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Beasley EM, Nelson KM, Slate D, Gilbert AT, Pogmore FE, Chipman RB, Davis AJ. Oral Rabies Vaccination of Raccoons (Procyon lotor) across a Development Intensity Gradient in Burlington, Vermont, USA, 2015-2017. J Wildl Dis 2024; 60:1-13. [PMID: 37972639 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-22-00117] [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: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Management of the raccoon rabies virus variant in North America is conducted primarily using oral rabies vaccination (ORV). When a sufficient proportion of the population is vaccinated (∼60%), rabies transmission can be eliminated. To date, ORV programs have successfully controlled and eliminated raccoon rabies in rural areas, but there has been less success in urban areas. We studied the proportions of rabies virus neutralizing antibodies (RVNA) in a raccoon (Procyon lotor) population during a 3-yr ORV trial in developed areas of Burlington, Vermont, US. We used a modified N-mixture model to estimate raccoon abundance, RVNA seroprevalence, and capture rates jointly to examine factors that relate to ORV success to better inform management. We found that raccoon abundance was lower in less-developed areas compared to urban centers. Raccoon RVNA seroprevalence decreased as population abundance increased; it increased as the average age of the population increased. Nontarget opossum (Didelphis virginiana) captures correlated with a decrease in raccoon RVNA seroprevalence in low-development areas, suggesting that they may be competing for baits. The target bait density across the entire study area was 150 baits/km2, but a hand baiting strategy was heavily concentrated on roads, resulting in uneven bait densities within sampling sites (0-484 baits/km2). Uneven bait distribution across the study area may explain low RVNA seroprevalence in some locations. Our results suggest that increases in bait density across the study area may improve RVNA seroprevalence and support annual ORV to account for raccoon population turnover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M Beasley
- University of Vermont, Department of Biology, 109 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, Vermont 05401, USA
- Current affiliation: Université de Montréal, Département de Sciences Biologiques, 1375 Avenue Thérèse-Lavoie-Roux, Montréal, Quebec H2V 0B3, Canada
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Kathleen M Nelson
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Rabies Management Program, 59 Chenell Drive, Suite 2, Concord, New Hampshire 03301, USA
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Dennis Slate
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Rabies Management Program, 59 Chenell Drive, Suite 2, Concord, New Hampshire 03301, USA
- Current affiliation: Chippewa Bay Wildlife Art and Science LLC, 1132 County Road 6, Hammond, New York 13646, USA
| | - Amy T Gilbert
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA
| | - Frederick E Pogmore
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, 617 Comstock Road, Suite 9, Berlin, Vermont 05602, USA
| | - Richard B Chipman
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Rabies Management Program, 59 Chenell Drive, Suite 2, Concord, New Hampshire 03301, USA
| | - Amy J Davis
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA
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Bastille-Rousseau G, Gorman NT, McClure KM, Nituch L, Buchanan T, Chipman RB, Gilbert AT, Pepin KM. Assessing the Efficiency of Local Rabies Vaccination Strategies for Raccoons (Procyon lotor) in an Urban Setting. J Wildl Dis 2024; 60:26-38. [PMID: 37924240 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-23-00059] [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: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
Raccoon rabies virus (RRV) has been managed using multiple vaccination strategies, including oral rabies vaccination and trap-vaccinate-release (TVR). Identifying a rabies vaccination strategy for an area is a nontrivial task. Vaccination strategies differ in the amount of effort and monetary costs required to achieve a particular level of vaccine seroprevalence (efficiency). Simulating host movement relative to different vaccination strategies in silico can provide a useful tool for exploring the efficiency of different vaccination strategies. We refined a previously developed individual-based model of raccoon movement to evaluate vaccination strategies for urban Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. We combined different oral rabies vaccination baiting (hand baiting, helicopter, and bait stations) with TVR strategies and used GPS data to parameterize and simulate raccoon movement in Hamilton. We developed a total of 560 vaccination strategies, in consultation with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, for RRV control in Hamilton. We documented the monetary costs of each vaccination strategy and estimated the population seroprevalence. Intervention costs and seroprevalence estimates were used to calculate the efficiency of each strategy to meet targets set for the purpose of RRV control. Estimated seroprevalence across different strategies varied widely, ranging from less than 5% to more than 70%. Increasing bait densities (distributed using by hand or helicopter) led to negligible increase in seroprevalence. Helicopter baiting was the most efficient and TVR was the least efficient, but helicopter-based strategies led to lower levels of seroprevalence (6-12%) than did TVR-based strategies (17-70%). Our simulations indicated that a mixed strategy including at least some TVR may be the most efficient strategy for a local urban RRV control program when seroprevalence levels >30% may be required. Our simulations provide information regarding the efficiency of different vaccination strategies for raccoon populations, to guide local RRV control in urban settings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicole T Gorman
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
| | - Katherine M McClure
- National Wildlife Research Center, Wildlife Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA
- US Geological Survey Pacific Island Ecosystem Research Center, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii 96718, USA
| | - Larissa Nituch
- Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Tore Buchanan
- Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Richard B Chipman
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Rabies Management Program, Concord, New Hampshire 03301, USA
| | - Amy T Gilbert
- National Wildlife Research Center, Wildlife Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA
| | - Kim M Pepin
- National Wildlife Research Center, Wildlife Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA
