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Exploring and Mitigating Plague for One Health Purposes. CURRENT TROPICAL MEDICINE REPORTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40475-022-00265-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Matchett MR, Stanley TR, Mccollister MF, Eads DA, Boulerice JT, Biggins DE. Oral Sylvatic Plague Vaccine Does Not Adequately Protect Prairie Dogs ( Cynomys spp.) for Endangered Black-Footed Ferret ( Mustela nigripes) Conservation. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2021; 21:921-940. [PMID: 34757815 PMCID: PMC8742283 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2021.0049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The plague bacterium Yersinia pestis is lethal to endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes, BFF) and the prairie dogs (Cynomys spp., PD) on which they depend for habitat and prey. We assessed the effectiveness of an oral sylvatic plague vaccine delivered in baits to black-tailed PD (Cynomys ludovicianus, BTPD) from 2013 to 2017 on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (CMR) in northcentral Montana. We permanently marked BTPD on four paired vaccine (N = 1,349 individuals) and placebo plots (N = 926; 7,027 total captures). We analyzed capture–recapture data under a Cormack–Jolly–Seber model to estimate annual apparent survival. Overall, survival averaged 0.05 lower on vaccine plots than on paired placebo plots. Immediately before noticeable die-offs and detecting plague on pairs CMR1 and CMR2, 89% of BTPD sampled on vaccine plots had consumed at least one bait and the immune systems of 40% were likely boosted by consuming baits over multiple years. Survival to the following year was 0.16 and 0.05 on the vaccine plots and 0.19 and 0.06 on the placebo plots for pairs CMR1 and CMR2, respectively. These rates were markedly lower than 0.63, the overall average estimate on those same plots during the previous 3 years. PD populations subjected to such large die-offs would not be expected to sustain a BFF population. An overriding limitation to achieving sufficient protection rests with vaccine delivery constraints. Late summer/fall bait distribution results in the highest bait uptake rates. However, the PD birth pulse each spring can double the size of populations in most years, greatly reducing the proportion of vaccinates in populations and diminishing potential herd immunity benefits. In addition to nonvaccinated juveniles and PD that do not consume bait, incomplete vaccine protection and time required for immunity to develop leaves a large majority of PD populations vulnerable to plague for 6–7 months or more each year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc R Matchett
- Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Lewistown, Montana, USA
| | - Thomas R Stanley
- Fort Collins Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Matthew F Mccollister
- Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Lewistown, Montana, USA
| | - David A Eads
- Fort Collins Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | | | - Dean E Biggins
- Fort Collins Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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Rosenzweig JA, Hendrix EK, Chopra AK. Plague vaccines: new developments in an ongoing search. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:4931-4941. [PMID: 34142207 PMCID: PMC8211537 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11389-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
As the reality of pandemic threats challenges humanity, exemplified during the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 infections, the development of vaccines targeting these etiological agents of disease has become increasingly critical. Of paramount concern are novel and reemerging pathogens that could trigger such events, including the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis. Y. pestis is responsible for more human deaths than any other known pathogen and exists globally in endemic regions of the world, including the four corners region and Northern California in the USA. Recent cases have been scattered throughout the world, including China and the USA, with serious outbreaks in Madagascar during 2008, 2013-2014, and, most recently, 2017-2018. This review will focus on recent advances in plague vaccine development, a seemingly necessary endeavor, as there is no Food and Drug Administration-licensed vaccine available for human distribution in western nations, and that antibiotic-resistant strains are recovered clinically or intentionally developed. Progress and recent development involving subunit, live-attenuated, and nucleic acid-based plague vaccine candidates will be discussed in this review. KEY POINTS: • Plague vaccine development remains elusive yet critical. • DNA, animal, and live-attenuated vaccine candidates gain traction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason A Rosenzweig
- Department of Biology, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX, 77004, USA.
| | - Emily K Hendrix
- Departmnet of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Ashok K Chopra
- Departmnet of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA.
