MOVI found in Alaska Dall Sheep

[IdahoNancy]

Respiratory Pathogen Confirmed for First Time in Alaska Dall's Sheep and Mountain Goats
- ADF&G Press Release
Sam Cotten, Commissioner
P.O. Box 115526
Juneau, Alaska 99811-5526

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Press Release: March 13, 2018
CONTACT: Bruce Dale, Division Director, (907) 861-2101, bruce.dale@alaska.gov
Respiratory Pathogen Confirmed for First Time in Alaska Dall's Sheep and Mountain Goats
(Anchorage) - A strain of bacteria known to cause pneumonia in Lower 48 bighorn sheep has been detected for the first time in Alaska Dall's sheep and mountain goats.
Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (Movi, for short), described as a respiratory bacteria that can cause disease in susceptible hosts, was recently confirmed in four Dall's sheep within a sample of 136 and in two of 39 mountain goats. The Dall's sheep testing positive for Movi were all in Game Management Unit 13A; all were taken by hunters and appeared healthy. The mountain goats were live captured and released in Southeast and on the Kenai Peninsula and showed no sign of illness; only samples from goats on the Kenai tested positive.
"Our initial research has confirmed Movi in a small number of Dall's sheep and mountain goats in relatively isolated areas of the state," said Division of Wildlife Conservation Director Bruce Dale, adding that Alaska's Dall's sheep and mountain goat populations overall are healthy.
"We are not aware of any pneumonia outbreaks or die-offs in Dall's sheep or mountain goats related to this bacterium."
The department has collected surveillance samples from Dall's sheep and mountain goats throughout most of mainland Alaska for several years, sending them over the last eight months to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal Disease Research Unit. That collaborative effort is credited for the Movi detection.
"Monitoring the health of Alaska's wildlife populations is part of what wildlife managers do," Dale said. "Detecting Moviin Dall's sheep and mountain goats increases our knowledge about the health of Alaska's populations."
Movi is sometimes found in domestic sheep, goats, and wild sheep and goats in the Lower 48, among other hoofed animals. It has been identified as a pathogen in Lower 48 bighorn sheep pneumonia outbreaks that have resulted in significant die-offs. Pneumonia from Movi can develop as the result of multiple stressors including poor nutritional condition and/or environmental factors such as extreme weather, or high population density.
Both domestic and wild sheep and goats can carry the bacteria while showing no signs of illness.
Movi is considered a pathogen because it impairs the hosts' respiratory cilia from clearing bacteria that enter the lungs normally at each breath. This can allow other more virulent bacteria to remain in the lungs to proliferate and cause pneumonia.
The department plans to continue surveillance for Mycoplasma bacteria, including Movi research in Dall's sheep, mountain goats, and other Alaska wildlife in collaboration with the USDA Animal Disease Research Unit and the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Pullman, Washington. For more information about Movi findings in Alaska, see the frequently asked questions at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hottopics.movi

[Nanno]

Interesting. So Movi is already there but the wild sheep are healthy. Makes you wonder what other factors are involved in die-offs. Clearly it's not the mere presence of bacteria.

[IdahoNancy]

New Findings Suggest Movi is More Widespread in Alaska's Wild Sheep and Goats
- ADF&G Press Release
Sam Cotten, Commissioner
P.O. Box 115526
Juneau, Alaska 99811-5526

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Press Release: March 20, 2018
CONTACT: Bruce Dale, Division Director, (907) 861-2101, bruce.dale@alaska.gov
New Findings Suggest Movi is More Widespread in Alaska's Wild Sheep and Goats
(Fairbanks) — New laboratory results received by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game late last Friday have reported detection of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae ("Movi") in nine more Dall's sheep and three more mountain goats — that's in addition to the initial discovery of the bacteria in four Dall's sheep and two mountain goats announced March 13. The findings confirm the detection of Movi in Dall's sheep in Game Management Units 12, 13A, 20A, 25C, 26B, and 26C, and in mountain goats in 15B.
"We're sharing these findings with Alaskans as we receive them," said Bruce Dale, Division of Wildlife Conservation director. Numerous samples are currently queued to be analyzed.
Based on preliminary analysis, three strains of Movi have been identified in Dall's sheep. All animals sampled appeared disease-free and the department has no evidence that Movi has caused sickness or death in Alaska's wild sheep or goat populations.
Sometimes found in domestic and wild sheep and goats in the Lower 48, Movi is considered a pathogen because it impairs hosts' respiratory cilia from clearing bacteria that enter the lungs normally at each breath. Movi has been associated with pneumonia outbreaks in Lower 48 bighorn sheep, often resulting in significant die-offs.
The presence of Movi in an animal does not mean it is or will become sick. More than 100 known Mycoplasma species exist, including Movi, and evidence suggests that virulence — the ability to infect and cause disease — varies between Movi strains. The ability of Movi to cause pneumonia is impacted by multiple stressors including poor nutritional condition and/or environmental factors such as extreme weather. Both domestic and wild sheep and goats can carry the bacteria while showing no signs of illness.
The department has collected surveillance samples from Dall's sheep and mountain goats throughout most of mainland Alaska for years. In response to the recent findings, the department plans to intensify Movi surveillance efforts in Dall's sheep, mountain goats, and other Alaska wildlife in collaboration with the USDA Animal Disease Research Unit and the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Pullman, Washington. Department staff will also monitor the affected wildlife populations.
"We obviously have more to learn about Movi in Alaska," said Dale. "The recent laboratory results provide a starting point for seeking more information about this pathogen."
For more information about Movi findings in Alaska, see the frequently asked questions at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hottopics.movi

[Nanno]

I hope these findings don't get swept under the rug.