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Ostrowski, S.; Gilbert, M.
Diseases of free-ranging snow leopards and primary prey species
2016  Book Chapter

This review aims to present the major infectious diseases that may affect free-ranging snow leopards, and those that may impact the abundance of their natural ungulate prey. It is beyond the scope of this review to cite the numerous studies that have documented neoplasia, degenerative diseases, congenital malformations, and infectious diseases (occasionally lethal) in captive snow leopards. In addition it should not be considered as a comprehensive review of infectious diseases; it concentrates only on those with a perceived lethality in nature. Snow leopards and their ungulate prey inhabit cold arid environments. Because microbial abundance in soil correlates negatively with precipitation, it is predicted that they encounter lower microbial abundance than their counterparts in more mesic, temperate or tropical environments, and may have evolved correspondingly lower immune indices. This circumstance is preoccupying from a conservation standpoint as it may render these species particularly vulnerable to the emergence of pathogens disseminated by fast-spreading populations of domestic species, and to changes in pathogen distribution resulting from climatic changes. The present review shows that at least for snow leopard prey species, disease is already a significant local threat, and may be following an increasing trend, whereas data deficiencies prevent a full evaluation of the disease threat to the snow leopards themselves.

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