Data from: Genetic structure and rabies spread potential in raccoons: the role of landscape barriers and sex-biased dispersal

Identifying natural barriers to movements of hosts associated with infectious diseases is essential for developing effective control strategies. Raccoon rabies variant (RRV) is a zoonosis of concern for humans because its main vector, the raccoon (Procyon lotor), is found near residential areas. In Québec, Canada, all cases of RRV found in raccoons since 2006 were detected on the eastern side of the Richelieu River, suggesting that this river acts as a barrier to gene flow and thus, the potential for RRV to spread. The objectives of this study were to characterize the genetic structure of raccoon populations and assess the effect of the Richelieu River on the population structure in southern Québec, Canada. We also evaluated whether RRV spread potential differed between sex and at a larger spatial scale. Our analyses revealed a weak signal of genetic differentiation among individuals located on each side of the Richelieu River. At a larger spatial scale, genetic structuring was weak. Our results suggest that rivers might not always efficiently restrain raccoon movements and spread of RRV. We suggest that the difference in genetic structure found between sexes can be partly explained by male movements during the breeding season in winter, when ice bridges allow passage over most rivers in Québec.明确与传染病宿主移动相关的自然屏障，是制定有效防控策略的核心前提。浣熊狂犬病毒变种（Raccoon rabies variant, RRV）是一类值得人类关注的人兽共患病，其主要传播媒介浣熊（Procyon lotor）常栖息于居民区周边。在加拿大魁北克省，2006年以来在浣熊体内检出的所有RRV病例均集中于黎塞留河（Richelieu River）东岸，这提示该河流可能构成了基因交流的屏障，进而限制RRV的扩散潜能。本研究旨在解析加拿大魁北克省南部浣熊种群的遗传结构，并评估黎塞留河对该区域种群结构的影响；同时还探讨了RRV的扩散潜能是否存在性别差异，以及在更大空间尺度下的变化规律。分析结果显示，黎塞留河两岸浣熊个体间仅存在微弱的遗传分化信号；在更大空间尺度下，种群遗传结构同样表现出较弱的分化特征。本研究结果表明，河流并非总能有效限制浣熊的移动以及RRV的扩散。我们推测，雌雄个体间发现的遗传结构差异，可部分归因于冬季繁殖季雄性浣熊的长距离移动——此时魁北克省内多数河流会形成冰桥，为其跨河移动提供了通道。