Over the last 50 years, significant muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) harvest declines have been observed throughout North America. Several theories for the decline have been proposed, including increased parasite infections and disease within muskrat populations. No existing wholistic review of muskrat exposure to pathogens, contaminants, and diseases exists. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a thorough review of existing literature on muskrat pathogens, contaminants, and diseases across their natural range. This review is comprised of 131 articles from 1915 to 2019 and from 27 U.S. states and 9 Canadian provinces. A wide diversity of contaminants, toxins, and pathogens were reported in muskrats, with the most common diseases being cysticercosis, tularemia, Tyzzer's disease, and biotoxin poisoning from cyanobacteria. This review provides a summary of muskrat pathogens, contaminants, and diseases over a century that has observed significant population declines throughout the species' range in North America. Such data provide a baseline for understanding the potential role of disease in these declines. In addition, these data highlight critical knowledge gaps that warrant future research efforts.

中文翻译：

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北美麝香（Ondatra zibethicus）的病原，疾病和污染物综述。

在过去的50年中，整个北美地区都发现麝香鼠（Ondatra zibethicus）的收成明显下降。已经提出了关于减少的一些理论，包括麝香鼠种群内寄生虫感染和疾病的增加。没有关于麝香鼠暴露于病原体，污染物和疾病的全面报道。为了弥补这一知识差距，我们对有关麝香鼠病原体，污染物和自然范围内疾病的现有文献进行了全面回顾。该评价包括1915年至2019年以及美国27个州和加拿大9个省的131篇文章。据报道，麝香中的污染物，毒素和病原体种类繁多，最常见的疾病是囊尾rc虫病，Tularemia，Tyzzer病和蓝细菌引起的生物毒素中毒。这篇综述总结了一个世纪以来麝香鼠的病原体，污染物和疾病，在北美整个物种范围内观察到种群的显着减少。此类数据为了解疾病在这些下降中的潜在作用提供了基线。此外，这些数据突出了需要进一步研究的关键知识差距。