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A non-invasive tool for assessing pathogen prevalence in koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations: detection of Chlamydia pecorum and koala retrovirus (KoRV) DNA in genetic material sourced from scats

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Abstract

Pathogenic diseases may threaten the viability of wild animal populations, especially when already vulnerable. The mitigation of risks associated with pathogenic infections in populations is an important factor in conservation strategies. Koalas are of conservation concern across the north of their range and are affected by two main pathogens; Chlamydia pecorum and the koala retrovirus (KoRV). This study tested whether DNA from C. pecorum and KoRV could be detected in genetic material isolated from koala scats. Detection of C. pecorum in scat isolated DNA samples was compared with results obtained from urogenital swabs collected from the same individuals as part of an independent study. The ability to detect KoRV in scats from both northern and southern regions of the koala’s range was also assessed. There was a high level of concordance (5/6) between the detection of C. pecorum in DNA isolated from scats and urogenital swabs from the same individual. In positive samples, C. pecorum ompA genotypes were identical between DNA from scats and urogenital swabs in two out of three cases. In samples from the south of the koala’s range, KoRV copy number was higher in DNA isolated from scats compared to DNA isolated from ear tissue, potentially indicating the detection of horizontally acquired infections. Our results demonstrate the ability to detect C. pecorum and KoRV in DNA isolated from koala scats. This method will be useful for studying the prevalence, transmission and impact of these pathogens in wild populations which may subsequently inform conservation management strategies.

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Acknowledgments

Grand Ridge Plantations Pty. Ltd (HVP Plantations) and the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment-Equity Trustees Charitable Foundation are thanked for funding this study. Richard Appleton (HVP) and Chris Allen (NSW Office of Environment and Heritage) are thanked for their support and assistance with the collection of scat samples in the Strzelecki Ranges. David Phalen is thanked for supplying swab isolated DNA for sequencing and quantitative PCR. David Phalen, Damien Higgins and Andrea Casteriano from the Koala Health Hub at Sydney University are thanked for their assistance and for conducting independent analyses. We thank Colleen Wood and the Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter for supplying tissue samples. Cheyne Flanagan and the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital are thanked for the collection of scat samples. Ashley Reed and the Koala Conservation Centre are also thanked for access to and assistance with collecting scats. We also sincerely thank the two anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions for improving this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Faye Wedrowicz & Tom Saxton

  2. School of Applied and Biomedical Sciences, Federation University Australia, Churchill, VIC, 3842, Australia

    Faye Wedrowicz, Jennifer Mosse, Wendy Wright & Fiona E. Hogan

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  1. Faye Wedrowicz
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  2. Tom Saxton
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Correspondence to Faye Wedrowicz.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

A research permit was obtained under provisions of the Wildlife Act 1975 and National Parks Acts 1975 from the Department of Sustainability and Environment (Permit No. 10004020). Research was also approved by the Monash University Biological Sciences Animal Ethics Committee (AEC No. GIPP/2011/03).

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Online resource 1

Standard curves and data for real time PCR assays (DOCX 79 kb)

Online resource 2

C. pecorum sequences (FASTA file) (TXT 8 kb)

Online resource 3

KoRV sequences (FASTA file) (TXT 5 kb)

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Wedrowicz, F., Saxton, T., Mosse, J. et al. A non-invasive tool for assessing pathogen prevalence in koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations: detection of Chlamydia pecorum and koala retrovirus (KoRV) DNA in genetic material sourced from scats. Conservation Genet Resour 8, 511–521 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-016-0574-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-016-0574-3

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