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Eads DA, Biggins DE, Ramakrishnan S, Goldberg AR, Eads SL, Rocke TE. Prairie dog responses to vector control and vaccination during an initial Yersinia pestis invasion. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2024; 23:100893. [PMID: 38179235 PMCID: PMC10762380 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
We evaluated the invasion of plague bacteria Yersinia pestis into a population of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus; BTPDs) in South Dakota. We aimed to ascertain if Y. pestis invaded slowly or rapidly, and to determine if vector (flea) control or vaccination of BTPDs assisted in increasing survival rates. We sampled BTPDs in 2007 (before Y. pestis documentation), 2008 (year of confirmed invasion), and 2009 (after invasion). We estimated annual BTPD re-encounter rates on three 9-ha plots treated annually with deltamethrin dust for flea control and three 9-ha plots lacking dust. In 2007 and 2008, approximately half the adult BTPDs live-trapped were injected subcutaneously with either an experimental plague vaccine (F1-V fusion protein) or placebo formulation; the remaining individuals were not inoculated. From 2007 to 2009, we sampled 1559 BTPDs on 2542 occasions. During 2007-2008, the prevalence and intensity of fleas on BTPDs were 69-97% lower on the dusted vs. no dust plots. From 2007 to 2008, the annual re-encounter rate of non-inoculated BTPDs was 150% higher on the dusted vs. no dust plots. During the same interval on the dusted plots, the re-encounter rate was 55% higher for vaccinated adult female BTPDs vs. nonvaccinated adult females, but the annual re-encounter rate was 19% lower for vaccinated adult males. By late August 2008, BTPDs were nearly extirpated from the no dust plots. During 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 on the dusted plots, which persisted, the BTPD re-encounter rate was 41% higher for vaccinated vs. non-vaccinated adult females but 35% lower for vaccinated adult males. Yersinia pestis erupted with vigor as it invaded. Flea control enhanced BTPD survival but did not offer full protection. Flea control and F1-V vaccination seemed to have additive, positive effects on adult females. Annual re-encounter rates were reduced for vaccinated adult males; additional experimentation is needed to further evaluate this trend.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Eads
- U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO 80526, United States
| | - Dean E. Biggins
- U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO 80526, United States
| | - Shantini Ramakrishnan
- U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO 80526, United States
| | - Amanda R. Goldberg
- U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO 80526, United States
| | - Samantha L. Eads
- U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO 80526, United States
| | - Tonie E. Rocke
- U. S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI 53711, United States
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Eads DA, Castle KT, Wild MA, Borchert JN, Livieri TM, Matchett MR, Dobesh P, Hughes JP, Childers E. EVALUATING BAITS WITH LUFENURON AND NITENPYRAM FOR FLEA CONTROL ON PRAIRIE DOGS (CYNOMYS SPP.) TO MITIGATE PLAGUE. J Wildl Dis 2023; 59:662-672. [PMID: 37486875 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-22-00168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, is a widespread threat to endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) and their primary prey, prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.). Wildlife biologists most commonly manage plague using insecticides to control fleas, the primary vectors of Y. pestis. We tested edible baits containing the insecticides lufenuron and/or nitenpyram in prairie dogs. During a laboratory study, we treated 26 white-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys leucurus) with lufenuron at 300 mg/kg body mass. All animals remained clinically healthy over the 9 wk monitoring period. Although serum lufenuron concentrations were >130 ppb in two treatment groups at week 1, concentrations declined to ≤60 ppb after 3 wk in non-torpid prairie dogs and after 7 wk in torpid prairie dogs. In a field experiment, we tested baits containing a combination of 75 mg lufenuron and 6 mg nitenpyram, respectively, in black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). We uniformly distributed baits at 125 baits/ha on two plots (treated once) and 250 baits/ha on two plots (each treated twice 4.4 wk apart). Following treatments, flea abundance increased on prairie dogs and remained stable in burrows. Our findings indicate that baits containing lufenuron and nitenpyram, at the reported treatment rates, are ineffective tools for flea control on prairie dogs. Future experiments might evaluate efficacy of higher doses of lufenuron and nitenpyram, and repetitive treatments at differing intervals over time to evaluate potentially therapeutic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Eads
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526, USA
| | - Kevin T Castle
- Wildlife Veterinary Consulting LLC, 840 Sundance Drive, Livermore, Colorado 80536, USA
| | - Margaret A Wild
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, P.O. Box 647040, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA
| | - Jeff N Borchert
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA
| | - Travis M Livieri
- Prairie Wildlife Research, 1574 Timber Shores Drive, Stevens Point, Wisconsin 54481, USA
| | - Marc R Matchett
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 110, 333 Airport Road Lewistown, Montana 59457, USA
| | - Phillip Dobesh
- U.S. Forest Service, Wall Ranger District, 710 Main Street, Wall, South Dakota 57790, USA
| | - John P Hughes
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center, P.O. Box 190, Carr, Colorado 80549, USA
| | - Eddie Childers
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, 25216 Ben Reifel Road, Interior, South Dakota 57750, USA
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Eads DA, Livieri TM, Dobesh P, Hughes JP, Fly J, Redmond H, Childers E, Schwarz MS, Biggins DE. Plague mitigation for prairie dog and black-footed ferret conservation: Degree and duration of flea control with 0.005% fipronil grain bait. CURRENT RESEARCH IN PARASITOLOGY & VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES 2023; 3:100124. [PMID: 37305434 PMCID: PMC10250916 DOI: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2023.100124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Sylvatic plague, a primarily flea-borne zoonosis, is a significant threat to prairie dogs (Cynomys spp., PDs) and their specialized predators, endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes, BFFs). Host-fed fipronil baits have proven effective in controlling fleas on PDs for the purposes of plague mitigation and BFF conservation. Currently, annual treatments are the norm. We tested the long-term efficacy of fipronil bait treatments with black-tailed PDs (C. ludovicianus, BTPDs) and BFFs in South Dakota, USA. During 2018-2020, we provided BTPDs on 21 sites with grain bait formula, laced with 0.005% fipronil (50 mg/kg); 18 non-treated sites functioned as baselines. In 2020-2022, we live-trapped, anesthetized, and combed BTPDs for fleas. Flea control was significant for at least 639-885 days. Flea abundance on the treated sites was < 0.5 fleas/BTPD for ∼750 days. During 2020-2022, we sampled BFFs for fleas on 4 BTPD colonies treated with fipronil grain bait and 8 non-treated colonies. Flea control was significant with BFFs, but flea abundance began to rebound within ∼240 days post-treatment. When feasible, the combination of insecticide treatments, such as fipronil baits, and BFF vaccination against plague provide a "two-pronged" protection approach for these endangered carnivores. If fipronil bait treatments are less effective with predatory BFFs than PDs, as found herein, the "two-pronged" approach might be used to protect BFFs and biennial fipronil bait treatments might be used to protect PDs. If BFF vaccination is not possible, or few BFFs can be vaccinated, annual fipronil bait treatments might be used as a precaution to protect BFFs. Flea densities might be surveyed to determine when/where more frequent treatments seem useful.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Eads
- U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Phillip Dobesh
- U. S. Forest Service, Wall Ranger District, Wall, SD, USA
| | - John P. Hughes
- U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center, Carr, CO, USA
| | - Jason Fly
- U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Holly Redmond
- U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Eddie Childers
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, Interior, SD, USA
| | - Matthew S. Schwarz
- U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, South Dakota Field Office, Pierre, SD, USA
| | - Dean E. Biggins
- U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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Williams SC, Linske MA, Stafford KC. Orally delivered fipronil-laced bait reduces juvenile blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) burdens on wild white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2023; 14:102189. [PMID: 37156086 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
While the topical acaricidal treatment of rodent pathogen reservoirs has been readily explored over the past several decades, oral systemic acaricidal treatment is only recently gaining traction as an alternative approach to the management of ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Recent laboratory tests have shown promise in the effectiveness of this systemic strategy against the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and a Canadian field evaluation was recently published, but no recent field data from the United States yet exist. With this research, we sought to field deploy a commercially available fipronil-laced bait (Kaput® Flea Control Bait, Scimetrics LLC., Wellington, CO, USA; 0.005% fipronil; Environmental Protection Agency Reg. No. 72500-28), in an alternate use targeting white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) to determine bait acceptance and potential impacts to juvenile I. scapularis burdens. Bait was readily accepted by wild P. leucopus and other rodent reservoirs. An ad libitum distribution strategy as well as placing smaller volumes of fipronil-laced bait within individual Sherman traps both resulted in significant reductions (57-94%) in juvenile I. scapularis burdens as compared to control over two years. The oral delivery of systemic acaricides shows promise in reduction of I. scapularis burdens on P. leucopus and should be further explored to determine effectiveness on host-seeking tick abundances, associated pathogen infection, and potentially incorporated into integrated tick management programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott C Williams
- Center for Vector Biology & Zoonotic Diseases, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Environmental Science and Forestry, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
| | - Megan A Linske
