Threatened Habitats of Carnivores: Identifying Conservation Areas in Michoacán, México

The present study contributes to bridging the gap in research related to the presence and distribution patterns of carnivore mammals in western México and identifies priority areas for biodiversity conservation in western Michoacán, México. The distribution of 11 carnivore species (Canis latrans; Urocyon cinereoargenteus; Herpailurus yagouaroundi; Leopardus pardalis; Leopardus wiedii; Puma concolor; Panthera onca; Conepatus leuconotus; Bassariscus astutus; Nasua narica; Procyon lotor) in western México was modeled through the application of a two-scale approach, including a large modeled region that corresponded to the western part of the country, for which consensus models were obtained that represent the species’ bioclimatic envelopes (historic occurrence records); and the second modeled study area that includes only the western portion of the state of Michoacán in which compounded models of the species’ habitat suitability (field occurrence records) for this region were proposed. Using species’ habitat suitability models as biodiversity units, prioritization exercises were carried out on important areas for the conservation of these species, as well as the comparison and analysis of the existing natural protected areas (NPA) and existing proposed conservation areas in the study area. The different exercises for prioritizing areas for conservation yielded similar results and show the potential percentages of the landscape that can be subjected to conservation programs. The highest conservation priority values were mainly located in the Costas del Sur and Cordillera del Sur provinces. This study signifies a flexible basis from which future studies on planning and designing a network of natural protected areas can be carried out in this region.

Hunting and water scarcity affect habitat occupancy by peccaries (Tayassu pecari and Pecari tajacu) in Calakmul, Mexico

The white-lipped peccary (WLP; Tayassu pecari) and the collared peccary (CP; Pecari tajacu) are social ungulates of huge ecological and economic importance. We determined the habitat occupancy for peccaries in a rural community bordering the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in Campeche, Mexico. Twenty-eight stratified sampling points were randomly placed in the study area during a rainy and a dry season, where the presence of both peccary species was measured in relation to three ecological variables (habitat type, presence of natural predators, and water availability) and one anthropogenic variable (hunting). Ten sampling points were established with camera traps (total days/camera traps = 2268), and 18 sampling points were plots of 20 m2 to detect feces and/or footprints. To assess the relationship between both species’ presence and the selected variables, models of habitat occupancy were constructed using a binary matrix of detection/non-detection using the PRESENCE program. For WLP and CP, the respective estimated occupancy probabilities were 30 and 40% in the rainy season and 88 and 44% in the dry season. Our results suggest that occupancy by WLP is affected by habitat type and predators in the rainy season and by water availability and hunting in the dry season. Conversely, for CP, occupancy is affected by water availability and hunting in the rainy season, and by habitat type and predators in the dry season. Thus, hunting negatively affects the way that WLP occupy specific habitats, such as floodplain forest and medium sub-deciduous forest, particularly during periods of water scarcity when the species is more vulnerable to hunting.

Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) infection in captive white-collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu) from Uruguay

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a major cause of acute hepatitis worldwide. Clinical presentation of hepatitis E mainly occurs as an acute and self-limited disease, though chronic cases are now being commonly reported in immunocompromised individuals. In high-income developed areas and non-endemic regions, HEV is mainly transmitted by the zoonotic route through direct contact with infected animals or by consumption of contaminated meat products. Although pigs and wild boars are the main reservoirs of the disease, HEV can also infect deer, camels, and rats and seems to have an ever-expanding host range. Peccaries (Tayassuidae family, superfamily Suoidea), the 'new world pigs', share susceptibility to several pathogens with domestic pigs and wild boars. Herein, we performed a serological and molecular survey of two captive populations of white-collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu) from Uruguay, with the aim to assess the role of the species as an HEV reservoir. One-hundred and one serum samples were analysed for anti-HEV antibodies. Further evidences of active HEV infection were investigated in stool by RT-nested PCR. Animals from both wildlife reserves were exposed to HEV with an overall prevalence of 24.7%. Moreover, HEV RNA could be detected in peccaries' stool samples from one of the reserves. Phylogenetic analysis clustered the strains within HEV-3, closely related to both human and swine isolates. Our work provides the first evidences supporting the notion that white-collared peccaries are susceptible to HEV. However, these data should not be overinterpreted. Further research is needed concerning the role of peccaries in the transmission of HEV.