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Yang A, Boughton R, Miller RS, Snow NP, Vercauteren KC, Pepin KM, Wittemyer G. Individual-level patterns of resource selection do not predict hotspots of contact. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:74. [PMID: 38037089 PMCID: PMC10687890 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00435-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Contact among animals is crucial for various ecological processes, including social behaviors, disease transmission, and predator-prey interactions. However, the distribution of contact events across time and space is heterogeneous, influenced by environmental factors and biological purposes. Previous studies have assumed that areas with abundant resources and preferred habitats attract more individuals and, therefore, lead to more contact. To examine the accuracy of this assumption, we used a use-available framework to compare landscape factors influencing the location of contacts between wild pigs (Sus scrofa) in two study areas in Florida and Texas (USA) from those influencing non-contact space use. We employed a contact-resource selection function (RSF) model, where contact locations were defined as used points and locations without contact as available points. By comparing outputs from this contact RSF with a general, population-level RSF, we assessed the factors driving both habitat selection and contact. We found that the landscape predictors (e.g., wetland, linear features, and food resources) played different roles in habitat selection from contact processes for wild pigs in both study areas. This indicated that pigs interacted with their landscapes differently when choosing habitats compared to when they encountered other individuals. Consequently, relying solely on the spatial overlap of individual or population-level RSF models may lead to a misleading understanding of contact-related ecology. Our findings challenge prevailing assumptions about contact and introduce innovative approaches to better understand the ecological drivers of spatially explicit contact. By accurately predicting the spatial distribution of contact events, we can enhance our understanding of contact based ecological processes and their spatial dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anni Yang
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA.
| | - Raoul Boughton
- Archbold Biological Station, Buck Island Ranch, Lake Placid, FL, 33852, USA
| | - Ryan S Miller
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Service, Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health, 2150 Centre Avenue, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
| | - Nathan P Snow
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, National Wildlife Research Center, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO, 80521, USA
| | - Kurt C Vercauteren
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, National Wildlife Research Center, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO, 80521, USA
| | - Kim M Pepin
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, National Wildlife Research Center, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO, 80521, USA
| | - George Wittemyer
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
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Hill JE, Miller ML, Helton JL, Chipman RB, Gilbert AT, Beasley JC, Dharmarajan G, Rhodes OE. Raccoon spatial ecology in the rural southeastern United States. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0293133. [PMID: 37943745 PMCID: PMC10635488 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The movement ecology of raccoons varies widely across habitats with important implications for the management of zoonotic diseases such as rabies. However, the spatial ecology of raccoons remains poorly understood in many regions of the United States, particularly in the southeast. To better understand the spatial ecology of raccoons in the southeastern US, we investigated the role of sex, season, and habitat on monthly raccoon home range and core area sizes in three common rural habitats (bottomland hardwood, upland pine, and riparian forest) in South Carolina, USA. From 2018-2022, we obtained 264 monthly home ranges from 46 raccoons. Mean monthly 95% utilization distribution (UD) sizes ranged from 1.05 ± 0.48 km2 (breeding bottomland females) to 5.69 ± 3.37 km2 (fall riparian males) and mean monthly 60% UD sizes ranged from 0.25 ± 0.15 km2 (breeding bottomland females) to 1.59 ± 1.02 km2 (summer riparian males). Males maintained home range and core areas ~2-5 times larger than females in upland pine and riparian habitat throughout the year, whereas those of bottomland males were only larger than females during the breeding season. Home ranges and core areas of females did not vary across habitats, whereas male raccoons had home ranges and core areas ~2-3 times larger in upland pine and riparian compared to bottomland hardwood throughout much of the year. The home ranges of males in upland pine and riparian are among the largest recorded for raccoons in the United States. Such large and variable home ranges likely contribute to elevated risk of zoonotic disease spread by males in these habitats. These results can be used to inform disease mitigation strategies in the southeastern United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob E. Hill
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, United States of America
| | - Madison L. Miller
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, United States of America
| | - James L. Helton
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, United States of America
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
| | - Richard B. Chipman
- National Rabies Management Program, USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services, Concord, NH, United States of America
| | - Amy T. Gilbert
- National Wildlife Research Center, USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO, United States of America
| | - James C. Beasley
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, United States of America
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
| | - Guha Dharmarajan
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, United States of America
| | - Olin E. Rhodes
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, United States of America
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
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Rabies transmission in the Arctic: An agent-based model reveals the effects of broad-scale movement strategies on contact risk between Arctic foxes. Ecol Modell 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.110207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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