- Center for Vector Biology & Zoonotic Diseases, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
| | - Kirby C Stafford
- Center for Vector Biology & Zoonotic Diseases, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
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Tripp DW, Sullivan AE, Sack DA, Emslie AC, Drake MK. A low‐pressure compressed air insecticide applicator to manage plague on prairie dog colonies using all‐terrain vehicles. WILDLIFE SOC B 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W. Tripp
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program Foothills Wildlife Research Facility 4330 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins Colorado 80521‐2153 USA
| | - Amy E. Sullivan
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program Foothills Wildlife Research Facility 4330 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins Colorado 80521‐2153 USA
| | - Danielle A. Sack
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program Foothills Wildlife Research Facility 4330 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins Colorado 80521‐2153 USA
| | - Alexis C. Emslie
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program Foothills Wildlife Research Facility 4330 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins Colorado 80521‐2153 USA
| | - Maximilian K. Drake
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program Foothills Wildlife Research Facility 4330 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins Colorado 80521‐2153 USA
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Eads D, Buehler L, Esbenshade A, Fly J, Miller E, Redmond H, Ritter E, Tynes C, Wittmann S, Roghair P, Childers E. One Health in action: flea control and interpretative education at Badlands National Park. JOURNAL OF VECTOR ECOLOGY : JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR VECTOR ECOLOGY 2022; 47:227-229. [PMID: 36314678 DOI: 10.52707/1081-1710-47.2.227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- David Eads
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, CO, U.S.A.,
| | - Lindsey Buehler
- Prairie Wildlife Research, WI, U.S.A
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | | | - Jason Fly
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | - Evan Miller
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | - Holly Redmond
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | - Emily Ritter
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | - Caitlyn Tynes
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | - Sasha Wittmann
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | - Paul Roghair
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
| | - Eddie Childers
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, SD, U.S.A
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Goldberg AR, Eads DA, Biggins DE. Plague circulation in small mammals elevates extinction risk for the endangered Peñasco least chipmunk. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022] Open
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Samuel MD, Poje JE, Rocke TE, Metzger ME. Potential Effects of Environmental Conditions on Prairie Dog Flea Development and Implications for Sylvatic Plague Epizootics. ECOHEALTH 2022; 19:365-377. [PMID: 36125583 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-022-01615-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Fleas are common ectoparasites of vertebrates worldwide and vectors of many pathogens causing disease, such as sylvatic plague in prairie dog colonies. Development of fleas is regulated by environmental conditions, especially temperature and relative humidity. Development rates are typically slower at low temperatures and faster at high temperatures, which are bounded by lower and upper thresholds where development is reduced. Prairie dogs and their associated fleas (mostly Oropsylla spp) live in burrows that moderate outside environmental conditions, remaining cooler in summer and warmer in winter. We found burrow microclimates were characterized by stable daily temperatures and high relative humidity, with temperatures increasing from spring through summer. We previously showed temperature increases corresponded with increasing off-host flea abundance. To evaluate how changes in temperature could affect future prairie dog flea development and abundance, we used development rates of O. montana (a species related to prairie dog fleas), determined how prairie dog burrow microclimates are affected by ambient weather, and combined these results to develop a predictive model. Our model predicts burrow temperatures and flea development rates will increase during the twenty-first century, potentially leading to higher flea abundance and an increased probability of plague epizootics if Y. pestis is present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Samuel
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
| | - Julia E Poje
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Tonie E Rocke
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI, 53711, USA
| | - Marco E Metzger
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
- Vector-Borne Disease Section, Division of Communicable Disease Control, Center for Infectious Diseases, California Department of Public Health, Ontario, CA, 91764, USA
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Eads D, Livieri T, Tretten T, Hughes J, Kaczor N, Halsell E, Grassel S, Dobesh P, Childers E, Lucas D, Noble L, Vasquez M, Grady AC, Biggins D. Assembling a safe and effective toolbox for integrated flea control and plague mitigation: Fipronil experiments with prairie dogs. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272419. [PMID: 35939486 PMCID: PMC9359584 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Plague, a widely distributed zoonotic disease of mammalian hosts and flea vectors, poses a significant risk to ecosystems throughout much of Earth. Conservation biologists use insecticides for flea control and plague mitigation. Here, we evaluate the use of an insecticide grain bait, laced with 0.005% fipronil (FIP) by weight, with black-tailed prairie dogs (BTPDs, Cynomys ludovicianus). We consider safety measures, flea control, BTPD body condition, BTPD survival, efficacy of plague mitigation, and the speed of FIP grain application vs. infusing BTPD burrows with insecticide dusts. We also explore conservation implications for endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes), which are specialized predators of Cynomys. Principal findings During 5- and 10-day laboratory trials in Colorado, USA, 2016–2017, FIP grain had no detectable acute toxic effect on 20 BTPDs that readily consumed the grain. During field experiments in South Dakota, USA, 2016–2020, FIP grain suppressed fleas on BTPDs for at least 12 months and up to 24 months in many cases; short-term flea control on a few sites was poor for unknown reasons. In an area of South Dakota where plague circulation appeared low or absent, FIP grain had no detectable effect, positive or negative, on BTPD survival. Experimental results suggest FIP grain may have improved BTPD body condition (mass:foot) and reproduction (juveniles:adults). During a 2019 plague epizootic in Colorado, BTPDs on 238 ha habitat were protected by FIP grain, whereas BTPDs were nearly eliminated on non-treated habitat. Applications of FIP grain were 2–4 times faster than dusting BTPD burrows. Significance Deltamethrin dust is the most commonly used insecticide for plague mitigation on Cynomys colonies. Fleas on BTPD colonies exhibit the ability to evolve resistance to deltamethrin after repeated annual treatments. Thus, more tools are needed. Accumulating data show orally-delivered FIP is safe and usually effective for flea control with BTPDs, though potential acute toxic effects cannot be ruled out. With continued study and refinement, FIP might be used in rotation with, or even replace deltamethrin, and serve an important role in Cynomys and black-footed ferret conservation. More broadly, our stepwise approach to research on FIP may function as a template or guide for evaluations of insecticides in the context of wildlife conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Eads
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Travis Livieri
- Prairie Wildlife Research, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Tyler Tretten
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center, Carr, Colorado, United States of America
| | - John Hughes
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center, Carr, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Nick Kaczor
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado Front Range National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Arvada, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Emily Halsell
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado Front Range National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Arvada, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Shaun Grassel
- Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Phillip Dobesh
- U.S. Forest Service, Wall Ranger District, Wall, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Eddie Childers
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, Rapid City, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - David Lucas
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado Front Range National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Arvada, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Lauren Noble
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Michele Vasquez
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Anna Catherine Grady
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Dean Biggins
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
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Miarinjara A, Eads DA, Bland DM, Matchett MR, Biggins DE, Hinnebusch BJ. Reevaluation of the Role of Blocked Oropsylla hirsuta Prairie Dog Fleas (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae) in Yersinia pestis (Enterobacterales: Enterobacteriaceae) Transmission. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 59:1053-1059. [PMID: 35380675 PMCID: PMC9113170 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjac021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Prairie dogs in the western United States experience periodic epizootics of plague, caused by the flea-borne bacterial pathogen Yersinia pestis. An early study indicated that Oropsylla hirsuta (Baker), often the most abundant prairie dog flea vector of plague, seldom transmits Y. pestis by the classic blocked flea mechanism. More recently, an alternative early-phase mode of transmission has been proposed as the driving force behind prairie dog epizootics. In this study, using the same flea infection protocol used previously to evaluate early-phase transmission, we assessed the vector competence of O. hirsuta for both modes of transmission. Proventricular blockage was evident during the first two weeks after infection and transmission during this time was at least as efficient as early-phase transmission 2 d after infection. Thus, both modes of transmission likely contribute to plague epizootics in prairie dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adélaïde Miarinjara
