Does landscape composition influence the circulation of pathogens in Roe deer living in rural area

Historically, roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is a forestry ruminant. However, rangeand density of populations have evolved these last decades, increasing theirproximity with human activities. Those changes can impact the circulation ofpathogens, especially because of higher indirect or direct contacts with domesticanimals. Our hypothesis is that the exposition of roe deer to pathogens is structuredby the local landscape composition of roe deer habitat. Especially, we expect ahigher prevalence and diversity of parasites in roe deer inhabiting in open areas(meaning anthropogenic areas). Between 2008 and 2011, in south-western ofFrance, 199 roe deer inhabiting in a heterogeneous landscape, ranging from totallyclosed (wooded) to open (cultivated) habitat, were sampled. Individual roe deer homeranges were collected using GPS collars. Seroprevalences of several pathogenswere obtained using ELISA tests: Toxoplasma gondii 38% (95% confidence interval:[30-45]), Chlamydophila abortus 18% [12-24], Coxiella brunetii 9% [5-14] andInfectious Bovine Rhinotracheiti 17% [11-23]. We used logistic regressions andmultivariate analyses to estimate the association between serology and landscapefactors. Our first results show a major effect of the year of sampling and, in a lesserextent, of wood and meadow proportions of roe deer home range on the probability tobe seropositive. These results are discussed in relation to the biological determinantsof each pathogen