves
/
Mercúrio
Limite:
Animals
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Wildl Dis
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos
País de publicação:
EEUU
/
ESTADOS UNIDOS
/
ESTADOS UNIDOS DA AMERICA
/
EUA
/
UNITED STATES
/
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
/
US
/
USA