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, MT, USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - David A Eads
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - David M Bland
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | | | - Dean E Biggins
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - B Joseph Hinnebusch
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, MT, USA
- Corresponding author, e-mail:
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Eads DA, Biggins DE, Wimsatt J, Eisen RJ, Hinnebusch BJ, Matchett MR, Goldberg AR, Livieri TM, Hacker GM, Novak MG, Buttke DE, Grassel SM, Hughes JP, Atiku LA. Exploring and Mitigating Plague for One Health Purposes. CURRENT TROPICAL MEDICINE REPORTS 2022; 9:169-184. [PMID: 39210935 PMCID: PMC11358858 DOI: 10.1007/s40475-022-00265-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of Review In 2020, the Appropriations Committee for the U.S. House of Representatives directed the CDC to develop a national One Health framework to combat zoonotic diseases, including sylvatic plague, which is caused by the flea-borne bacterium Yersinia pestis. This review builds upon that multisectoral objective. We aim to increase awareness of Y. pestis and to highlight examples of plague mitigation for One Health purposes (i.e., to achieve optimal health outcomes for people, animals, plants, and their shared environment). We draw primarily upon examples from the USA, but also discuss research from Madagascar and Uganda where relevant, as Y. pestis has emerged as a zoonotic threat in those foci. Recent Findings Historically, the bulk of plague research has been directed at the disease in humans. This is not surprising, given that Y. pestis is a scourge of human history. Nevertheless, the ecology of Y. pestis is inextricably linked to other mammals and fleas under natural conditions. Accumulating evidence demonstrates Y. pestis is an unrelenting threat to multiple ecosystems, where the bacterium is capable of significantly reducing native species abundance and diversity while altering competitive and trophic relationships, food web connections, and nutrient cycles. In doing so, Y. pestis transforms ecosystems, causing "shifting baselines syndrome" in humans, where there is a gradual shift in the accepted norms for the condition of the natural environment. Eradication of Y. pestis in nature is difficult to impossible, but effective mitigation is achievable; we discuss flea vector control and One Health implications in this context. Summary There is an acute need to rapidly expand research on Y. pestis, across multiple host and flea species and varied ecosystems of the Western US and abroad, for human and environmental health purposes. The fate of many wildlife species hangs in the balance, and the implications for humans are profound in some regions. Collaborative multisectoral research is needed to define the scope of the problem in each epidemiological context and to identify, refine, and implement appropriate and effective mitigation practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Eads
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue Building C, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
| | - Dean E. Biggins
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue Building C, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
| | - Jeffrey Wimsatt
- Department of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Rebecca J. Eisen
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - B. Joseph Hinnebusch
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Marc R. Matchett
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Lewistown, MT, USA
| | | | | | - Gregory M. Hacker
- Vector-Borne Disease Section, California Department of Public Health, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Mark G. Novak
- Vector-Borne Disease Section, California Department of Public Health, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Danielle E. Buttke
- National Park Service Biological Resources Division and Office of Public Health, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - John P. Hughes
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center, Carr, CO, USA
| | - Linda A. Atiku
- Plague Unit, Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda
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Enscore RE, Bai Y, Osikowicz LM, Sexton C, O'Leary DR. Evaluation of a liquid carbaryl formulation to control burrow fleas following a die-off of black-tailed prairie dogs ( Cynomys ludovicianus) caused by plague ( Yersinia pestis) in Converse County, Wyoming. JOURNAL OF VECTOR ECOLOGY : JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR VECTOR ECOLOGY 2021; 46:230-232. [PMID: 35230028 DOI: 10.52707/1081-1710-46.2.230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Russell E Enscore
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO,
| | - Ying Bai
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Lynn M Osikowicz
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Christopher Sexton
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Daniel R O'Leary
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit, Public Health Division, Wyoming Department of Health, Cheyenne, WY
- Career Epidemiology Field Officer Program, Field Assignee Services Branch, Division of State and Local Readiness, Center for Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
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14
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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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15
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COLMAN RE, BRINKERHOFF RJ, BUSCH JD, RAY C, DOYLE A, SAHL JW, KEIM P, COLLINGE SK, WAGNER DM. No evidence for enzootic plague within black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) populations. Integr Zool 2021; 16:834-851. [PMID: 33882192 PMCID: PMC9292313 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Yersinia pestis, causative agent of plague, occurs throughout the western United States in rodent populations and periodically causes epizootics in susceptible species, including black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). How Y. pestis persists long-term in the environment between these epizootics is poorly understood but multiple mechanisms have been proposed, including, among others, a separate enzootic transmission cycle that maintains Y. pestis without involvement of epizootic hosts and persistence of Y. pestis within epizootic host populations without causing high mortality within those populations. We live-trapped and collected fleas from black-tailed prairie dogs and other mammal species from sites with and without black-tailed prairie dogs in 2004 and 2005 and tested all fleas for presence of Y. pestis. Y. pestis was not detected in 2126 fleas collected in 2004 but was detected in 294 fleas collected from multiple sites in 2005, before and during a widespread epizootic that drastically reduced black-tailed prairie dog populations in the affected colonies. Temporal and spatial patterns of Y. pestis occurrence in fleas and genotyping of Y. pestis present in some infected fleas suggest Y. pestis was introduced multiple times from sources outside the study area and once introduced, was dispersed between several sites. We conclude Y. pestis likely was not present in these black-tailed prairie dog colonies prior to epizootic activity in these colonies. Although we did not identify likely enzootic hosts, we found evidence that deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) may serve as bridging hosts for Y. pestis between unknown enzootic hosts and black-tailed prairie dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca E. COLMAN
- Pathogen and Microbiome InstituteNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffArizonaUSA
| | - R. Jory BRINKERHOFF
- Environmental Studies ProgramUniversity of Colorado at BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Joseph D. BUSCH
- Pathogen and Microbiome InstituteNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffArizonaUSA
| | - Chris RAY
- Environmental Studies ProgramUniversity of Colorado at BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Adina DOYLE
- Pathogen and Microbiome InstituteNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffArizonaUSA
| | - Jason W. SAHL
- Pathogen and Microbiome InstituteNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffArizonaUSA
| | - Paul KEIM
- Pathogen and Microbiome InstituteNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffArizonaUSA
| | - Sharon K. COLLINGE
- Environmental Studies ProgramUniversity of Colorado at BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - David M. WAGNER
- Pathogen and Microbiome InstituteNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffArizonaUSA
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16
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Eads DA, Biggins DE. Utah prairie dog population dynamics on the Awapa Plateau: precipitation, elevation, and plague. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Utah prairie dogs (UPDs, Cynomys parvidens) are colonial, herbivorous rodents listed under the Endangered Species Act as threatened. Little is known about UPD population dynamics at higher elevations in the species’ range. From 2013 through 2016, we studied UPDs on five colonies at 2,645 to 2,873 m elevation on the Awapa Plateau, Utah, USA. Primary production increases with precipitation and precipitation increases with elevation on the plateau. We hypothesized that UPD body condition, reproduction, survival, and population growth all would vary directly with precipitation and elevation. Each year, we live-trapped UPDs from late-Jun through Aug, weighing each UPD, aging it as adult or pup, measuring its right hind foot, marking it for unique identification, and releasing it at point of capture. Fleas from live-trapped UPDs and opportunistically collected rodent carcasses, and rodent carcasses themselves, were tested for the agent of sylvatic plague (Yersinia pestis), a lethal invasive pathogen. Adult UPD body condition (mass:foot) increased with elevation. In addition, UPD reproduction (pups:adults) and population growth (λ) increased with precipitation. Annual survival declined from 0.49 in 2013–2014 to 0.24 in 2015–2016. We captured 421 UPDs in 2013 but only 149 in 2016. Sylvatic plague may have contributed to population declines. Notwithstanding, plague detection (yes/no by colony and year) had no statistical effect on population growth or annual survival, raising suspicion about the predictive value of binary plague detection variables. Generally speaking, efforts to conserve UPDs may benefit from the restoration and preservation of large colonies at mesic sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Eads
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
| | - Dean E Biggins
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
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17
