Most studies on the relationship between home-range size and composition focus on natural factors, whereas effects of anthropogenic factors are poorl

A total of 249 serum samples from 13 wild animal species namely fallow deer (Dama dama, n = 1), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus, n = 80), red deer (Cervus elaphus, n = 22), chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra, n = 21), mouflon (Ovis musimon, n = 4), brown hare (Lepus europaeus, n = 2), nutria (Myocastor coypus, n = 1), red fox (Vulpes vulpes, n = 97), stone marten (Martes foina, n = 12), European badger (Meles meles, n = 2), golden jackal (Canis aureus, n = 2) Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx, n = 2) and grey wolf (Canis lupus, n = 3) were analysed for the presence of antibodies against Leptospira interrogans sensu stricto. Serum samples were examined via the microscopic agglutination test for the presence of specific antibodies against Leptospira serovars Icterohaemorrhagiae, Bratislava, Pomona, Grippotyphosa, Hardjo, Sejroe, Australis, Autumnalis, Canicola, Saxkoebing and Tarassovi. Antibodies to at least one of the pathogenic serovars were detected in 77 (30.9%; CI = 25–37%) sera. The proportion of positive samples varied intraspecifically and was the biggest in large carnivores (lynx, wolf and jackal; 86%), followed by mezzo predators: stone marten (67%) and red fox (34%), and large herbivores: red deer (32%), roe deer (25%), alpine chamois (10%) and mouflon (0%). Out of the 77 positive samples, 42 samples (53.8%) had positive titres against a single serovar, while 35 (45.4%) samples had positive titres against two or more serovars. The most frequently detected antibodies were those against the serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae. The present study confirmed the presence of multiple pathogenic serovars in wildlife throughout Slovenia. It can be concluded that wild animals are reservoirs for at least some of the leptospiral serovars and are a potential source of leptospirosis for other wild and domestic animals, as well as for humans.

In this paper, we provide an overview of the causes of death of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) diagnosed within the national passive health surveillance of roe deer in Slovenia. From 2000 to 2019, postmortem examinations of 510 free-ranging roe deer provided by hunters were conducted at the Veterinary Faculty, Slovenia. A comprehensive necropsy was performed. According to the results of the necropsy, the samples were subjected to microscopic, histopathological, bacteriological, parasitological, or virological examination. The most frequent causes of death in roe deer were infectious diseases (67%), followed by noninfectious diseases (28%). Of all deaths, parasitic infections represented 48%, bacterial infections 14.8%, trauma 12.5%, and metabolic disorders 9.8%. Less frequent causes were diseases like neoplasia and mycotic infections, winter starvation, hernias, and lightning strike. This study covered an estimated 1% of the total disease-related mortality of roe deer in Slovenia. Comparisons of sex/age structure indicated that hunters did not provide random samples (e.g., young males were disproportionately represented). Therefore, such monitoring does not ensure an unbiased assessment of the significance of the individual disease for the mortality of the population; however, it can provide credible evidence of whether or not a particular disease is present in a population. We show that no identified disease in roe deer in Slovenia can be considered a significant health threat to roe deer, other wildlife species, or humans.