The Andean bear alopecia syndrome is a progressive and chronic condition documented in ex situ populations. Recent advances focus on treating symptoms, not preventing future cases. We therefore explored the epidemiology of this syndrome through an analysis of husbandry and veterinary conditions of 63 Andean bears (26M:37F) housed in North and South American zoos and other ex situ circumstances. We had the most complete information for the North American population and found that 29% of females (n = 24) were affected. No males (n = 26) were affected. An analysis of generalized linear models indicated that three models were competitive in describing the occurrence of the condition (i.e., ΔAICc ≤ 2): the model including only the individual's sex (χ2 = 13.41, df = 1, p < .001), the model including both individual sex and social housing status (χ2 = 1.36, df = 2, p < .001), and the model including both individual sex and the expression of stereotypical behaviors (χ2 = 13.82, df = 2, p = .001). Stereotypical behaviors were common among both males (50%, n = 26) and females (51.9%, n = 27) whether or not they were affected, but the syndrome was seen only in females who had been socially housed. Therefore, we suggest that the Andean bear alopecia syndrome is a symptomatic response to the long-term social housing of bears that would otherwise not live socially. To prevent new cases, we recommend that female Andean bears be housed with adult conspecifics only when females choose to cohabitate.

中文翻译：

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安第斯熊脱发综合症可能是由社会住房引起的

安第斯熊秃头症综合征是一种在异地种群中记录的渐进性慢性病。最近的进展侧重于治疗症状，而不是预防未来的病例。因此，我们通过分析北美和南美动物园中饲养的 63 只安第斯熊 (26M:37F) 的饲养和兽医条件以及其他异地环境，探索了该综合征的流行病学。我们拥有北美人口最完整的信息，发现 29% 的女性（n = 24）受到影响。没有男性（n = 26）受到影响。广义线性模型的分析表明，三个模型在描述条件的发生方面具有竞争力（即，ΔAICc ≤ 2）：模型仅包括个体的性别（χ2 = 13.41，df = 1，p < .001），模型包括个体性别和社会住房状况（χ2 = 1.36，df = 2，p < .001），模型包括个体性别和刻板行为的表达（χ2 = 13.82，df = 2，p = . 001）。无论是否受到影响，男性 (50%, n = 26) 和女性 (51.9%, n = 27) 的刻板行为都很常见，但该综合征仅见于社会安置的女性。因此，我们认为安第斯熊的脱发综合征是对熊的长期社会住房的一种症状反应，否则它们将无法在社会上生活。为防止出现新病例，我们建议仅在雌性安第斯熊选择同居时才将雌性安第斯熊与成年同种熊一起饲养。df = 2，p = .001）。无论是否受到影响，男性 (50%, n = 26) 和女性 (51.9%, n = 27) 的刻板行为都很常见，但该综合征仅见于社会安置的女性。因此，我们认为安第斯熊的脱发综合征是对熊的长期社会住房的一种症状反应，否则它们将无法在社会上生活。为防止出现新病例，我们建议仅在雌性安第斯熊选择同居时才将雌性安第斯熊与成年同种熊一起饲养。df = 2，p = .001）。无论是否受到影响，男性 (50%, n = 26) 和女性 (51.9%, n = 27) 的刻板行为都很常见，但该综合征仅见于社会安置的女性。因此，我们认为安第斯熊的脱发综合征是对熊的长期社会住房的一种症状反应，否则它们将无法在社会上生活。为防止出现新病例，我们建议仅在雌性安第斯熊选择同居时才将雌性安第斯熊与成年同种熊一起饲养。我们认为，安第斯熊的脱发综合征是对熊的长期社会住房的一种症状反应，否则它们将无法在社会上生活。为防止出现新病例，我们建议仅在雌性安第斯熊选择同居时才将雌性安第斯熊与成年同种熊一起饲养。我们认为，安第斯熊的脱发综合征是对熊的长期社会住房的一种症状反应，否则它们将无法在社会上生活。为防止出现新病例，我们建议仅在雌性安第斯熊选择同居时才将雌性安第斯熊与成年同种熊一起饲养。