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Bevins SN, Chandler JC, Barrett N, Schmit BS, Wiscomb GW, Shriner SA. Plague Exposure in Mammalian Wildlife Across the Western United States. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2021; 21:667-674. [PMID: 34191632 PMCID: PMC8563452 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2020.2765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plague is caused by a bacterial pathogen (Yersinia pestis) that can infect a wide range of mammal species, but its presence in wildlife is often underappreciated. Using a large-scale data set (n = 44,857) that details the extent of Y. pestis exposure in wildlife, we document exposure in 18 wildlife species, including coyotes (Canis latrans), bobcats (Lynx rufus), and black bears (Ursus americanus). Evidence of plague activity is widespread, with seropositive animals detected in every western state in the contiguous United States. Pathogen monitoring systems in wildlife that are both large scale and long-term are rare, yet they open the door for analyses on potential shifts in distribution that have occurred over time because of climate or land use changes. The data generated by these long-term monitoring programs, combined with recent advances in our understanding of pathogen ecology, offer a clearer picture of zoonotic pathogens and the risks they pose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah N. Bevins
- USDA APHIS WS National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Jeffrey C. Chandler
- USDA APHIS WS National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Nicole Barrett
- USDA APHIS WS National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Brandon S. Schmit
- USDA APHIS WS National Wildlife Disease Program, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | | | - Susan A. Shriner
- USDA APHIS WS National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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18
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Eads DA, Matchett MR, Poje JE, Biggins DE. Comparison of Flea Sampling Methods and Yersinia pestis Detection on Prairie Dog Colonies. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2021; 21:753-761. [PMID: 34388354 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2021.0025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Scientists collect fleas (Siphonaptera) to survey for Yersinia pestis, the bacterial agent of plague. When studying fleas parasitizing prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), two primary methods are used: (1) combing fleas from live-trapped prairie dogs and (2) swabbing fleas from burrows with cloth swabs attached to metal cables. Ideally, burrow swabbing, the cheaper and easier method, would explain flea burdens on prairie dogs and provide reliable information on plague prevalence. In a linear regression analysis of data from 1-month intervals (June-August 2010-2011) on 13 colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus, BTPDs) in New Mexico, flea abundance on swabs explained 0-26% of variation in BTPD flea burdens. In an analysis of data (May-August 2016) from six colonies of BTPDs in Montana, flea abundance on swabs explained 2% of variation in BTPD flea burdens. In an analysis of data from a short-term interval (July 23-27, 2019) on four colonies of BTPDs in Montana, flea abundance on swabs explained 0.1% of variation in BTPD flea burdens. In an analysis of data from 1-week intervals (August-October 2000) on four colonies of white-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys leucurus, WTPD) in Utah, swabbing data explained 0.1% of variation in WTPD flea burdens. Pools of fleas from two WTPD colonies were tested for Y. pestis by mouse inoculation and isolation; 65% from WTPDs tested positive, whereas 4% from burrows tested positive. Data herein also show that results from burrow swabbing can misrepresent flea species composition and phenology on prairie dogs. Burrow swabbing is useful for some purposes, but limitations should be acknowledged, and accumulated data should be interpreted with caution.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Eads
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Marc R Matchett
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Lewistown, Montana, USA
| | - Julia E Poje
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Dean E Biggins
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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19
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Fipronil Pellets Reduce Flea Abundance on Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs: Potential Tool for Plague Management and Black-Footed Ferret Conservation. J Wildl Dis 2021; 57:434-438. [PMID: 33631008 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-20-00161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In western North America, sylvatic plague (a flea-borne disease) poses a significant risk to endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) and their primary prey, prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.). Pulicides (flea-killing agents) can be used to suppress fleas and thereby manage plague. In South Dakota, US, we tested edible "FipBit" pellets, each containing 0.84 mg fipronil, on free-living black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludivicianus). FipBits were applied along transects at 125 per ha and nearly eliminated fleas for 2 mo. From 9-14 mo post-treatment, we found only 10 fleas on FipBit sites versus 1,266 fleas on nontreated sites. This degree and duration of flea control should suppress plague transmission. FipBits are effective, inexpensive, and easily distributed but require federal approval for operational use.
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20
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Biggins DE, Eads DA, Godbey JL. Plague transforms positive effects of precipitation on prairie dogs to negative effects. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2021; 14:329-334. [PMID: 33898234 PMCID: PMC8056143 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Rodents characteristically benefit from increased precipitation, especially in typically dry habitats; "good years" of high precipitation improve their forage and water balance. However, Yersinia pestis (plague), a flea-borne pathogen of mammals that was introduced to western North America, has the greatest negative impact on at least some species of rodents during years of above-average precipitation. In the absence of plague mitigation, negative effects of plague in wet years might overwhelm the otherwise beneficial effects of increased moisture. In Montana and Utah, USA, where plague now occurs enzootically, we investigated the influence of precipitation on finite rates of annual population change (2000-2005) for 3 species of prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) in replicated plots treated with deltamethrin dust and in non-treated plots for paired comparisons. There was a significant interaction between precipitation and treatment. When we reduced plague vector fleas, prairie dog visual counts tended to increase with increasing precipitation. Simultaneously, there was a negative relationship between counts and precipitation on paired plots where plague was not managed, suggesting that plague transformed and reversed the otherwise beneficial effect of increased precipitation. Are the good years gone for prairie dogs? Even if the good years are not gone, they are perhaps relatively scarce compared to historic times prior to the invasion of plague. This scenario might apply to other ecosystems and may pose broad conservation challenges in western North America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean E. Biggins
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
| | - David A. Eads
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
| | - Jerry L. Godbey
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
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21
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Goldberg AR, Conway CJ, Biggins DE. Effects of experimental flea removal and plague vaccine treatments on survival of northern Idaho ground squirrels and two coexisting sciurids. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
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22
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Tripp DW, Emslie AC, Sack DA, Zieschang M. A Prototype Insecticide Applicator and Quality Control Monitoring for Plague Management on Prairie Dog Colonies. WILDLIFE SOC B 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W. Tripp
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program, Foothills Wildlife Research Facility, 4330 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80521‐2153 USA
| | - Alexis C. Emslie
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program, Foothills Wildlife Research Facility, 4330 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80521‐2153 USA
| | - Danielle A. Sack
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program, Foothills Wildlife Research Facility, 4330 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80521‐2153 USA
| | - Matt Zieschang
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program, Foothills Wildlife Research Facility, 4330 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80521‐2153 USA
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23
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Biggins DE, Ramakrishnan S, Rocke TE, Williamson JL, Wimsatt J. Enzootic plague reduces survival of Mexican woodrats (
Neotoma mexicana
) in Colorado. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Dean E. Biggins
- Fort Collins Science Center U.S. Geological Survey 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C Fort Collins Colorado80526USA
| | - Shantini Ramakrishnan
- Denver Zoological Foundation, Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge P.O. Box 27 Watrous New Mexico87753USA
| | - Tonie E. Rocke
- National Wildlife Health Center U.S. Geological Survey 6006 Schroeder Road Madison Wisconsin53711USA
| | - Judy L. Williamson
- National Wildlife Health Center U.S. Geological Survey 6006 Schroeder Road Madison Wisconsin53711USA
| | - Jeffrey Wimsatt
- Department of Medicine West Virginia University Morgantown West Virginia26506USA
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24
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Biggins DE, Godbey JL, Eads DA. Epizootic Plague in Prairie Dogs: Correlates and Control with Deltamethrin. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2021; 21:172-178. [PMID: 33481692 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2020.2684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, is a generalist pathogen of flea (Siphonaptera) vectors and mammalian hosts. In colonies of prairie dogs (PDs, Cynomys spp.), Y. pestis causes occasional epizootics, killing ≥90% of PDs within weeks to several months. We evaluated the effectiveness of deltamethrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, as a tool for preventing plague epizootics among three PD species. Specifically, we studied PD population growth on paired plots treated with deltamethrin for flea control or left untreated as baselines. We also evaluated PD population growth relative to flea abundance and PD density. All epizootics occurred on nontreated plots. Epizootics occurred on plots with very low PD densities as well as high densities. Mean population change, assessed by comparing visual counts of PDs in years before and during epizootics, was +88% for treated plots and -97% for nontreated plots. For comparison, an experimental oral vaccine against plague had an average change in population index or estimate during epizootics of -69% on vaccine plots compared with -83% for associated nontreated (placebo) plots. In our study and on plots not treated with deltamethrin, PD population growth was negatively correlated with flea abundance in the year before the epizootic, lending support to the hypothesis that flea abundance plays a critical role in plague transmission under natural conditions. Generally speaking, deltamethrin is a highly effective tool for plague management on PD colonies. That said, continued study is needed to refine deltamethrin treatments and to develop a more integrated strategy for plague management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean E Biggins
