Health and Condition

• Recent efforts to assess Beaufort Sea polar bear (Ursus maritimus) health
• Brucella species testing in polar bears (Ursus maritimus)

Recent efforts to assess Beaufort Sea polar bear (Ursus maritimus) health

Cassandra Kirk¹, Rhonda Swor¹, Darce Holcomb¹, Steven Amstrup²,Geoff York² and Todd O’Hara^1
1Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks AK 99775; ²USGS, Alaska Biological Science Center, 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99503-6199

A study of free ranging populations of polar bears in northern Alaska has been initiated to establish clinical (health) baseline data to monitor potential change in health status using multiple hematologic endpoints and infectious agents exposure measures (e.g., serology). Functional assays (eg. blastogenesis) and further sample collection will assist in evaluating the biological significance of these observed changes.

Poster Presentation at Wildlife Society Meeting, Anchorage, Alaska 2006.

Brucella species testing in polar bears (Ursus maritimus)

Darce Holcomb, Rhonda Swor, Cassandra Kirk, Steve Amstrup and Todd O’Hara

Brucellosis usually occurs globally in a variety of terrestrial and marine wildlife. Brucellosis has a low mortality rate, but it causes abortions, infertility, bursitis, arthritis, orchitis, and osteomyelitis in domestic and wildlife species. It is highly contagious and is transmitted to other wildlife through exposure to reproductive discharges after abortions or close contact with other infected individuals. In 1994, Brucella spp. was first discovered to exist in marine mammals when it was found in a captive bottlenose dolphin in California. Since then, Brucella spp. or its antibodies have been found in a variety of marine mammals, including polar bears, ringed seals, harbor porpoises, Atlantic walrus, and minke whales, several of which are prey for polar bears. We present serological data for Brucella spp. in polar bears in Alaska. Considering polar bears are predators of both terrestrial and marine mammals, we assessed the species of Brucella that polar bears may be exposed to (terrestrial vs. marine varieties). Serum is analyzed for Brucella spp. using the Standard Plate Test (SPT) and the buffered Brucella antigen (BBA) card test. Those that result positive for the presence of antibody to Brucella spp. are further assessed by the Western Blot analysis for species specific varieties of Brucella.