| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立屏東科技大學 === 野生動物保育研究所 === 105 === This is the first study on the physiological values of Formosan black bears and the infection of blood parasites in both bears and the ticks on them. Hematologic and plasma biochemical analyses, blood culture, PCR and gene sequencing were used to examine the blood samples, bacteria colonies and ectoparasites in this study. A total of 12 Formosan black bears were captured from Yu-Shan National Park and DaSyueShan National Forest Recreation Area. Eleven blood samples and 225 ticks were collected from these bears. According to the results of morphology identification, eight species of ticks were identified in this study, including Haemaphysalis flava, Haemaphysalis hystricis, Amblyomma testudinarium, Ixodes ovatus, Dermacentor taiwanensis, and Haemaphysalis longicornis. Two of them (I. acutitarsus and A. javanense) were found in Taiwan for the first time, and A. javanense has never been found in bears before. The results of PCR and gene sequencing showed that the bears were infected with Hepatozoon ursi (90.9%) and Babesia spp. (72.73%), and the ticks on the bears also carried H. ursi (66.67%) and Babesia spp. (56.89%). High levels of similarity of the phylogenetic relationship (98.8-99.7%) were observed between H. ursi in this study and those found in sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) and Japanese black bears (Ursus thibetanus japonicas). Besides, a low sequence similarity (32.7-40.8%) was seen between Babesia spp. in this study and those found in brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Japan. The sequence similarity among Babesia spp. identified in the bears in the present study highly varied (29.0-100.0%). Babesia spp. detected from three Formosan black bears and ticks showed high gene sequence similarity to Babesia gibsoni from dogs (95.5%), but had low sequence similarities compared to Babesia spp. from other animals. As for physiological values of the Formosan black bears, adults had significantly higher Ca2+ value than Juveniles. Total white blood cells (WBCs), segmented neutrophils, monocytes, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and creatine kinase (CK) values were higher in bears captured by snare traps than those captured by culverts. The values of inorganic phosphorus (iP) of the bears captured in Yu-Shan National Park were significantly higher than those in DaSyueShan Forest Recreation Area. The results of pathogens detection in bears and their ectoparasites showed that female ticks most likely carried H. ursi than males, and ticks from adult bears most likely carried H. ursi than those from juveniles. For Babesia spp. detected in ticks, females most likely carried Babesia spp. than males, and nymphs most likely carried Babesia spp. than adults. The prevalence of Babesia spp. in ticks collected from bears at DaSyueShan Forest Recreation Area was significantly higher than that collected from bears at Yu-Shan National Park. Ticks on juvenile and male bears most likely carried Babesia spp. than those on adult and female bears, respectively. In addition, there was a positive correlation between the infection rate of Babesia spp. in black bears and the ticks collected from them. This study provided information concerning physiological values for wild Formosan black bears, and the infection status of blood parasites in both bears and the ticks on them. These findings can be the references for the conservation and management of Formosan black bears.
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