Results of survey for selected parasites in Alaska brown bears (Ursus arctos)

To assess the prevalence of endo- and ectoparasites in Alaska brown bears (Ursus arctos), blood and fecal samples were collected during 2013 – 2016 from five locations: Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (GAAR), Katmai National Park (KATM), Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (LACL), Yakutat Forelands (YAK), and Kodiak Island (KOD). Standard fecal centrifugal-flotation was used to screen for gastrointestinal parasites, molecular techniques were used to test blood for the presence of Bartonella and Babesia spp., and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect antibodies to Sarcoptes scabiei, a species of mite recently associated with mange in American black bears (Ursus americanus). From fecal flotations (n=160), we identified the following helminths: Uncinaria sp. (n=16, 10.0%), Baylisascaris sp. (n=5, 3.1%), Dibothriocephalus sp. (n=2, 1.2%), and taeniid-type eggs (n=1, 0.6%). Molecular screening for intraerythrocytic parasites (Babesia spp.) and intracellular bacteria (Bartonella spp.) was negative for all bears tested. We detected antibodies to S. scabiei in six out of 59 (10.2%) individuals. The data set contains 238 rows, each row representing a capture/sampling event for an individual bear.  The location of the bear, month and year of sampling, and bear demographic information (ID number, sex, and age) are provided for each entry, as well as as which of the three tests (fecal flotation, Bartonella/Babesia PCR, Sarcoptes ELISA) were performed on samples collected during that capture event. Results are provided for each test when it was performed. For fecal flotation, there are columns for presence of the four detected parasite genera (1= present, 0 = absent), as well as a column for other fecal findings. For Bartonella/Babesia testing, a positive or negative result is provided when the tests were performed. For the Sarcoptes ELISA, results are provided based on bear positive controls and dog positive controls. Samples were reported as positive when they were positive when run with both positive controls.