Sarcoptic Mange is an Emerging Threat to Biodiversity in the Qinling
Mountains in China
Abstract
Sarcoptic mange, a disease caused by the burrowing mite Sarcoptes
scabiei, is globally endemic and an emerging threat to wildlife.
Although many studies have shown that wildlife diseases play key roles
in biodiversity conservation, knowledge about sarcoptic mange is still
insufficient. In this study, we aim to improve the understanding of the
impacts of sarcoptic mange on wildlife populations, the mechanisms
involved in its ecoepidemiology, and the associated risks to public and
ecosystem health by investigating mass death events in gorals and serows
in the Qinling Mountains. We conducted interviews with practitioners and
local people in the central Qinling Mountains. From the same locations,
we collected 24 cutaneous samples from various animals and surveillance
data from infrared cameras. Pathological, parasitological and
microbiological examinations of the samples were performed. Mite-induced
cutaneous lesions, mites and eggs were observed in samples from dead
gorals and one dead serow, but not in other species. Molecular analysis
confirmed the mites to be S. scabiei that originated from rabbits. The
data obtained from the interviews and infrared cameras indicated that
the death of wildlife was related to sarcoptic mange infection and that
there had been a decrease in the goral population since the outbreak of
the disease. We confirmed that sarcoptic mange was the major cause of
the mass death events and may have spread from the western to eastern
Qinling Mountains. Based on our findings, we propose several protection
strategies to help preserve biodiversity in the Qinling Mountains.