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FLEA PARASITISM AND HOST SURVIVAL IN A PLAGUE-RELEVANT SYSTEM: THEORETICAL AND CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS. J Wildl Dis 2019; 56:378-387. [PMID: 31880988 DOI: 10.7589/2019-08-201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Plague is a bacterial zoonosis of mammalian hosts and flea vectors. The disease is capable of ravaging rodent populations and transforming ecosystems. Because plague mortality is likely to be predicted by flea parasitism, it is critical to understand vector dynamics. It has been hypothesized that paltry precipitation and reduced vegetative production predispose herbivorous rodents to malnourishment and flea parasitism, and flea parasitism varies directly with plague mortality. We evaluated these hypotheses on five colonies of Utah prairie dogs (UPDs; Cynomys parvidens), on the Awapa Plateau, Utah, US, in 2013-16. Ten flea species were identified among 3,257 fleas from UPDs. These 10 flea species parasitize prairie dogs, mice, rats, voles, ground squirrels, chipmunks, and marmots, all known hosts of plague. The abundance of fleas on individual UPDs (1,198 observations) varied inversely with UPD body condition; fleas were most abundant on lightweight, malnourished UPDs. Flea abundance on UPDs was highest in dry years that were preceded by wet years. Increased precipitation and soil moisture in the prior year might generate humid microclimates in UPD burrows (that could facilitate flea survival and reproduction) and paltry precipitation in the current year could predispose UPDs to malnourishment and flea parasitism. Annual re-encounter rates for UPDs (1,072 observations) were reduced in wetter years preceded by drier years; reduced precipitation and vegetative production might kill UPDs, and increased flea densities in drier years could provide conditions for plague transmission (and UPD mortality) when moisture returns. Re-encounter rates were reduced for UPDs carrying at least one flea compared to UPDs with no detected fleas. These results support the hypothesis that reduced precipitation in the current year predisposes UPDs to flea parasitism. Our results also suggest a link between flea parasitism and UPD mortality. Given documented connections between flea parasitism and plague transmission, our results point toward an effect of flea parasitism on plague-related deaths for individual UPDs, a phenomenon rarely investigated in nature.
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Bron GM, Richgels KLD, Samuel MD, Poje JE, Lorenzsonn F, Matteson JP, Boulerice JT, Osorio JE, Rocke TE. Impact of Sylvatic Plague Vaccine on Non-target Small Rodents in Grassland Ecosystems. ECOHEALTH 2018; 15:555-565. [PMID: 29744628 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-018-1334-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Revised: 04/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Oral vaccination is an emerging management strategy to reduce the prevalence of high impact infectious diseases within wild animal populations. Plague is a flea-borne zoonosis of rodents that often decimates prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) colonies in the western USA. Recently, an oral sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) was developed to protect prairie dogs from plague and aid recovery of the endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). Although oral vaccination programs are targeted toward specific species, field distribution of vaccine-laden baits can result in vaccine uptake by non-target animals and unintended indirect effects. We assessed the impact of SPV on non-target rodents at paired vaccine and placebo-treated prairie dog colonies in four US states from 2013 to 2015. Bait consumption by non-target rodents was high (70.8%, n = 3113), but anti-plague antibody development on vaccine plots was low (23.7%, n = 266). In addition, no significant differences were noted in combined deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) abundance or community evenness and richness of non-target rodents between vaccine-treated and placebo plots. In our 3-year field study, we could not detect a significant positive or negative effect of SPV application on non-target rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gebbiena M Bron
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI, 53711, USA
| | - Katherine L D Richgels
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI, 53711, USA
| | - Michael D Samuel
- Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, U.S. Geological Survey, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Julia E Poje
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Faye Lorenzsonn
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI, 53711, USA
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Jonathan P Matteson
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Jesse T Boulerice
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 528 South Adams Street, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Jorge E Osorio
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Tonie E Rocke
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI, 53711, USA.
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Hassel R, Ortmann S, Clausen P, Jago M, Bruwer F, Lindeque P, Freuling C, Vos A, Müller T. Baiting studies on oral vaccination of the greater kudu ( Tragelaphus strepsiceros) against rabies. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2018; 64:62. [PMID: 32214946 PMCID: PMC7088030 DOI: 10.1007/s10344-018-1220-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Rabies in the greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), one of the largest African antelopes, is a phenomenon unique to Namibia. Since the mid-1970s, the country has been plagued by two epizootics that claimed thousands of casualties among the indigenous kudu population. Reasons as to why kudus appear to be exceptionally susceptible to the disease still remain speculative at best. Because the Namibian economy relies heavily on trophy hunting, game meat hunting, and ecotourism, the current severe spread of rabies among kudus calls for effective measures to protect these antelopes. Oral vaccination of kudus may offer a possibility provided efficacious oral rabies vaccines are available. In this screening study, we explored options for attractive baits that facilitate optimal vaccine uptake by the target species and a bait distribution system that maximizes bait availability to the target species meanwhile minimizing bait depletion by non-target species. The results show that gelatin-based baits mixed with local (pods of the camel thorn tree) but also imported (apple-flavored corn meal) attractants are highly attractive for kudus providing a basis for future oral rabies vaccine baits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainer Hassel
- 1School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Namibia, Private Bag 13301, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Steffen Ortmann
- 2IDT Biologika GmbH, Am Pharmapark, 06861 Dessau-Rosslau, Germany
| | - Peter Clausen
- Okosongoro Safari Ranch, P.O. Box 324, Omaruru, Namibia
| | - Mark Jago
- 1School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Namibia, Private Bag 13301, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Floris Bruwer
- 1School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Namibia, Private Bag 13301, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Pauline Lindeque
- Agra ProVision, Agra Limited, Private Bag 12011, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Conrad Freuling
- 5Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, 17493 Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Ad Vos
- 2IDT Biologika GmbH, Am Pharmapark, 06861 Dessau-Rosslau, Germany
| | - Thomas Müller
- 5Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, 17493 Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
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