Journal
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
Volume 250, Issue -, Pages 389-395Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2000.tb00782.x
Keywords
badger; Meles meles; mortality; bovine tuberculosis
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The mortality rates of badgers Meles meles were estimated, using data from a long-term capture-mark-recapture study of an undisturbed badger population in south-west England. Two life table methods were used: fusion and discounting. Badgers were allocated to a particular TB status for all or part of their lives according to their degree of infection with bovine tuberculosis Mycobacterium bovis. Separate life tables were created for animals with each TB status, and for males and females, and the estimated mortality rates were compared statistically. The progression of M. bovis infection, and the positions of AL bovis lesions were also analysed. The main findings are: (a) uninfected male badgers have a significantly higher mortality rate than uninfected females, (b) infected badgers which are not excreting M. bovis do not have a significantly higher mortality rate than uninfected badgers, (c) badgers which are excreting M. bovis have a much higher mortality rate than uninfected badgers, (d) male badgers appear to cope with M. bovis infection less well than females, and (e) there map be sex differences in the mode of spread of M. bovis in badgers.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available