Detection of Aleutian disease antibodies in feral American mink in southern England

Abstract
Fourteen of 27 American mink (Mustela vison) trapped in the upper Thames region were positive for anti-Aleutian disease antibodies. This demonstration of the occurrence of this viral disease in a feral American mink population suggests that it could threaten populations of at least two protected mustelids, the otter (Lutra lutra) and the polecat (Mustela putorius), and may also play a role in the apparent decline of local mink populations in Britain.
Funding Information
  • Environment Agency and the People's Trust for Endangered Species
  • Overseas Research Student Award
  • New Century Scholarship