LE3 .A278 2012

2012

Stewart, Don

Acadia University

Bachelors of Science

Honours

Biology

Biology

Zoonoses are diseases transmittable to humans by vertebrate animals. They are estimated to be the cause of 75% of emerging diseases worldwide. We are concerned about the possibility of transmission of pathogens in small mammal feces as part of a conservation survey focused on the maritime shrew, Sorex maritimensis (Stewart et al., 2003), and the white-bearded water shrew, Sorex albibarbis (Mycroft et al., 2012). The survey makes use of community members (e.g., school and naturalist groups) by having them set and tend feeding tube stations. The volunteers will forward to Acadia University any fecal samples collected from the feeding tubes. Handling the feces of a vertebrate sets the stage for possible zoonotic transmission. The purpose of this study was to explore possible zoonoses by isolating bacterial species from the feces. Fecal samples were collected using the same feeding tubes that the conservation survey will use and by dissecting shrews that were found dead in the wild. Bacteria were isolated from the feces and tested biochemically. DNA was also extracted from the bacteria. The polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify and sequence a portion of the 16S rRNA gene. The resulting sequences were compared to those in the GenBank database using the basic local alignment search tool. Matches from GenBank identified a number of possible species matches for each sample. These possible identities were compared to the biochemical characteristics which allowed the identities to be narrowed down with more accuracy. Most bacteria identified from the feces were listed in the literature as opportunistic pathogens. Based on the results of this study, field and lab protocols can be modified to help prevent bacterial zoonotic transmission.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:911