A Survey of Bacterial Respiratory Pathogens in Native and Introduced Mountain Goats ( Oreamnos americanus)
- Lowrey, Blake [ Montana State University: Ecology ]
- Butler, Carson J. [ National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park, PO Box 170, Moose, Wyoming, 83012, USA ]
- Edwards, William H. [ Wyoming Game and Fish Department Wildlife Health Laboratory, 1174 Snowy Range Road, Laramie, Wyoming 82070, USA ]
- Wood, Mary E. [ Wyoming Game and Fish Department Wildlife Health Laboratory, 1174 Snowy Range Road, Laramie, Wyoming 82070, USA ]
- Dewey, Sarah R. [ National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park, PO Box 170, Moose, Wyoming, 83012, USA ]
- Fralick, Gary L. [ Wyoming Game and Fish Department, PO Box 1022, Thayne, Wyoming, 83127, USA ]
- Jennings-Gaines, Jessica [ Wyoming Game and Fish Department Wildlife Health Laboratory, 1174 Snowy Range Road, Laramie, Wyoming 82070, USA ]
- Killion, Halcyon [ Wyoming Game and Fish Department Wildlife Health Laboratory, 1174 Snowy Range Road, Laramie, Wyoming 82070, USA ]
- McWhirter, Douglas E. [ Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 2820 State Highway 120, Cody, Wyoming, 82414, USA ]
- Miyasaki, Hollie M. [ Idaho Department of Fish and Game, 4279 Commerce Circle, Idaho Falls, Idaho, 83401, USA ]
- Stewart, Shawn T. [ Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, PO Box 581, Red Lodge, Montana, 59068, USA ]
- White, Kevin S. [ Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation, PO Box 240020, Douglas, AK 99824, USA ]
- White, Patrick J. [ National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, PO Box 168, Mammoth, Wyoming, 82190, USA ]
- Garrott, Robert A. [ Montana State University: Ecology ]
In contrast to broad range expansion through translocations, many mountain goat ( Oreamnos americanus) populations have shown signs of decline. Recent documentation of pneumonia in mountain goats highlights their susceptibility to bacterial pathogens typically associated with bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis) epizootics. Respiratory pathogen communities of mountain goats are poorly characterized yet have important implications for management and conservation of both species. We characterized resident pathogen communities across a range of mountain goat populations as an initial step to inform management efforts. Between 2010 and 2017, we sampled 98 individuals within three regions of the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA), with a smaller sampling effort in southeast Alaska, USA. Within the GYA, we detected Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae in two regions and we found at least two Pasteurellaceae species in animals from all regions. Mannheimia haemolytica was the only pathogen that we detected in southeast Alaska. Given the difficult sampling conditions, limited sample size, and imperfect detection, our failure to detect specific pathogens should be interpreted with caution. Nonetheless, respiratory pathogens within the GYA may be an important, yet underappreciated, cause of mountain goat mortality. Moreover, because of the strong niche overlap of bighorn sheep and mountain goats, interspecific transmission is an important concern for managers restoring or introducing mountain ungulates within sympatric ranges.