Oropsylla hirsuta (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae) can support plague epizootics in black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) by early-phase transmission of Yersinia pestis

被引:45
作者
Wilder, Aryn P. [1 ,2 ]
Eisen, Rebecca J. [1 ]
Bearden, Scott W. [1 ]
Montenieri, John A. [1 ]
Gage, Kenneth L. [1 ]
Antolin, Michael F. [2 ]
机构
[1] Ctr Dis Control & Prevent, Natl Ctr Infect Dis, Div Vector Borne Infect Dis, Bacterial Dis Branch, Ft Collins, CO USA
[2] Colorado State Univ, Dept Biol, Ft Collins, CO 80523 USA
关键词
Cynomys; early-phase transmission; epizootic; flea; plague;
D O I
10.1089/vbz.2007.0181
中图分类号
R1 [预防医学、卫生学];
学科分类号
1004 ; 120402 ;
摘要
Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia Pestis, often leads to rapid decimation of black-tailed prairie dog colonies. Flea-borne transmission of Y. pestis has been thought to occur primarily via blocked fleas, and therefore studies of vector efficiency have focused on the period when blockage is expected to occur (>= 5 days post-infection [p.i.]). Oropsylla hirsuta, a prairie dog flea, rarely blocks and transmission is inefficient >= 5 days p.i.; thus, this flea has been considered incapable of explaining rapid dissemination of Y. pestis among prairie dogs. By infecting wild-caught fleas with Y. pestis and exposing naive mice to groups of fleas at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h p.i., we examined the early-phase (1-4 days p.i.) efficiency of O. hirsuta to transmit Y. pestis to hosts and showed that O. hirsuta is a considerably more efficient vector at this largely overlooked stage (5.19% of fleas transmit Y. pestis at 24 h p.i.) than at later stages. Using a model of vectorial capacity, we suggest that this level of transmission can support plague at an enzootic level in a population when flea loads are within the average observed for black-tailed prairie dogs in nature. Shared burrows and sociality of prairie dogs could lead to accumulation of fleas when host population is reduced as a result of the disease, enabling epizootic spread of plague among prairie dogs.
引用
收藏
页码:359 / 367
页数:9
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