Survey for Select Pathogens in the Desert Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis arsipus) in California, USA.

Abstract

Following a canine distemper virus (CDV) epizootic in 2011, serum samples of 45 live-trapped desert kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis arsipus) from the Upper Chuckwalla Valley, California, US, were tested for the presence of antibodies against CDV, canine parvovirus (CPV), canine herpes virus (CHV), canine adenovirus (CAV-2), and Toxoplasma gondii. Fecal swabs were tested by PCR for CPV genomic material, and ocular and nasal swabs were assessed for genomic material of CDV, CHV, CAV-2, influenza virus (H3N8), parainfluenza, canine respiratory coronavirus, Bordetella bronchiseptica, and Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus. Fourteen foxes (31.1%) were positive in at least one test, with exposure and/or infection confirmed for CDV (6/45, 13.3%), CPV (4/45, 8.9%), S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus (4/45, 8.9%), and T. gondii (2/45, 4.4%). Study results were similar to results reported for kit foxes in other portions of their distribution. Further research with long-term regular testing is needed to understand disease dynamics in kit fox populations better.