- Fort Collins Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Jerry L Godbey
- Fort Collins Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - David A Eads
- Fort Collins Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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25
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Eads DA, Biggins DE, Gage KL. Ecology and Management of Plague in Diverse Communities of Rodents and Fleas. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2020; 20:888-896. [PMID: 33074791 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2020.2625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Plague originated in Asia as a flea-borne zoonosis of mammalian hosts. Today, the disease is distributed nearly worldwide. In western United States of America, plague is maintained, transmitted, and amplified in diverse communities of rodents and fleas. We examined flea diversity on three species of prairie dogs (Cynomys spp., PDs) and six species of sympatric small rodents in Montana and Utah, United States of America. Among 2896 fleas, 19 species were identified; 13 were found on PDs and 9 were found on small rodents. In Montana, three flea species were found on PDs; the three species parasitize PDs and mice. In Utah, 12 flea species were found on PDs; the 12 species parasitize PDs, mice, voles, chipmunks, ground squirrels, rock squirrels, and marmots. Diverse flea communities and their willingness to parasitize many types of hosts, across multiple seasons and habitats, may favor plague maintenance and transmission. Flea parasitism on Peromyscus deer mice varied directly with elevation. Fleas are prone to desiccation, and might prosper at higher, mesic elevations; in addition, Peromyscus nest characteristics may vary with elevation. Effective management of plague is critical. Plague management is probably most effective when encompassing communities of rodents and fleas. Treatment of PD burrows with 0.05% deltamethrin dust, which suppressed fleas on PDs for >365 days, suppressed fleas on small rodents for at least 58 days. At one site, deltamethrin suppressed fleas on small rodents for at least 383 days. By simultaneously suppressing fleas on PDs and small rodents, deltamethrin should promote ecosystem resilience and One Health objectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Eads
- United States Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Dean E Biggins
- United States Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Kenneth L Gage
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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26
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Eads DA, Yashin AC, Noble LE, Vasquez MC, Huang MHJ, Livieri TM, Dobesh P, Childers E, Biggins DE. Managing plague on prairie dog colonies: insecticides as ectoparasiticides. JOURNAL OF VECTOR ECOLOGY : JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR VECTOR ECOLOGY 2020; 45:82-88. [PMID: 32492281 DOI: 10.1111/jvec.12375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Human health practitioners and wildlife biologists use insecticides to manage plague by suppressing fleas (Siphonaptera), but insecticides can also kill other ectoparasites. We investigated effects of deltamethrin and fipronil on ectoparasites from black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus, BTPDs). In late July, 2018, we treated three sites with 0.05% deltamethrin dust and 5 sites with host-fed 0.005% fipronil grain. Three non-treated sites functioned as experimental baselines. We collected ectoparasites before treatments (June-July, 2018) and after treatments (August-October, 2018, June-July, 2019). Both deltamethrin and fipronil suppressed fleas for at least 12 months. Deltamethrin had no detectable effect on mites (Arachnida). Fipronil suppressed mites for at least 12 months. Lice (Phthiraptera) were scarce on non-treated sites throughout the study, complicating interpretation. Concentrating on eight sites where all three ectoparasites where found in June-July, 2018 (before treatments), flea intensity was greatest on BTPDs carrying many lice and mites. These three ectoparasites co-occurred at high numbers, which might facilitate plague transmission in some cases. Lethal effects of insecticides on ectoparasite communities are potentially advantageous in the context of plague management.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Eads
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, U.S.A
| | - Alexis C Yashin
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, U.S.A
| | - Lauren E Noble
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, U.S.A
| | - Michele C Vasquez
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, U.S.A
| | - Miranda H J Huang
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, U.S.A
| | | | - Phillip Dobesh
- U.S. Forest Service, Wall Ranger District, Wall, SD, 57790, U.S.A
| | - Eddie Childers
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, Interior, SD, 57750, U.S.A
| | - Dean E Biggins
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, U.S.A
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27
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Liccioli S, Stephens T, Wilson SC, McPherson JM, Keating LM, Antonation KS, Bollinger TK, Corbett CR, Gummer DL, Lindsay LR, Galloway TD, Shury TK, Moehrenschlager A. Enzootic maintenance of sylvatic plague in Canada's threatened black‐tailed prairie dog ecosystem. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Liccioli
- Grasslands National Park Parks Canada Agency P.O. Box 150 Val Marie Saskatchewan S0N2T0 Canada
| | - Tara Stephens
- Centre for Conservation Research Calgary Zoological Society 1300 Zoo Road N.E. Calgary Alberta T2E 7V6 Canada
| | - Sian C. Wilson
- Centre for Conservation Research Calgary Zoological Society 1300 Zoo Road N.E. Calgary Alberta T2E 7V6 Canada
| | - Jana M. McPherson
- Centre for Conservation Research Calgary Zoological Society 1300 Zoo Road N.E. Calgary Alberta T2E 7V6 Canada
| | - Laura M. Keating
- Centre for Conservation Research Calgary Zoological Society 1300 Zoo Road N.E. Calgary Alberta T2E 7V6 Canada
| | - Kym S. Antonation
- Bioforensics Assay Development and Diagnostics National Microbiology Laboratory Public Health Agency of Canada 1015 Arlington Street Winnipeg Manitoba R3E 3R2 Canada
| | - Trent K. Bollinger
- Department of Veterinary Pathology Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative 52 Campus Drive Saskatoon Saskatchewan S7N 5B4 Canada
| | - Cindi R. Corbett
- Bioforensics Assay Development and Diagnostics National Microbiology Laboratory Public Health Agency of Canada 1015 Arlington Street Winnipeg Manitoba R3E 3R2 Canada
| | - David L. Gummer
- Natural Resource Management Branch Parks Canada Agency 720 – 220 4 Avenue SE Calgary Alberta T2G 4X3 Canada
| | - L. Robbin Lindsay
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens National Microbiology Laboratory Public Health Agency of Canada 1015 Arlington Street Winnipeg Manitoba R3E 3R2 Canada
| | - Terry D. Galloway
- Department of Entomology Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences University of Manitoba 12 Dafoe Road Winnipeg Manitoba R3T 2N2 Canada
| | - Todd K. Shury
- Parks Canada Agency 52 Campus Drive Saskatoon Saskatchewan S7N 5B4 Canada
| | - Axel Moehrenschlager
- Centre for Conservation Research Calgary Zoological Society 1300 Zoo Road N.E. Calgary Alberta T2E 7V6 Canada
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Goldberg AR, Conway CJ, Biggins DE. Flea sharing among sympatric rodent hosts: implications for potential plague effects on a threatened sciurid. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R. Goldberg
- Department of Fish & Wildlife Sciences Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 1141 Moscow Idaho 83844 USA
| | - Courtney J. Conway
- U.S. Geological Survey Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 1141 Moscow Idaho 83844 USA
| | - Dean E. Biggins
- U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center 2150 Centre Avenue Building C Fort Collins Colorado 80526 USA
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29
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Yue RPH, Lee HF. Drought-induced spatio-temporal synchrony of plague outbreak in Europe. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 698:134138. [PMID: 31505345 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Plague synchronously swept across separated regions in Europe throughout history. However, the spatio-temporal synchrony of plague and its driving mechanism have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we transformed the historical European plague database spanned 1347-1800 CE into country-level time-series that differentiated large-scale plague outbreak from counted data. We found that there are 74 years in which two or more countries in our study region (UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy) experienced large-scale plague outbreak in the same year. Our Multivariate Ripley's K-function results showed that the onset year and the cessation year of large-scale plague outbreak are synchronized at the 0-23-year and 0-20-year windows, respectively. The temporal association between such synchrony and climatic forcing was further investigated using the Superposed Epoch Analysis, and drought was found to be responsible for the synchrony. Integrating our results with a literature survey, we suggested that prior to the peak of plague, the occurrence of drought and the subsequent reintroduced rainfall dampened both the rodent community and human society and boosted the number of fleas that carried plague. Such a synthesis facilitated the outbreak of plague. At the same time, high temperature associated with such drought also confined the geographic diffusion of the plague. Hence, although continental mega-drought could initiate the synchrony of plague outbreak, the synchrony actually consisted of a number of localized plague outbreak events scattering across different regions in Europe. According to the projected rising trend of drought in terms of its magnitude, duration, and geographic extent, the risk of synchrony of rodent-borne diseases in Europe will be significantly elevated, especially in France, Italy, and Spain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricci P H Yue
- Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
| | - Harry F Lee
- Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
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30
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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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31
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Eads DA, Biggins DE, Bowser J, Broerman K, Livieri TM, Childers E, Dobesh P, Griebel RL. Evaluation of Five Pulicides to Suppress Fleas on Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs: Encouraging Long-Term Results with Systemic 0.005% Fipronil. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2019; 19:400-406. [DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2018.2339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David A. Eads
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Dean E. Biggins
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Jonathan Bowser
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Kristina Broerman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | | | - Eddie Childers
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, Interior, South Dakota
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32
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Eads DA, Biggins DE. Plague management of prairie dog colonies: degree and duration of deltamethrin flea control. JOURNAL OF VECTOR ECOLOGY : JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR VECTOR ECOLOGY 2019; 44:40-47. [PMID: 31124240 DOI: 10.1111/jvec.12327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Plague is a flea-borne disease of mammalian hosts. On the grasslands of western North America, plague stifles populations of Cynomys spp. prairie dogs (PDs). To manage plague, PD burrows are treated with 0.05% deltamethrin dust that can suppress flea numbers and plague transmission. Here, we evaluate the degree and duration of deltamethrin flea control with three PD species at six sites across four U.S. states. Data were simultaneously collected at paired plots. Burrows from one randomly assigned member of each pair were treated with deltamethrin; non-treated plots served as experimental baselines. Flea control was strong ≤two months after treatment, remained moderate one year later, and was statistically detectable for up to two years at some sites. Flea abundance was lower in plots with higher rates of deltamethrin application. After burrow treatments, flea abundance increased over time, reaching >one per PD within 255 to 352 days. Nevertheless, annual treatments of burrows with deltamethrin provided PDs with substantial protection against plague. Even so, deltamethrin should be further evaluated and combined with other tools under an integrated approach to plague management. Integrated plague management should help to conserve PDs and species that associate with them, including the endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes).
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Eads
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, U.S.A
| | - Dean E Biggins
- U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526, U.S.A
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33
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Kluever BM, Iles DT, Gese EM. Ectoparasite burden influences the denning behavior of a small desert carnivore. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Bryan M. Kluever
- United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center Florida Field Station Gainesville Florida 32641‐6033 USA
| | - David T. Iles
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole Massachusetts 02543 USA
| | - Eric M. Gese
- Department of Wildland Resources United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center Utah State University Logan Utah 84322‐5230 USA
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34
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Maestas LP, Britten HB. Effects of Deltamethrin Treatment on Small Mammal and Ectoparasite Population Dynamics and Plague Prevalence in a North American Mixed-Grass Prairie System. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2019; 19:274-283. [DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2018.2332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren P. Maestas
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota
| | - Hugh B. Britten
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota
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35
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Biggins DE, Eads DA. Prairie Dogs, Persistent Plague, Flocking Fleas, and Pernicious Positive Feedback. Front Vet Sci 2019; 6:75. [PMID: 30984769 PMCID: PMC6447679 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Plague (caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis) is a deadly flea-borne disease that remains a threat to public health nearly worldwide and is particularly disruptive ecologically where it has been introduced. We review hypotheses regarding maintenance and transmission of Y. pestis, emphasizing recent data from North America supporting maintenance by persistent transmission that results in sustained non-epizootic (but variable) rates of mortality in hosts. This maintenance mechanism may facilitate periodic epizootic eruptions "in place" because the need for repeated reinvasion from disjunct sources is eliminated. Resulting explosive outbreaks that spread rapidly in time and space are likely enhanced by synergistic positive feedback (PFB) cycles involving flea vectors, hosts, and the plague bacterium itself. Although PFB has been implied in plague literature for at least 50 years, we propose this mechanism, particularly with regard to flea responses, as central to epizootic plague rather than a phenomenon worthy of just peripheral mention. We also present new data on increases in flea:host ratios resulting from recreational shooting and poisoning as possible triggers for the transition from enzootic maintenance to PFB cycles and epizootic explosions. Although plague outbreaks have received much historic attention, PFB cycles that result in decimation of host populations lead to speculation that epizootic eruptions might not be part of the adaptive evolutionary strategy of Y. pestis but might instead be a tolerated intermittent cost of its modus operandi. We also speculate that there may be mammal communities where epizootics, as we define them, are rare or absent. Absence of plague epizootics might translate into reduced public health risk but does not necessarily equate to inconsequential ecologic impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean E. Biggins
- United States Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - David A. Eads
- United States Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, United States
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
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36
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Boulerice JT, Saldo EA, Brito BT, Mahoney PJ. Use of visual stimuli increases count estimates for prairie dogs. WILDLIFE SOC B 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Brittany T. Brito
- University of WyomingDepartment of Zoology and Physiology1000 E University AvenueLaramieWY82070USA
| | - Peter J. Mahoney
- University of WashingtonSchool of Environmental and Forest Sciences4000 15th Avenue NESeattleWA98195USA
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37
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Eads DA, Biggins DE, Bowser J, McAllister JC, Griebel RL, Childers E, Livieri TM, Painter C, Krank LS, Bly K. RESISTANCE TO DELTAMETHRIN IN PRAIRIE DOG ( CYNOMYS LUDOVICIANUS) FLEAS IN THE FIELD AND IN THE LABORATORY. J Wildl Dis 2018; 54:745-754. [PMID: 29723100 PMCID: PMC6710209 DOI: 10.7589/2017-10-250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Sylvatic plague poses a substantial risk to black-tailed prairie dogs ( Cynomys ludovicianus) and their obligate predator, the black-footed ferret ( Mustela nigripes). The effects of plague on prairie dogs and ferrets are mitigated using a deltamethrin pulicide dust that reduces the spread of plague by killing fleas, the vector for the plague bacterium. In portions of Conata Basin, Buffalo Gap National Grassland, and Badlands National Park, South Dakota, US, 0.05% deltamethrin has been infused into prairie dog burrows on an annual basis since 2005. We aimed to determine if fleas ( Oropsylla hirsuta) in portions of the Conata Basin and Badlands National Park have evolved resistance to deltamethrin. We assessed flea prevalence, obtained by combing prairie dogs for fleas, as an indirect measure of resistance. Dusting was ineffective in two colonies treated with deltamethrin for >8 yr; flea prevalence rebounded within 1 mo of dusting. We used a bioassay that exposed fleas to deltamethrin to directly evaluate resistance. Fleas from colonies with >8 yr of exposure to deltamethrin exhibited survival rates that were 15% to 83% higher than fleas from sites that had never been dusted. All fleas were paralyzed or dead after 55 min. After removal from deltamethrin, 30% of fleas from the dusted colonies recovered, compared with 1% of fleas from the not-dusted sites. Thus, deltamethrin paralyzed fleas from colonies with long-term exposure to deltamethrin, but a substantial number of those fleas was resistant and recovered. Flea collections from live-trapped prairie dogs in Thunder Basin National Grassland, Wyoming, US, suggest that, in some cases, fleas might begin to develop a moderate level of resistance to deltamethrin after 5-6 yr of annual treatments. Restoration of black-footed ferrets and prairie dogs will rely on an adaptive, integrative approach to plague management, for instance involving the use of vaccines and rotating applications of insecticidal products with different active ingredients.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Eads
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Campus Delivery 1878, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA
- Corresponding author ()
| | - Dean E. Biggins
- US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue Building C, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526, USA
| | - Jonathan Bowser
- US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue Building C, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526, USA
| | - Janet C. McAllister
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA
| | - Randall L. Griebel
- US Forest Service, Wall Ranger District, 710 Main Street, Wall, South Dakota 57790, USA
| | - Eddie Childers
- National Park Service, Badlands National Park, 25216 Ben Reifel Road, Interior, South Dakota 57750, USA
| | - Travis M. Livieri
- Prairie Wildlife Research, PO Box 308, Wellington, Colorado 80549, USA
| | - Cristi Painter
- US Forest Service, Thunder Basin National Grassland, 2250 E Richards Street, Douglas, Wyoming 82633, USA
| | - Lindsey Sterling Krank
- The Humane Society of the United States, Prairie Dog Coalition, 2525 Arapahoe #E4-527, Boulder, Colorado 80302, USA
| | - Kristy Bly
- World Wildlife Fund, Northern Great Plains Program, 458 Saddle Ridge Road, Hamilton, Montana 59840, USA
