Skip to main content
Entomology 2025 Main banner
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
 
Oral Presentation
Oral Presentation
Poster Display
Poster Display
Student Competition
Student Competition
Ticketed Event
Ticketed Event

Section Symposium

Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology

Poster Display

Born to Be Wild: Investigating Wildlife-Arthropod Vector Interactions in a One Health Context

Parasites, pathogens, and populations: A multidimensional study of nasal mite infestations in a threatened marine mammal

Tuesday, November 11, 2025
10:25 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific
Location: Oregon Convention Center, Portland Ballroom 255, OCC
Poster Display
Parasitic infections are emerging as critical but underexplored threats to wildlife health, particularly in already vulnerable species. Southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis), listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, suffer significant morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases—including infestations by nasopulmonary mites (NPMs; Halarachne halichoeri). These mites not only cause direct respiratory damage but may also impair immune function and promote secondary infections; however, their full impact on host health and role in disease transmission remain poorly understood. This study employs a multifaceted approach to investigate the impact of NPMs on southern sea otter populations. The first objective determines whether mite infestations induce a systemic immune response, indicated by alterations in serum immunoglobulin levels, and to identify the presence of mite-specific antigens in infested individuals. The second objective focuses on assessing the vectorial potential of NPMs for Streptococcus phocae—a pathogenic bacterium linked to pneumonia and septicemia. The third objective examines larval mite survival under conditions typical of rehabilitation enclosures and evaluates disinfection strategies that may reduce mite persistence and prevent transmission during captive care. The final objective investigates biotic and abiotic drivers of infestation hotspots, including spatial overlap with harbor seals and environmental factors such as water temperature, salinity, and precipitation. By addressing these key knowledge gaps, this research enhances our understanding of mites-associated disease dynamics in marine mammals and contributes to the growing field of wildlife acarology. Results will inform rehabilitation protocols, disease prevention efforts, and long-term conservation strategies for sea otters and other affected marine species.