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    Naturally occurring etiologic factors affecting the health of breeding seabirds in the Bering Sea

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    Author
    Branson, Maile
    Chair
    Winker, Kevin
    Bortz, Eric
    Committee
    Causey, Douglas
    Murphy, Molly
    Chen, Jack
    Keyword
    Sea bird populations
    Diseases
    Bering Sea
    Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
    Health
    Sea birds
    Avian influenza A virus
    Fulmarus glacialis
    Paralytic shellfish poisoning
    Metadata
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    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/11122/12990
    Abstract
    Seabird populations across the globe have experienced both significant instability and consistent overall declines in recent history. Seabirds in the Bering Sea of Alaska, USA appear to be severely affected by environmental changes, exhibiting large-scale shifts in behavior and distribution and increases in unusual mortality events (UMEs) in recent years. I analyze a selection of the naturally occurring pathogenic and toxicological factors affecting breeding seabirds in the Bering Sea region using an approach focusing on zoonoses and bioaccumulating toxins. Specimens were collected at three breeding colonies in the Bering Sea in 2018 and 2019, and were evaluated for the presence of several pathogens and toxins. First, I examined the frequency of Influenza A Virus (IAV) in several understudied clades of seabird host species (n=146 individuals) across the Bering Sea. Second, I used a novel set of genetic amplification and sequencing techniques for metagenomic analysis both to determine the respiratory microbiome and to detect the presence of potentially pathogenic microorganisms in northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) on St. Matthew and Hall islands (n = 15). Finally, I sought to evaluate the levels of paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) in the digestive tracts of northern fulmars from St. Matthew and Hall islands (n = 14). Together, these studies detected several viral and bacterial pathogens, many with zoonotic potential. These included Coxiella, Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, and IAV. PSTs were also detected in birds sampled from 2019, indicating the presence of harmful algae in the Beringian food web. The detection of these etiologic factors along with the incidence of major morbidity and mortality events suggest these birds might serve as sentinel species, indicating variations in environmental change that can pose a significant risk to both ecological stability and human health in the region.
    Description
    Dissertation (Ph.D) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2021
    Table of Contents
    Chapter1: Introduction -- 1.1. The Bering Sea -- 1.2. Zoonotic potential -- 1.3. Seabird population stability, morbidity, and mortality -- 1.4. Study aims -- 1.5. References. Chapter 2: Identification of respiratory influenza A viruses in breeding seabirds of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (2018-2019) -- 2.1. Abstract -- 2.2. Introduction --2.3. Materials and methods -- 2.3.1. Field sampling -- 2.3.2. Detection of IAV -- 2.3.3. Full-genome sequencing of IAV -- 2.3.4. Bioinformatic analysis -- 2.4. Results -- 2.5. Discussion -- 2.6. Acknowledgments -- 2.7. References -- 2.8. Figures -- 2.9. Tables. Chapter 3: profiling the respiratory microbiome of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) in the Bering Sea using metagenomic analysis -- 3.1. Abstract -- 3.2. Introduction -- 3.3. Materials and methods -- 3.3.1. Sample collection and necropsy -- 3.3.2. Sample preparation and genetic analysis -- 3.3.3. Bioinformatic analysis -- 3.3.4. Pathogen validation -- 3.4. Results -- 3.5. Discussion -- 3.6. Acknowledgments -- 3.7. References -- 3.8. Figures -- 3.9. Tables. Chapter 4: Paralytic shellfish toxins in the digestive tracts of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) in the Bering Sea 2018-2019 -- 4.1. Abstract -- 4.2. Introduction -- 4.3. Materials and methods -- 4.3.1. Sample collection and necropsy -- 4.3.2. High pressure liquid chromatography post column oxidation analysis (HPLC PCOX) -- 4.3.3. QA/QC -- 4.3.4. Statistical analysis -- 4.4. Results -- 4.5. Discussion -- 4.6. Acknowledgments -- 4.7. References -- 4.8. Tables. Chapter 5: Conclusion -- 5.1. General conclusion -- 5.2. References.
    Date
    2021-12
    Type
    Dissertation
    Collections
    Biological Sciences

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