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Haikukutu L, Lyaku JR, Lyimo CM, Eiseb SJ, Makundi RH, Olayemi A, Wilhelm K, Müller-Klein N, Schmid DW, Fleischer R, Sommer S. Immunogenetics, sylvatic plague and its vectors: insights from the pathogen reservoir Mastomys natalensis in Tanzania. Immunogenetics 2023; 75:517-530. [PMID: 37853246 PMCID: PMC10651713 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-023-01323-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Yersinia pestis is a historically important vector-borne pathogen causing plague in humans and other mammals. Contemporary zoonotic infections with Y. pestis still occur in sub-Saharan Africa, including Tanzania and Madagascar, but receive relatively little attention. Thus, the role of wildlife reservoirs in maintaining sylvatic plague and spillover risks to humans is largely unknown. The multimammate rodent Mastomys natalensis is the most abundant and widespread rodent in peri-domestic areas in Tanzania, where it plays a major role as a Y. pestis reservoir in endemic foci. Yet, how M. natalensis' immunogenetics contributes to the maintenance of plague has not been investigated to date. Here, we surveyed wild M. natalensis for Y. pestis vectors, i.e., fleas, and tested for the presence of antibodies against Y. pestis using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) in areas known to be endemic or without previous records of Y. pestis in Tanzania. We characterized the allelic and functional (i.e., supertype) diversity of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC class II) of M. natalensis and investigated links to Y. pestis vectors and infections. We detected antibodies against Y. pestis in rodents inhabiting both endemic areas and areas considered non-endemic. Of the 111 nucleotide MHC alleles, only DRB*016 was associated with an increased infestation with the flea Xenopsylla. Surprisingly, we found no link between MHC alleles or supertypes and antibodies of Y. pestis. Our findings hint, however, at local adaptations towards Y. pestis vectors, an observation that more exhaustive sampling could unwind in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavinia Haikukutu
- Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania.
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
- Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania.
| | - Japhet R Lyaku
- Department of Paraclinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Charles M Lyimo
- Department of Animal, Aquaculture and Range Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Chuo Kikuu, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Seth J Eiseb
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Rhodes H Makundi
- Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Ayodeji Olayemi
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Natural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - Kerstin Wilhelm
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Nadine Müller-Klein
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Dominik W Schmid
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Ramona Fleischer
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Simone Sommer
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
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Hanselmann R, Dizney LJ, Bron GM, Jolles AE. Fleas from common rodent species are an unlikely source of plague (Yersinia pestis) in managed forests of northwestern Oregon, USA. Zoonoses Public Health 2022; 69:884-887. [PMID: 35607727 PMCID: PMC9790284 DOI: 10.1111/zph.12974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic environmental change can alter the susceptibility of wildlife hosts to pathogens and provide an opportunity for disease emergence. We explored Yersinia pestis prevalence in fleas from three rodent species inhabiting intensively managed forests in Oregon, USA. Y. pestis was not detected in the 145 fleas (3 families and 9 species) collected. Our results suggest a low public health threat from plague in this anthropogenically altered landscape and contribute to regional Y. pestis monitoring efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhea Hanselmann
- Oregon State UniversityCorvallisOregonUSA,Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary MedicinePomonaCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Gebbiena M. Bron
- University of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWisconsinUSA,Present address:
Wageningen University and ResearchWageningenNetherlands
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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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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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Hedman HD, Krawczyk E, Helmy YA, Zhang L, Varga C. Host Diversity and Potential Transmission Pathways of SARS-CoV-2 at the Human-Animal Interface. Pathogens 2021; 10:180. [PMID: 33567598 PMCID: PMC7915269 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10020180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging infectious diseases present great risks to public health. The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has become an urgent public health issue of global concern. It is speculated that the virus first emerged through a zoonotic spillover. Basic research studies have suggested that bats are likely the ancestral reservoir host. Nonetheless, the evolutionary history and host susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2 remains unclear as a multitude of animals has been proposed as potential intermediate or dead-end hosts. SARS-CoV-2 has been isolated from domestic animals, both companion and livestock, as well as in captive wildlife that were in close contact with human COVID-19 cases. Currently, domestic mink is the only known animal that is susceptible to a natural infection, develop severe illness, and can also transmit SARS-CoV-2 to other minks and humans. To improve foundational knowledge of SARS-CoV-2, we are conducting a synthesis review of its host diversity and transmission pathways. To mitigate this COVID-19 pandemic, we strongly advocate for a systems-oriented scientific approach that comprehensively evaluates the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at the human and animal interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayden D. Hedman
- Summit County Local Public Health Agency, Summit County, Frisco, CO 80443, USA;
| | - Eric Krawczyk
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
| | - Yosra A. Helmy
- Food Animal Health Research Program, Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA;
| | - Lixin Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Csaba Varga
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61802, USA
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