Presence of Disease in the Penguins and Skuas of Macquarie Island

Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 2555 See the link below for public details on this project. This study investigated the role of Antarctic skuas in the transmission of diseases to royal and king penguins on Macquarie Island. Using blood samples and cloacal swabs we assessed the parasites and viral diseases of the Antarctic skua and the two penguin species. Up to 150 subjects of each species were inspected. We compared the sub-Antarctic environment of Macquarie with previous work in a continental environment. By understanding the role that skuas play in the dynamics of diseases in Antarctica we are better able to define the role of humans in the system. The download file contains several excel spreadsheets, a readme document and a copy of a poster. Taken from the readme: "There are three files that simply enumerate the samples taken and the sample numbers associated with each individual skua or penguin. In general we took two faecal swabs; one was preserved in viral transport medium (medium +streptomycin) and the other was preserved in BHB + glycerin. Both sets were then frozen at -80 degrees C. Blood was drawn from the brachial vein and where possible, one drop was used to make a thin smear that was air dried. The rest of the blood sample was allowed to clot for at least 3 hours then spun down by centrifuge. The serum was drawn off and has been stored at -80. The RBC pellet was treated with Queen's lysis buffer and has been stored at 4 degrees C. The other three files are the results of testing for Newcastle Disease and Infectious Bursal Diisease. They are redundant files. One contains the results from both pathogens and the other two contain just the results from a single set of pathogens. Finally, there is a copy of a poster presentation from the International penguin conference in Hobart in 2007."