Prevalence of ADV transmitted by American mink in native European mustelids
Words by Anna Wereszczuk and Andrzej Zalewski | Photograph credit to Mammal Research Institute Polish Academy of Sciences
Invasive American mink pose a major threat to European ecosystems. They outcompete native species for resources, alter habitats and enable potential genetic hybridisation. They also introduce pathogens into the environment, with one such pathogen being the Aleutian disease virus (ADV). An understanding of the factors that determine virus transfer between invasive and native species is crucial to the mitigation of the negative impact of the pathogens introduced. ADV seroprevalence in American mink varied spatially from 0 to 0.8 in the northern regions of Poland. Antibodies to ADV were detected in all six studied mustelids, including a novel finding in weasels. ADV seroprevalence in native mustelids correlated positively with its occurrence in American mink, and reached 0.54 in areas with the highest mink ADV seroprevalence. Furthermore, among native mustelids, species more closely related to mink showed higher ADV seroprevalence – with polecats and weasels being more affected than badgers, which are more distantly related. Over the 27-year study period, ADV seroprevalence in mustelids has increased from 0.04 to 0.60. Our results indicate that the introduction of invasive species may facilitate the spread of viral infections among native mustelids.