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Volume 11
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10.3390/pathogens11070807
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Article

Disturbance Ecology Meets Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) Epidemiology: A Before-and-After Study on the Association between Forest Clearfelling and bTB Herd Risk in Cattle Herds

by
Andrew W. Byrne
1,*,
Damien Barrett
1,2,
Philip Breslin
2,
James O’Keeffe
2,
Kilian J. Murphy
3,
Kimberly Conteddu
3,
Virginia Morera-Pujol
3,
Eoin Ryan
2 and
Simone Ciuti
3
1
One Health Scientific Support Unit, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, D02 WK12 Dublin, Ireland
2
Ruminant Animal Health Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, D02 WK12 Dublin, Ireland
3
Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Pathogens 2022, 11(7), 807; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11070807
Submission received: 25 May 2022 / Revised: 12 July 2022 / Accepted: 14 July 2022 / Published: 19 July 2022
(This article belongs to the Section Bacterial Pathogens)
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Abstract

Disturbance ecology refers to the study of discrete processes that disrupt the structure or dynamics of an ecosystem. Such processes can, therefore, affect wildlife species ecology, including those that are important pathogen hosts. We report on an observational before-and-after study on the association between forest clearfelling and bovine tuberculosis (bTB) herd risk in cattle herds, an episystem where badgers (Meles meles) are the primary wildlife spillover host. The study design compared herd bTB breakdown risk for a period of 1 year prior to and after exposure to clearfelling across Ireland at sites cut in 2015–2017. The percent of herds positive rose from 3.47% prior to clearfelling to 4.08% after exposure. After controlling for confounders (e.g., herd size, herd type), we found that cattle herds significantly increased their odds of experiencing a bTB breakdown by 1.2-times (95%CIs: 1.07–1.36) up to 1 year after a clearfell risk period. Disturbance ecology of wildlife reservoirs is an understudied area with regards to shared endemic pathogens. Epidemiological observational studies are the first step in building an evidence base to assess the impact of such disturbance events; however, such studies are limited in inferring the mechanism for any changes in risk observed. The current cohort study suggested an association between clearfelling and bTB risk, which we speculate could relate to wildlife disturbance affecting pathogen spillback to cattle, though the study design precludes causal inference. Further studies are required. However, ultimately, integration of epidemiology with wildlife ecology will be important for understanding the underlying mechanisms involved, and to derive suitable effective management proposals, if required.
Keywords: wildlife disease; mycobacteria; zoonotic disease; anthropogenic disturbance; social perturbation wildlife disease; mycobacteria; zoonotic disease; anthropogenic disturbance; social perturbation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Byrne, A.W.; Barrett, D.; Breslin, P.; O’Keeffe, J.; Murphy, K.J.; Conteddu, K.; Morera-Pujol, V.; Ryan, E.; Ciuti, S. Disturbance Ecology Meets Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) Epidemiology: A Before-and-After Study on the Association between Forest Clearfelling and bTB Herd Risk in Cattle Herds. Pathogens 2022, 11, 807. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11070807

AMA Style

Byrne AW, Barrett D, Breslin P, O’Keeffe J, Murphy KJ, Conteddu K, Morera-Pujol V, Ryan E, Ciuti S. Disturbance Ecology Meets Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) Epidemiology: A Before-and-After Study on the Association between Forest Clearfelling and bTB Herd Risk in Cattle Herds. Pathogens. 2022; 11(7):807. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11070807

Chicago/Turabian Style

Byrne, Andrew W., Damien Barrett, Philip Breslin, James O’Keeffe, Kilian J. Murphy, Kimberly Conteddu, Virginia Morera-Pujol, Eoin Ryan, and Simone Ciuti. 2022. "Disturbance Ecology Meets Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) Epidemiology: A Before-and-After Study on the Association between Forest Clearfelling and bTB Herd Risk in Cattle Herds" Pathogens 11, no. 7: 807. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11070807

APA Style

Byrne, A. W., Barrett, D., Breslin, P., O’Keeffe, J., Murphy, K. J., Conteddu, K., Morera-Pujol, V., Ryan, E., & Ciuti, S. (2022). Disturbance Ecology Meets Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) Epidemiology: A Before-and-After Study on the Association between Forest Clearfelling and bTB Herd Risk in Cattle Herds. Pathogens, 11(7), 807. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11070807

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