Outbreaks of infectious disease represent an important threat to maintaining viable herds of wild sheep and goats in Kyrgyzstan and elsewhere in Central Asia. Natural resource managers face profound challenges in diagnosing and monitoring disease threats in these remote regions, which prohibits the design of appropriate mitigation strategies. Since 2017, and with generous support from the Wild Sheep Foundation, Cornell University has worked to establish a disease surveillance system through a partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Kyrgyz Veterinary Research Institute named after A. Duysheev. Our approach uses low-tech methods, preserving dried blood samples on Nobuto filter paper strips from animals harvested during managed trophy hunts to overcome the logistical difficulties of sampling in remote mountain locations. Samples are then reconstituted in a national laboratory and tested for the presence of antibodies to key pathogens using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kits to measure prior exposure in the population. Engaging local partners and national laboratories helps maintain the sustainability of the program, which has enabled us to collect samples from over 800 wild ungulates (158 argali Ovis ammon, and 672 Siberian ibex Capra sibirica) over six hunting seasons.

The current proposal includes two components that will help us improve the performance of our hunter-based surveillance program and expand in response to emerging disease issues in wild ungulate health in Kyrgyzstan. These components are: 1) the refinement of test protocols for measuring antibodies to Brucella, a pathogen that has been identified in previous seasons, and 2) the development of new approaches to address the emerging issue of sarcoptic mange that has been affecting the Siberian ibex population. Although we remain committed to focusing surveillance activities within Kyrgyzstan, the proposed research will incorporate expertise from other international specialists. Collaborators at Ellie Laboratories in Serbia will help us calibrate the commercial ELISA kits that we have been using to improve the interpretation when analyzing samples collected using Nobuto strips for measuring Brucella antibodies. Researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Espacio Natural Sierra Nevada, Andalucía with extensive experience addressing sarcoptic mange in Iberian ibex will assist us in developing techniques to assess mange exposure using Nobuto samples. Together these activities will help us improve the performance of our surveillance program and meet the changing needs of health threats to Kyrgyzstan’s ungulate population.