Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) are susceptible to smooth Brucella (s-Brucella) infection and may be exposed to such bacteria through the consumption of infected marine mammals, as implied by the finding of s-Brucella antibodies in polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Arctic foxes in Svalbard have not previously been investigated for s-Brucella antibodies, but such antibodies have been detected in Arctic foxes in Iceland, Alaska (USA) and Russia. We investigated blood from Svalbard Arctic foxes for s-Brucella antibodies using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). The animals (0–13 years old) were either caught by fur trappers (1995–2003, n = 403) or found dead (1995 and 2003, n = 3). No seropositive animals were detected. Morbidity and mortality due to the infection cannot be ruled out. However, no known, large disease outbreaks of unknown aetiology have been reported. Furthermore, it is unlikely that the Svalbard Arctic fox is resistant to infection as Arctic foxes from other populations are susceptible, and there is circumpolar connectivity between populations. The discrepancy between the findings in Iceland and Svalbard is surprising as both populations are on islands with no known local sources of exposure to s-Brucella other than marine mammals. However, our negative findings suggest that marine mammals may not be a major source of infection for this species. Comparative investigations are needed in order to draw conclusions regarding the epizootiology of s-Brucella in Arctic foxes in Svalbard and Iceland.

北极狐 ( Vulpes lagopus ) 易受平滑 布鲁氏菌 (s- Brucella ) 感染，并可能通过食用受感染的海洋哺乳动物而接触此类细菌，正如 在北极熊 ( Ursus maritimus )中发现 s-布鲁氏菌抗体所暗示的那样。斯瓦尔巴群岛的北极狐以前没有进行过 s-布鲁氏菌 抗体研究，但在冰岛、阿拉斯加（美国）和俄罗斯的北极狐中检测到了这种抗体。 我们使用间接酶联免疫吸附试验 (iELISA)研究了来自斯瓦尔巴北极狐的血液中的 s-布鲁氏菌抗体。这些动物（0-13 岁）要么被毛皮捕手（1995-2003 年， n  = 403）或被发现死亡（1995 年和 2003 年，  n  = 3）。未检测到血清反应阳性动物。不能排除感染引起的发病率和死亡率。然而，尚未报告病因不明的大规模疾病暴发。此外，斯瓦尔巴北极狐不太可能抵抗感染，因为来自其他种群的北极狐易感，并且种群之间存在极地连通性。冰岛和斯瓦尔巴群岛的发现之间的差异令人惊讶，因为这两个人口都在岛上，当地没有已知的 s-布鲁氏菌暴露源 海洋哺乳动物除外。然而，我们的负面研究结果表明，海洋哺乳动物可能不是该物种的主要感染源。为了得出关于 斯瓦尔巴群岛和冰岛北极狐中s-布鲁氏菌流行病学的结论，需要进行比较调查。