Transmission Efficiency of Two Flea Species (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oropsylla tuberculata cynomuris</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oropsylla hirsuta</Emphasis>) Involved in Plague Epizootics among Prairie Dogs |
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Authors: | Aryn P Wilder Rebecca J Eisen Scott W Bearden John A Montenieri Daniel W Tripp R Jory Brinkerhoff Kenneth L Gage Michael F Antolin |
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Institution: | (1) Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, P.O. Box 2087, Fort Collins, CO 80522, USA;(2) Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA;(3) Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA |
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Abstract: | Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, is an exotic disease in North America circulating predominantly in wild populations of rodents and their fleas. Black-tailed
prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are highly susceptible to infection, often experiencing mortality of nearly all individuals in a town as a result of plague.
The fleas of black-tailed prairie dogs are Oropsylla tuberculata cynomuris and Oropsylla hirsuta. We tested the efficiency of O. tuberculata cynomuris to transmit Y. pestis daily from 24 to 96 h postinfection and compared it to previously collected data for O. hirsuta. We found that O. tuberculata cynomuris has over threefold greater transmission efficiency (0.18 infected fleas transmit Y. pestis at 24 h postinfection) than O. hirsuta (0.05 fleas transmit). Using a simple model of flea-borne transmission, we combine these laboratory measurements with field
data on monthly flea loads to compare the seasonal vectorial capacity of these two flea species. Coinciding with seasonal
patterns of flea abundance, we find a peak in potential for flea-borne transmission in March, during high O. tuberculata cynomuris abundance, and in September–October when O. hirsuta is common. Our findings may be useful in determining the timing of insecticidal dusting to slow plague transmission in black-tailed
prairie dogs. |
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Keywords: | prairie dog flea plague seasonality insecticidal dusting |
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