Enzootic plague reduces black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) survival in Montana.

@article{Matchett2010EnzooticPR,
  title={Enzootic plague reduces black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) survival in Montana.},
  author={Marc R. Matchett and Dean E. Biggins and Valerie Carlson and Bradford S Powell and Tonie E. Rocke},
  journal={Vector borne and zoonotic diseases},
  year={2010},
  volume={10 1},
  pages={
          27-35
        }
}
Black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) require extensive prairie dog colonies (Cynomys spp.) to provide habitat and prey. Epizootic plague kills both prairie dogs and ferrets and is a major factor limiting recovery of the highly endangered ferret. In addition to epizootics, we hypothesized that enzootic plague, that is, presence of disease-causing Yersinia pestis without any noticeable prairie dog die off, may also affect ferret survival. We reduced risk of plague on portions of two ferret… 
View on PubMed
dtic.mil
100 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
2
Background Citations
37
Methods Citations
6
Results Citations
1

Figures and Tables from this paper

100 Citations

Assessing the risk of plague to black-footed ferrets in Conata Basin, South Dakota
TLDR
Plague continues to influence black-footed ferrets in Conata Basin despite the extensive efforts to dust prairie dog colonies, and full vaccination of ferrets with plague vaccine is needed to offset the influence of plague and to ensure population persistence during a plague epizootic.
Oral Sylvatic Plague Vaccine Does Not Adequately Protect Prairie Dogs (Cynomys spp.) for Endangered Black-Footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes) Conservation
TLDR
The effectiveness of an oral sylvatic plague vaccine delivered in baits to black-tailed PD (Cynomys ludovicianus, BTPD) from 2013 to 2017 on the CMR in northcentral Montana was assessed.
RESISTANCE TO DELTAMETHRIN IN PRAIRIE DOG (CYNOMYS LUDOVICIANUS) FLEAS IN THE FIELD AND IN THE LABORATORY
TLDR
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.
SENTINEL COYOTE PATHOGEN SURVEY TO ASSESS DECLINING BLACK-FOOTED FERRET (MUSTELA NIGRIPES) POPULATION IN SOUTH DAKOTA, USA
TLDR
The high seroprevalence of WNV in the coyotes indicated a wide exposure to the virus; therefore, exposure of black-footed ferrets to theirus is also likely and studies may be useful to elucidate the impact that WNV could have on the success of reintroduced black-foot ferrets as well as factors influencing the spread and incidence of the disease in a Prairie ecosystem.
Sylvatic Plague Vaccine Partially Protects Prairie Dogs (Cynomys spp.) in Field Trials
TLDR
Evidence is provided 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.
Resistance to plague among black-tailed prairie dog populations.
TLDR
Microsatellite analysis revealed that all three groups of black-tailed prairie dogs were distinct genetically, but further studies are needed to establish a genetic basis for the observed differences in plague resistance.
Fipronil Pellets Reduce Flea Abundance on Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs: Potential Tool for Plague Management and Black-Footed Ferret Conservation
TLDR
E edible “FipBit” pellets, each containing 0.84 mg fipronil, are effective, inexpensive, and easily distributed but require federal approval for operational use, and should suppress plague transmission.
Deltamethrin flea-control preserves genetic variability of black-tailed prairie dogs during a plague outbreak
TLDR
Protecting colonies with deltamethrin or a plague vaccine could be an effective method to preserve genetic variability of prairie dogs and many species that depend on them.
Field Evaluation of Imidacloprid as a Systemic Approach to Flea Control in Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs, Cynomys ludovicianus
TLDR
Imidacloprid-treated grain bait can be more rapidly applied than topical insecticides, providing managers with a tool to quickly reduce flea infestations, and might still be effective at reducing the risk of plague and halting epizootics.
Managing Populations, Diseases, and Landowner Perceptions of Prairie Dogs for Black-Footed Ferret Reintroduction
TLDR
The research is described on the complex ecological relationships and socio-environmental challenges of reintroducing endangered black-footed ferrets, with a focus on the most abundant prairieDog species, the black-tailed prairie dog ( Cynomys ludovicianus).
...
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 44 REFERENCES
High prevalence of Yersinia pestis in black-tailed prairie dog colonies during an apparent enzootic phase of sylvatic plague
TLDR
The surprisingly high prevalence of plague on study area colonies without any obvious epizootic suggested that the pathogen existed in an enzootic state in black-tailed prairie dogs, which has important implications for the management of prairies and other species that are purported to be enzootics reservoir species.
RECOMBINANT F1-V FUSION PROTEIN PROTECTS BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS (MUSTELA NIGRIPES) AGAINST VIRULENT YERSINIA PESTIS INFECTION
TLDR
Results indicate that black-footed ferrets can be immunized against plague induced by the s.c. route, similar to fleabite injection.
No Evidence of Persistent Yersina pestis Infection at Prairie Dog Colonies in North-Central Montana
TLDR
This and other studies provide evidence that Y. pestis may not persist at prairie dog colonies following an epizootic and suggest that the plague organism persists locally among resistant host species or elsewhere followingEpizootics.
VACCINATION WITH F1-V FUSION PROTEIN PROTECTS BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS (MUSTELA NIGRIPES) AGAINST PLAGUE UPON ORAL CHALLENGE WITH YERSINIA PESTIS
TLDR
This study demonstrates that the F1-V antigen can also protect ferrets against plague contracted via ingestion of a Y. pestis-infected mouse, a probable route for natural infection.
Classic flea-borne transmission does not drive plague epizootics in prairie dogs.
TLDR
The model predictions of the residence time of the short-term reservoir suggest that other small mammals, infectious prairie dog carcasses, fleas that transmit plague without blockage of the digestive tract, or some combination of these three are the most likely of the candidate infectious reservoirs.
Recovery of the black-footed ferret: progress and continuing challenges--Proceedings of the Symposium onthe Status of the Black-footed Ferret and Its Habitat, Fort Collins, Colorado, January 28-29, 2004
Black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) historically occupied colonies of three prairie dog (Cynomys) species—Gunnison’s (C. gunnisoni), white-tailed (C. leucurus), and blacktailed (C.…
The use of wild carnivore serology in determining patterns of plague activity in rodents in California
TLDR
Carnivores can be used as serological plague sentinels using the specific passive or indirect hemagglutination test in the laboratory and have given insight into the patterns of enzootic plague among wild rodent populations.
Treatment of Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Burrows with Deltamethrin to Control Fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) and Plague
TLDR
Burrows within black-tailed prairie dog colonies on the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado, were dusted with deltamethrin insecticide to reduce flea abundance to significantly reduce populations of the plague vector Oropsylla hirsuta and other flea species.
Spatiotemporal dynamics of black-tailed prairie dog colonies affected by plague
Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are a key component of the disturbance regime in semi-arid grasslands of central North America. Many studies have compared community and ecosystem…
Epidemiologic survey of sylvatic plague by serotesting coyote sentinels with enzyme immunoassay.
TLDR
The geographic distribution and areas of high sylvatic plague activity in California were verified by using coyotes (Canis latrans) as sentinel animals and the ELA test appears to be a promising tool for future epidemiologic studies of plague.
...
...