Climate change will increase the risk for infectious diseases in the mouth and eyes of reindeer in the Nordic countries

Climate change and extreme weather events may increase the risk for infectious diseases and change their epidemiology. Reindeer herding in the Nordic countries will be heavily affected. Warmer winters and increased precipitation will cause more frequent freeze- thaw events and form an ice cover on the ground. This hinders the reindeers’ ability to both smell the forage under the ice and to reach it through digging. To avoid starvation, reindeer are fed with supplementary fodder in the field or in enclosures. This mitigation strategy is saving reindeer lives, but also leads to stress, increased animal density, and challenging hygienic conditions which increases the risks for infectious disease transmission. Infectious diseases of the mucosa of the eyes and mouth are increasingly observed. Examinations in the field and at slaughter have confirmed that herpesvirus and Chlamydia are important agents causing eye infections in reindeer. Serious oral infections, e.g. Orf and necrobacillosis are common causes to lesions in the mouth. These infections are highly contagious and require immediate action by the herder and measures to reduce animal suffering and economic loss for the herder include separating affected animals from healthy, medical treatment if possible, but also slaughter or euthanasia. Further studies on reindeer herder knowledge and perception regarding eye and mouth infections; how these affects the reindeer and herders’ strategies to handle this problem is ongoing.

Til publikasjon: https://hdl.handle.net/11250/4521480 | Publiseringsår: 2021 | Tidsskrift: