About
71
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Introduction
Skills and Expertise
Current institution
Additional affiliations
August 1991 - present
Position
- researcher, wildlife veterinarian
Description
- wildlife disease surveillance, diagnostics, research
Education
July 1991 - June 1995
August 1984 - December 1989
Publications
Publications (71)
Surveillance of wildlife diseases poses considerable logistical challenges compared to that of humans or livestock. Citizen science can enable broader coverage, but building an efficient disease monitoring system that relies on hunters is challenging. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a lethal and infectious prion disease of cervids. Improving surve...
The Centre for Global Health (CGH) at the University of Oslo (UiO), together with the Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI), the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), was assembling the One Health Norwegian milieu and organized the One Health in the 21st Century 2021 Conference on Internati...
Susceptibility of cervids to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a prion disease, can be modulated by variations in the prion protein gene (PRNP), encoding the cellular prion protein (PrPC). In prion diseases, PrPC is conformationally converted to pathogenic conformers (PrPSc), aggregates of which comprise infectious prions. CWD has recently been observ...
Prions are infectious proteins causing fatal, transmissible neurodegenerative diseases of animals and humans. Replication involves template-directed refolding of host encoded prion protein, PrPC, by its infectious conformation, PrPSc. Following its discovery in captive Colorado deer in 1967, uncontrollable contagious transmission of chronic wasting...
Status on animal health in Norway in 2020
The Oestrid flies Cephemyia trompe and Hypoderma tarandi and the nematode Elaphostrongylus rangiferi are important parasites of Rangifer spp. The larvae of Oestrid flies develop in the throat (C. trompe) and skin (H. tarandi) of their host during winter while E. rangiferi develop in the CNS. Oestrid pupation, and development of E. rangiferi larvae...
High host density combined with climate change may lead to invasion of harmful parasites in cervid (host) populations. Bot flies (Diptera: Oestridae) are a group of ectoparasites that may have strong impact on their hosts, but data on the current distribution, prevalence and intensity of the moose nose bot fly (Cephenemyia ulrichii) in Scandinavia...
There is an increasing focus on wildlife diseases , both nationally and internationally, and in recent years several serious diseases have been detected in Norwegian wildlife. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in wild reindeer, deer and moose is perhaps best known, other species than Cervids.
European Bat Lyssavirus 2 (EBLV-2) was first detected in N...
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the transmissible spongiform encephalopathy or prion disease affecting cervids. In 2016 the first cases of CWD were reported in Europe in Norwegian wild reindeer and moose. The origin and zoonotic potential of these new prion isolates remain unknown. In this study to investigate zoonotic potential we inoculated brai...
The emergence of CWD in Europe in 2016 and the first natural infection in wild reindeer warranted disease management. This led to the testing of 2424 hunted or culled reindeer during 2016–2018, from the infected subpopulation in the Nordfjella mountain range in Southern Norway. To identify any association between PRNP variation and CWD susceptibili...
Årsrapporten for Helseovervåkingsprogrammet for hjortevilt og moskus (HOP) presenterer, i tillegg til CWD (skrantesjuke og fortåte), kartelggingen av bakterier innen slekten Bartonella i hjortevilt, flått og sviknott i Norge. Videre omtales et utbrudd av smittsom øyebetennelse hos moskus på Dovrefjell. Et utbrudd av hudvorter hos hjort på Vestlande...
Prosjektets hovedformål er å kartlegge dødsårsaker hos ville fugler, med vekt på å avdekke ulovlig felling (skuddsår), som et ledd i en langsiktig kunnskapsoppbygging omkring biologiske faktorer og artenes demografi. Prosjektet skal videre ivareta organmateriale fra døde individer av viltlevende fugler, med henblikk på senere analyser.
I 2019 mott...
Article, in Norwegian, about CWD in Norway.
Infection patterns linked to age and sex are crucial to predict the population dynamic effects of diseases in long‐lived species. How such demographic patterns of infection arise is often multifactorial, although the cause is commonly seen as a combination of immune status as well as variation in pathogen exposure. Prion diseases are particularly i...
Rapport om funn av antikoagulerende rodenticider (muse- og
rottegifter) i lever fra ulv, gaupe, jerv, rødrev, fjellrev og villmink
innsamlet i Norge i perioden 1997-2017
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal contagious prion disease naturally occurringing cervids in North America. In 2016, CWD was detected in wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) and moose (Alces alces) in Norway. Here, we report the first known naturally infected wild Norwegian red deer (Cervus elaphus)
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) persists in cervid populations of North America and in 2016 was detected for the first time in Europe in a wild reindeer in Norway. We report the detection of CWD in 3 moose (Alces alces) in Norway, identified through a large scale surveillance program. The cases occurred in 13-14-year-old female moose, and we detected...
Molecular weight of protease-resistant core of abnormal form of prion protein (PrPres) fragments determined by epitope mapping, immunohistochemistry staining of moose brain tissues of a Norwegian moose with chronic wasting disease, Western blot analysis of PrPres from different brain areas brain of 3 Norwegian moose with chronic wasting disease, an...
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was discovered in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) and moose (Alces alces) in spring 2016, and in red deer (Cervus elaphus) in 2017. This was the first time the disease was detected in Norway and Europe. CWD, a transmissible spongiform en-cephalopathy (TSE), is a neurological and always fatal disease affecting deer species...
HOP er landsomfattende.
Programmet skal fremskaffe helsedata med tanke på en bærekraftig forvaltning av
bestandene.
Det legges vekt på sykdommer som opptrer hos hjortevilt og moskus, og på
smittsomme sykdommer som kan overføres mellom hjortevilt/moskus og husdyr og
fra hjortevilt/moskus til mennesker (zoonoser). Det fokuseres også på hvordan miljøo...
HOP er landsomfattende.
Programmet skal fremskaffe helsedata med tanke på en bærekraftig
forvaltning av bestandene.
Det legges vekt på sjukdommer som opptrer hos hjortevilt og
moskus, og på smittsomme sjukdommer som kan overføres mellom
hjortevilt/moskus og husdyr og fra hjortevilt/moskus til mennesker
(zoonoser). Det fokuseres også på hvordan milj...
Wild ruminants, including deer species (cervids) have incorrectly been regarded as refractory to yew (Taxus) intoxication. This assumption has been based upon anecdotal observations of individual deer browsing on yew over time without apparent adverse effect. A single case of yew intoxication was reported in a free-ranging Norwegian moose (Alces al...
An emaciated white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) from Western Norway was found and nursed briefly before it died. The necropsy revealed that the principal cause of death was an inflammation and occlusion of the bile ducts. A secondary finding was the presence in the intestinal mucosa of numerous sporulated Sarcocystis oocysts measuring 21...
Background: In Europe, bat rabies is primarily attributed to European bat lyssavirus type 1 (EBLV-1) and European bat lyssavirus type 2 (EBLV-2) which are both strongly host-specific. Approximately thirty cases of infection with EBLV-2 in Daubenton’s bats (Myotis daubentonii) and pond bats (M. dasycneme) have been reported. Two human cases of rabie...
HOP er landsomfattende.
Programmet skal fremskaffe helsedata med tanke på en bærekraftig
forvaltning av bestandene.
Det legges vekt på sjukdommer som opptrer hos hjortevilt og moskus, og på
smittsomme sjukdommer som kan overføres mellom hjortevilt/moskus og
husdyr og fra hjortevilt/moskus til mennesker (zoonoser). Det fokuseres også
på hvordan milj...
Hubro er vår største ugle og var fram til slutten av 1800-tallet en vanlig hekkefugl i landet. Jakt resulterte
i at arten gikk kraftig tilbake og tilbakegangen har fortsatt selv om arten ble fredet i 1971. I dag er
hovedutbredelsen langs kysten fra Vest-Agder til Nordland og det siste estimatet ligger på 450-680 par i
hele landet. I handlingsplanen...
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal contagious prion disease in cervids that is enzootic in some areas in North America. The disease has been found in deer, elk and moose in the USA and Canada, and in South Korea following the importation of infected animals. Here we report the first case of CWD in Europe, in a Norwegian free-ranging reindeer...
Copper (Cu) deficiency is associated with several disease syndromes, including poor growth, in farmed red deer ( Cervus elaphus ), but little is known of the consequences of low Cu levels in free-ranging populations. Low hepatic Cu levels have been documented in several wild red deer populations along the west coast of Norway, with the lowest value...
Abstract Three cases of lethal sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever (SA-MCF) in free-ranging moose (Alces alces) were diagnosed in Lesja, Norway, December 2008-February 2010. The diagnosis was based on PCR identification of ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2) DNA (n = 3) and typical histopathologic lesions (n = 1). To study the possibility of subcli...
Background:
Varestrongylus alces, a lungworm in Eurasian moose from Europe has been considered a junior synonym of Varestrongylus capreoli, in European roe deer, due to a poorly detailed morphological description and the absence of a type-series.
Methods:
Specimens used in the redescription were collected from lesions in the lungs of Eurasian mo...
The Norwegian muskox (Ovibos moschatus) population lives on the high mountain plateau of Dovre and originates from animals introduced from Greenland. In the late summers of 2006 and 2012, severe outbreaks of pneumonia with mortality rates of 25-30% occurred. During the 2012 epidemic high quality samples from culled sick animals were obtained for mi...
abstract : A juvenile male Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), found dead at a bird feeding station in central Norway in September 2011, was examined postmortem. Its lungs were consolidated and edematous, and its spleen was enlarged. The main histopathologic diagnoses included acute protozoal necrotizing interstitial pneumonia, splenitis,...
To study the epizootiology of malignant catarrhal fever viruses (MCFV), serum and spleen samples collected in 2004-2011 from a free-ranging musk ox (Ovibos moschatus) population in Dovrefjell, Norway, were examined. Sera were tested for antibodies against MCFV by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and spleen samples were examined by a co...
IntroductionAvian PoxSquirrelpoxMyxomatosis and Other Leporipoxvirus InfectionsSealpox and Cetacean PoxCowpoxContagious EcthymaOther Poxviral DiseasesReferences
IntroductionGangrenous ErgotismReferences
Deer keds (Lipoptena cervi) are blood-sucking flies in the family Hippoboscidae; moose (Alces alces) are their main host in Scandinavia. There are no detailed reports of the negative impacts of deer keds on moose. In 2006 and 2007, hunters in southeastern Norway and midwestern Sweden found several moose cadavers with severe alopecia; numerous moose...
Liver samples from 422 wild moose (Alces alces), 280 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and 73 reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) collected by hunters in various localities in Norway, 2002-2003, were analyzed for the essential trace elements cobalt, copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), molybdenum, selenium (Se), and zinc. Significant differences in hepatic concentr...
The mountain hare (Lepus timidus) population in southern Norway appears to be in decline. Necropsy and laboratory examinations of 36 hares found dead or diseased during 2007-2009 in Vest- and Aust-Agder counties showed that disease and deaths were attributed to multiple causes, with no specific etiology emerging as a cause for population decline. T...
From January to March 2011, 39 cases of tularaemia were diagnosed in three counties in central Norway: 21 cases of oropharyngeal type, 10 cases of glandular/ulceroglandular type, two of respiratory and two of typhoid type. Three cases were asymptomatic and clinical information was unavailable for one case. The mean age was 40.3 years (range 2-89 ye...
We report a case of rabies in an Arctic fox. In January 2011 a fox attacked dogs belonging to a meteorological station in the Svalbard archipelago, Norway. Rabies virus was detected in the fox's brain post-mortem. The dogs had been vaccinated against rabies and their antibody levels were protective. Post-exposure prophylaxis was administered to sta...
The main goal of the present project was to obtain an overview of occurrence and levels of
halogenated organic compounds (HOCs) in terrestrial mammals, including both herbivores and
carnivores, in Norway including Svalbard and Northern Sweden. The data obtained were used to
study geographic and temporal differences and to establish reference data t...
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) can be considered as a relevant indicator species for Salmonella in the local environment and Salmonella faecal carriage was investigated in 215 red foxes in Norway shot during the winters 2002/2003 and 2003/2004. Fourteen (6.5%) of the foxes carried Salmonella. Four isolates were determined as serovars Kottbus (n=2) and...
During July-October 2004, 19 (18 calves, 1 yearling) free-ranging musk oxen (Ovibos moschatus) at Dovre, Norway, were observed with contagious echtyma-like lesions, and 16 of them were euthanized. Six musk oxen were subjected to necropsy, histopathological and microbiological examinations. All euthanized animals had lesions consistent with contagio...
Ergot alkaloids are mycotoxins which are produced among fungi in the family Clavicipitaceae. Poisoning with ergot alkaloids is an important veterinary problem in animal husbandry and has recently also been recognised in wild animals. While the poisoning syndrome observed in domestic animals such as cattle, horses and sheep is usually caused by endo...
Pathologic lesions were summarized in 18 free-ranging cervids (15 moose [Alces alces], two roe deer [Capreolus capreolus], and one red deer [Cervus elaphus]) diagnosed with malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) after examination at the National Veterinary Institute, Oslo 1982-2005. Eye lesions (conjunctivitis, corneal opacity, fibrin clots in the anterio...
Faecal samples were collected from 1,190 wild cervids in Norway and analyzed for cysts/oocysts of the protozoan parasites Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Samples were from calves, yearlings and adults of moose (Alces alces), red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) shot during the hunting season. Crypt...
A survey of the parasitic fauna of the Norwegian red fox (Vulpes vulpes) population was carried out in 1994/1995 and 2002-2005. All foxes were killed during the licensed hunting season from October to April and, in total, 393 animals from all regions of the country were examined. The present study details the results of extra-intestinal nematode an...
Presumptive gangrenous ergotism in 10 moose (Alces alces) and one roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is reported. Three of the moose came from a municipality in southeastern Norway where the disease occurred as a cluster in 1996. The other moose represented solitary or sporadic cases diagnosed in four municipalities in northwestern Norway between 1996...
Liver samples from 245 wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) collected during the licensed hunting season in 2001 from five different locations in western Norway were analyzed for copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), and selenium (Se). The associations between these trace elements and geographical location, age group, and sex were studied. The median (and range of)...
Faecal samples were collected, as part of the National Health Surveillance Program for Cervids (HOP) in Norway, from wild red deer, roe deer, moose and reindeer during ordinary hunting seasons from 2001 to 2003. Samples from a total of 618 animals were examined for verocytotoxic E. coli (VTEC); 611 animals for Salmonella and 324 animals for Campylo...
Serum samples from 4339 wild cervids collected in Norway were tested for antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii using the direct agglutination test. The association between seroprevalence and species, sex, age, and geographic region was investigated. Positive titers (> or =1:40) were found in 33.9% of 760 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus); 12.6% of 2142...
Affinity between protein-G and immunoglobulins from red deer (Cervus elaphus), moose (Alces alces), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) was tested in a competition binding assay. Sera from red deer, reindeer, and moose inhibited the assay less than sera from cattle (less affinity), whereas sera from roe deer sh...
A serologic survey revealed that Norwegian populations of free-ranging reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), and moose (Alces alces) have been exposed to alpha-herpesviruses and pestiviruses. A total of 3,796 serum samples collected during the period 1993-2000 were tested in a neutralizati...
Septicemic salmonellosis caused by Salmonella Typhimurium 4, 12: i:1, 2 was diagnosed in 94 (64.8%) of 145 small passerines comprising nine species, examined in Norway during 1999-2000. The birds were found dead at private feeding places throughout the country. The bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula), Eurasian siskin (Carduelis spinus), common redpoll (C...
Seksjon for vilthelse, Veterinærinstituttet (VI) Oslo, har hatt sekretariatfunksjonen og ansvaret for drift av Helseovervakingsprogrammet for hjortevilt i 2000. Prosjektet har vore finansiert med midlar frå Viltfondet som vert administrert av Direktoratet for naturforvaltning (DN). Veterinær, dr. scient. Turid Vikøren har vore tilsett som prosjektl...
Veterinærinstituttet Oslo har i 2000 gjennomført rutinemessig undersøkelse av skrotter av fallvilt av freda arter. Prosjektet er et oppdrag fra Direktoratet for naturforvaltning (DN) og har tittelen: "Fallviltbehandling - freda arter".
This study was conducted to clarify the etiology of a high frequency of bone fractures and osteoporosis in the moose (Alces alces) population in southern Norway. Liver samples, both metacarpi, and carcass data were collected from 21 and 22 moose calves shot in 1994 in Birkenes (southern Norway), and Naerøy (central Norway), respectively. The liver...
During the summers 1995/96, toxic nephrosis was diagnosed in nine free-living moose (Alces alces) from Aust-Agder County in southern Norway. Histopathological kidney lesions included tubular degeneration and necrosis, tubular regeneration, and interstitial fibrosis. The disease was probably caused by ingestion of the toxic plants, bog asphodel (Nar...
Mandibular fluorine concentrations were determined in 1,425 red deer (Cervus elaphus), 240 moose (Alces alces), and 424 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) collected in Norway from 1990 to 1993 in seven municipalities in which aluminum smelters are located, in eight neighboring municipalities, and in eight reference areas representing background levels....
Mandibles from 1104 red deer (Cervus elaphus), 147 moose (Alces alces), and 453 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), collected between 1990 and 1993 in the vicinity of seven Norwegian aluminum smelters, were examined for dental fluorotic and osteofluorotic lesions. The metacarpal or metatarsal bones from 214 of these cervids also were evaluated. Dental...
Fluorine concentrations were determined in the shell of 285 herring gull eggs (Larus argentatus) and 120 common gull eggs (Larus canus), collected May 1991 to 1993, from breeding colonies exposed to emissions from two Norwegian primary aluminum smelters located at Karmøy and Sunndal, and from unexposed reference localities in Eigersund, Sola, and S...
The concentration of fluorine in bone ash was measured in tarsometatarsi of 30 Canada geese in total. Nine birds originated from Sunndal and 11 birds from Husnes. These areas, both located in western Norway, are exposed to fluoride emissions from aluminium reduction plants. Ten birds orginated from Naustdal in western Norway and represented a refer...