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38
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Plague in a Colony of Gunnison's Prairie Dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) Despite Three Years of Infusions of Burrows with 0.05% Deltamethrin to Kill Fleas. J Wildl Dis 2018; 54:347-351. [DOI: 10.7589/2017-04-089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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39
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Stephens T, Wilson SC, Cassidy F, Bender D, Gummer D, Smith DHV, Lloyd N, McPherson JM, Moehrenschlager A. Climate change impacts on the conservation outlook of populations on the poleward periphery of species ranges: A case study of Canadian black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:836-847. [PMID: 28976626 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Given climate change, species' climatically suitable habitats are increasingly expected to shift poleward. Some imperilled populations towards the poleward edge of their species' range might therefore conceivably benefit from climate change. Interactions between climate and population dynamics may be complex, however, with climate exerting effects both indirectly via influence over food availability and more directly, via effects on physiology and its implications for survival and reproduction. A thorough understanding of these interactions is critical for effective conservation management. We therefore examine the relationship between climate, survival and reproduction in Canadian black-tailed prairie dogs, a threatened keystone species in an imperilled ecosystem at the northern edge of the species' range. Our analyses considered 8 years of annual mark-recapture data (2007-2014) in relation to growing degree days, precipitation, drought status and winter severity, as well as year, sex, age and body mass. Survival was strongly influenced by the interaction of drought and body mass class, and winter temperature severity. Female reproductive status was associated with the interaction of growing degree days and growing season precipitation, with spring precipitation and with winter temperature severity. Results related to body mass suggested that climatic variables exerted their effects via regulation of food availability with potential linked effects of food quality, immunological and behavioural implications, and predation risk. Predictions of future increases in drought conditions in North America's grassland ecosystems have raised concerns for the outlook of Canadian black-tailed prairie dogs. Insights gained from the analyses, however, point to mitigating species management options targeted at decoupling the mechanisms by which climate exerts its negative influence. Our approach highlights the importance of understanding the interaction between climate and population dynamics in peripheral populations whose viability might ultimately determine their species' ability to track climatically suitable space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara Stephens
- Centre for Conservation Research, Calgary Zoological Society, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Sian C Wilson
- Centre for Conservation Research, Calgary Zoological Society, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ffion Cassidy
- Centre for Conservation Research, Calgary Zoological Society, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Darren Bender
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Geography, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - David Gummer
- Natural Resource Conservation Branch, Parks Canada Agency, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Des H V Smith
- Centre for Conservation Research, Calgary Zoological Society, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Natasha Lloyd
- Centre for Conservation Research, Calgary Zoological Society, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jana M McPherson
- Centre for Conservation Research, Calgary Zoological Society, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Axel Moehrenschlager
- Centre for Conservation Research, Calgary Zoological Society, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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40
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Davidson AD, Hunter EA, Erz J, Lightfoot DC, McCarthy AM, Mueller JK, Shoemaker KT. Reintroducing a keystone burrowing rodent to restore an arid North American grassland: challenges and successes. Restor Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ana D. Davidson
- Department of Wildlife Humboldt State University Arcata CA 95521 U.S.A
- Department of Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque NM 87131 U.S.A
- Present address: Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology and the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, College of Natural Resources Colorado State University Fort Collins CO 80524 U.S.A
| | - Elizabeth A. Hunter
- Natural Resources & Environmental Science University of Nevada Reno NV 89557 U.S.A
| | - Jon Erz
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge Socorro NM 87801 U.S.A
| | - David C. Lightfoot
- Department of Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque NM 87131 U.S.A
| | - Aliya M. McCarthy
- Department of Wildlife Humboldt State University Arcata CA 95521 U.S.A
- Present address: San Francisco Bay Estuary Field Station Western Ecological Research Center, USGS Vallejo CA 94592 U.S.A
| | - Jennifer K. Mueller
- Department of Wildlife Humboldt State University Arcata CA 95521 U.S.A
- Present address: Surprise Field Station, Applegate, Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, Cedarville CA 96104 U.S.A
| | - Kevin T. Shoemaker
- Natural Resources & Environmental Science University of Nevada Reno NV 89557 U.S.A
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41
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Melman SD, Ettestad PE, VinHatton ES, Ragsdale JM, Takacs N, Onischuk LM, Leonard PM, Master SS, Lucero VS, Kingry LC, Petersen JM. Human case of bubonic plague resulting from the bite of a wild Gunnison's prairie dog during translocation from a plague-endemic area. Zoonoses Public Health 2017; 65:e254-e258. [PMID: 29110441 DOI: 10.1111/zph.12419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Plague is a zoonotic disease (transmitted mainly by fleas and maintained in nature by rodents) that causes severe acute illness in humans. We present a human plague case who became infected by the bite of a wild Gunnison's prairie dog, and a good practical example of the One Health approach that resulted in a rapid public health response. The exposure occurred while the animal was being transported for relocation to a wildlife refuge after being trapped in a plague enzootic area. This is the first report of a human plague case resulting from the bite of a Gunnison's prairie dog. Additionally, we present an observation of a longer incubation period for plague in captive prairie dogs, leading to a recommendation for a longer quarantine period for prairie dogs during translocation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Melman
- Epidemiology and Response Division, New Mexico Department of Health, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - P E Ettestad
- Epidemiology and Response Division, New Mexico Department of Health, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - E S VinHatton
- Epidemiology and Response Division, New Mexico Department of Health, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - J M Ragsdale
- New Mexico Department of Agriculture, Veterinary Diagnostic Services, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - N Takacs
- New Mexico Department of Agriculture, Veterinary Diagnostic Services, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - L M Onischuk
- Scientific Laboratory Division, New Mexico Department of Health, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - P M Leonard
- Scientific Laboratory Division, New Mexico Department of Health, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - S S Master
- Scientific Laboratory Division, New Mexico Department of Health, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | | | - L C Kingry
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - J M Petersen
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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42
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Eads DA, Biggins DE, Eads SL. Grooming behaviors of black‐tailed prairie dogs are influenced by flea parasitism, conspecifics, and proximity to refuge. Ethology 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David A. Eads
- U. S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center Fort Collins CO USA
| | - Dean E. Biggins
- U. S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center Fort Collins CO USA
| | - Samantha L. Eads
- U. S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center Fort Collins CO USA
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43
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Rocke TE, Tripp DW, Russell RE, Abbott RC, Richgels KLD, Matchett MR, Biggins DE, Griebel R, Schroeder G, Grassel SM, Pipkin DR, Cordova J, Kavalunas A, Maxfield B, Boulerice J, Miller MW. Sylvatic Plague Vaccine Partially Protects Prairie Dogs (Cynomys spp.) in Field Trials. ECOHEALTH 2017; 14. [PMID: 28643091 PMCID: PMC5662665 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-017-1253-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Sylvatic plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, frequently afflicts prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), causing population declines and local extirpations. We tested the effectiveness of bait-delivered sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) in prairie dog colonies on 29 paired placebo and treatment plots (1-59 ha in size; average 16.9 ha) in 7 western states from 2013 to 2015. We compared relative abundance (using catch per unit effort (CPUE) as an index) and apparent survival of prairie dogs on 26 of the 29 paired plots, 12 with confirmed or suspected plague (Y. pestis positive carcasses or fleas). Even though plague mortality occurred in prairie dogs on vaccine plots, SPV treatment had an overall positive effect on CPUE in all three years, regardless of plague status. Odds of capturing a unique animal were 1.10 (95% confidence interval [C.I.] 1.02-1.19) times higher per trap day on vaccine-treated plots than placebo plots in 2013, 1.47 (95% C.I. 1.41-1.52) times higher in 2014 and 1.19 (95% C.I. 1.13-1.25) times higher in 2015. On pairs where plague occurred, odds of apparent survival were 1.76 (95% Bayesian credible interval [B.C.I.] 1.28-2.43) times higher on vaccine plots than placebo plots for adults and 2.41 (95% B.C.I. 1.72-3.38) times higher for juveniles. Our results provide evidence that consumption of vaccine-laden baits can protect prairie dogs against plague; however, further evaluation and refinement are needed to optimize SPV use as a management tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tonie E Rocke
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Rd., Madison, WI, 53711, USA.
