Seroepidemiologic Survey of Potential Pathogens in Obligate and Facultative Scavenging Avian Species in California

Straub, Mary H.; Kelly, Terra R.; Rideout, Bruce A.; Eng, Curtis; Wynne, Janna; Braun, Josephine; Johnson, Christine K.

Although infectious disease has not been documented as a significant cause of mortality in California condors, it is critical to understand the range of factors influencing health status in this species because loss of only a few individuals can influence population trajectories. Furthermore, populations consisting mainly of captive-reared individuals, such as California condors, could have increased vulnerability to infectious disease if they are immunologically naïve to pathogens circulating in free-flying sympatric species. Additionally, the California condor experienced a severe population bottleneck prior to extirpation in the wild and the subsequent decline in genetic variability [33, 34] can be associated with decreased resistance to disease [35] [36] [37] . Viability of small populations are highly susceptible to epidemic mortality events, and a baseline understanding of pathogen exposure in the California condor population is critical to informing management and recovery efforts, especially as condors expand their range and encounter new risks [17] .