| | - Daniel W Tripp
- Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program, 4330 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Robin E Russell
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Rd., Madison, WI, 53711, USA
| | - Rachel C Abbott
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Rd., Madison, WI, 53711, USA
| | - Katherine L D Richgels
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Rd., Madison, WI, 53711, USA
| | - Marc R Matchett
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Lewistown, MT, USA
| | - Dean E Biggins
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Ave, #C, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Greg Schroeder
- U.S. National Park Service, Wind Cave National Park, 26611 Highway 385, Hot Springs, SD, USA
| | - Shaun M Grassel
- Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Recreation, P.O. Box 246, Lower Brule, SD, USA
| | - David R Pipkin
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, APHIS, Wildlife Services, WTAMU, P.O. Box 60277, Canyon, TX, USA
| | - Jennifer Cordova
- Arizona Game and Fish Department, P.O. Box 397, Seligman, AZ, USA
| | - Adam Kavalunas
- Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 1470 North Airport Rd., Cedar City, UT, USA
| | - Brian Maxfield
- Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 318 North Vernal Ave., Vernal, UT, USA
| | - Jesse Boulerice
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 528 South Adams Street, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Michael W Miller
- Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program, 4330 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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Eads DA. Swabbing Prairie Dog Burrows for Fleas That Transmit Yersinia pestis: Influences on Efficiency. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2017; 54:1273-1277. [PMID: 28486652 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjx090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Scientists and health-care professionals sometimes use a swabbing technique to collect fleas from rodent burrows, and later test the fleas for Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague. Detection of Y. pestis is enhanced when large pools of fleas are available. The following study investigated factors that might affect the rate at which fleas are collected from burrows in colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). Data were collected from 13 colonies in New Mexico during 0600-1000 hours, June-August 2010-2011. Fleas were scarce on swabs inserted into burrows that were not actively used by prairie dogs; fleas are presumably suppressed in burrows that are void of hosts and might have begun to collapse due to a lack of maintenance. Fleas were scarce on swabs inserted into burrows with little sunlight entering the tunnel; many species of fleas use changes in light intensity to locate objects, but if light is limited, it might be difficult to locate a swab. Fleas were scarce on swabs inserted to shallow depths underground, especially during hot mornings, and during the hottest portions of mornings; when conditions are hot above ground, ectothermic fleas might migrate into the deep components of burrows, or become less willing to jump onto hosts, making it difficult to collect the fleas with swabs. If the swabbing technique is used to survey for Y. pestis on colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs, investigators might use the results of this study to modify their methods and increase the number of fleas collected.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Eads
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
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Tripp DW, Rocke TE, Runge JP, Abbott RC, Miller MW. Burrow Dusting or Oral Vaccination Prevents Plague-Associated Prairie Dog Colony Collapse. ECOHEALTH 2017; 14:451-462. [PMID: 28643090 PMCID: PMC5662691 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-017-1236-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2016] [Revised: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Plague impacts prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), the endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) and other sensitive wildlife species. We compared efficacy of prophylactic treatments (burrow dusting with deltamethrin or oral vaccination with recombinant "sylvatic plague vaccine" [RCN-F1/V307]) to placebo treatment in black-tailed prairie dog (C. ludovicianus) colonies. Between 2013 and 2015, we measured prairie dog apparent survival, burrow activity and flea abundance on triplicate plots ("blocks") receiving dust, vaccine or placebo treatment. Epizootic plague affected all three blocks but emerged asynchronously. Dust plots had fewer fleas per burrow (P < 0.0001), and prairie dogs captured on dust plots had fewer fleas (P < 0.0001) than those on vaccine or placebo plots. Burrow activity and prairie dog density declined sharply in placebo plots when epizootic plague emerged. Patterns in corresponding dust and vaccine plots were less consistent and appeared strongly influenced by timing of treatment applications relative to plague emergence. Deltamethrin or oral vaccination enhanced apparent survival within two blocks. Applying insecticide or vaccine prior to epizootic emergence blunted effects of plague on prairie dog survival and abundance, thereby preventing colony collapse. Successful plague mitigation will likely entail strategic combined uses of burrow dusting and oral vaccination within large colonies or colony complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W Tripp
- Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program, 4330 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO, 80521-2153, USA.
| | - Tonie E Rocke
- United States Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI, 53711, USA
| | - Jonathan P Runge
- Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, Terrestrial Resources Program, 317 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO, 80526-2097, USA
| | - Rachel C Abbott
- United States Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI, 53711, USA
| | - Michael W Miller
- Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program, 4330 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO, 80521-2153, USA
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46
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Eads DA, Biggins DE. Paltry past-precipitation: Predisposing prairie dogs to plague? J Wildl Manage 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- David A. Eads
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University; U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center; 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C Fort Collins CO 80526 USA
| | - Dean E. Biggins
- U.S. Geological Survey; Fort Collins Science Center; 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C Fort Collins CO 80526 USA
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47
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FLEAS OF BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS (MUSTELA NIGRIPES) AND THEIR POTENTIAL ROLE IN THE MOVEMENT OF PLAGUE. J Wildl Dis 2017; 53:521-531. [DOI: 10.7589/2016-09-202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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48
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Maestas LP, Britten HB. Flea and Small Mammal Species Composition in Mixed-Grass Prairies: Implications for the Maintenance ofYersinia pestis. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2017; 17:467-474. [DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2016.2069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren P. Maestas
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota
| | - Hugh B. Britten
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota
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49
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Eads DA, Hoogland JL. Precipitation, Climate Change, and Parasitism of Prairie Dogs by Fleas that Transmit Plague. J Parasitol 2017; 103:309-319. [PMID: 28359175 DOI: 10.1645/16-195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) are hematophagous ectoparasites that can reduce the fitness of vertebrate hosts. Laboratory populations of fleas decline under dry conditions, implying that populations of fleas will also decline when precipitation is scarce under natural conditions. If precipitation and hence vegetative production are reduced, however, then herbivorous hosts might suffer declines in body condition and have weakened defenses against fleas, so that fleas will increase in abundance. We tested these competing hypotheses using information from 23 yr of research on 3 species of colonial prairie dogs in the western United States: Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni, 1989-1994), Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens, 1996-2005), and white-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys leucurus, 2006-2012). For all 3 species, flea-counts per individual varied inversely with the number of days in the prior growing season with >10 mm of precipitation, an index of the number of precipitation events that might have caused a substantial, prolonged increase in soil moisture and vegetative production. Flea-counts per Utah prairie dog also varied inversely with cumulative precipitation of the prior growing season. Furthermore, flea-counts per Gunnison's and white-tailed prairie dog varied inversely with cumulative precipitation of the just-completed January and February. These results complement research on black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) and might have important ramifications for plague, a bacterial disease transmitted by fleas that devastates populations of prairie dogs. In particular, our results might help to explain why, at some colonies, epizootics of plague, which can kill >95% of prairie dogs, are more likely to occur during or shortly after periods of reduced precipitation. Climate change is projected to increase the frequency of droughts in the grasslands of western North America. If so, then climate change might affect the occurrence of plague epizootics among prairie dogs and other mammalian species that associate with them.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Eads
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523. Correspondence should be sent to David A. Eads at:
| | - John L Hoogland
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523. Correspondence should be sent to David A. Eads at:
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50
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Eads DA, Hoogland JL. Factors that affect parasitism of black‐tailed prairie dogs by fleas. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David A. Eads
- Fort Collins Science Center U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Colorado 80526 USA
- Department of Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado 80523 USA
| | - John L. Hoogland
- Appalachian Laboratory University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Frostburg Maryland 21532 USA
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