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Gebrezgiher GB, Makundi RH, Katakweba AAS, Belmain SR, Lyimo CM, Meheretu Y. Arthropod Ectoparasites of Two Rodent Species Occurring in Varied Elevations on Tanzania’s Second Highest Mountain. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12030394. [PMID: 36979086 PMCID: PMC10045264 DOI: 10.3390/biology12030394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Climate change causes organisms, including species that act as parasite reservoirs and vectors, to shift their distribution to higher altitudes, affecting wildlife infestation patterns. We studied how ectoparasite distributions varied with altitude using two rodent species, Montemys delectorum and Rhabdomys dilectus, at different elevations (1500–3500 m). The ectoparasites infesting the two rodent species were influenced by the host sex, species, and temperature. We expected host density to predict parasite infestation patterns, because hosts in higher densities should have more parasites due to increased contact between individuals. However, temperature, not host density, affected ectoparasite distribution. Since temperatures decrease with elevation, parasite prevalences and abundances were lower at higher elevations, highlighting that the cold conditions at higher elevations limit reproduction and development—this shows that higher elevation zones are ideal for conservation. The rodents and ectoparasite species described in this study have been reported as vectors of diseases of medical and veterinary importance, necessitating precautions. Moreover, Mount Meru is a refuge for a number of endemic and threatened species on the IUCN Red List. Thus, the parasitic infection can also be an additional risk to these critical species as well as biodiversity in general. Therefore, our study lays the groundwork for future wildlife disease surveillance and biodiversity conservation management actions. The study found a previously uncharacterized mite species in the Mesostigmata group that was previously known to be a parasite of honeybees. Further investigations may shed light into the role of this mite species on Mount Meru.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genet B. Gebrezgiher
- African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3110, Tanzania
- Institute of Pest Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3110, Tanzania
- Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3073, Tanzania
- Department of Biology, Mekelle University, Mekelle P.O. Box 231, Ethiopia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.:+255-710-421-237
| | - Rhodes H. Makundi
- African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3110, Tanzania
- Institute of Pest Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3110, Tanzania
| | - Abdul A. S. Katakweba
- African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3110, Tanzania
- Institute of Pest Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3110, Tanzania
| | - Steven R. Belmain
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime ME4 4TB, UK
| | - Charles M. Lyimo
- Department of Animal, Aquaculture and Range Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3004, Tanzania
| | - Yonas Meheretu
- Department of Biology, Mekelle University, Mekelle P.O. Box 231, Ethiopia
- Institute of Mountain Research and Development, Mekelle University, Mekelle P.O. Box 3102, Ethiopia
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83 Umea, Sweden
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Eads DA, Huyvaert KP, Biggins DE. Estimating parasite infrapopulation size given imperfect detection: Proof-of-concept with ectoparasitic fleas on prairie dogs. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2023; 20:117-121. [PMID: 36756090 PMCID: PMC9900500 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Parasite infrapopulation size - the population of parasites affecting a single host - is a central metric in parasitology. However, parasites are small and elusive such that imperfect detection is expected. Repeated sampling of parasites during primary sampling occasions (e.g., each host capture) informs the detection process. Here, we estimate flea (Siphonaptera) infrapopulation size on black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus, BTPDs) as a proof-of-concept for estimating parasite infrapopulations given imperfect detection. From Jun-Aug 2011, we live-trapped 299 BTPDs for a total of 573 captures on 20 plots distributed among 13 colonies at the Vermejo Park Ranch, New Mexico, USA. During each capture, an anesthetized BTPD was combed 3 times consecutively, 15 s each, to remove and count fleas. Each flea (n = 4846) was linked to the BTPD from which it was collected and assigned an encounter history ('100', '010', '001'). We analyzed the encounter histories using Huggins closed captures models, setting recapture probabilities to 0, thereby accounting for flea removal from hosts. The probability of detecting an individual flea (p) increased with Julian date; field personnel may have become more efficient at combing fleas as the field season progressed. Combined p across 3 combings equaled 0.99. Estimates of flea infrapopulation size were reasonable and followed the negative binomial distribution. Our general approach may be broadly applicable to estimating infrapopulation sizes for parasites. The utility of this approach increases as p declines but, if p is very low, inference is likely limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Eads
- U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA,Corresponding author. U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA.
| | - Kathryn P. Huyvaert
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Dean E. Biggins
- U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
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Exploring and Mitigating Plague for One Health Purposes. CURRENT TROPICAL MEDICINE REPORTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40475-022-00265-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Pontifes PA, Fernández‐González A, García‐Peña GE, Roche B, Suzán G. Drivers of flea abundance in wild rodents across local and regional scales in the Chihuahuan Desert, northwestern Mexico. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Paulina A. Pontifes
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria Ciudad de México Mexico
- Departamento de Etología Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria Ciudad de México Mexico
| | - Adriana Fernández‐González
- Departamento de Etología Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria Ciudad de México Mexico
| | - Gabriel E. García‐Peña
- Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad C3 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria Ciudad de México Mexico
| | - Benjamin Roche
- MIVEGEC (Infectious Diseases and Vectors: Ecology, Genetics, Evolution and Control), IRD (Research Institute for Sustainable Development), CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research) University of Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - Gerardo Suzán
- Departamento de Etología Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria Ciudad de México Mexico
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Bevins SN, Chandler JC, Barrett N, Schmit BS, Wiscomb GW, Shriner SA. Plague Exposure in Mammalian Wildlife Across the Western United States. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2021; 21:667-674. [PMID: 34191632 PMCID: PMC8563452 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2020.2765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plague is caused by a bacterial pathogen (Yersinia pestis) that can infect a wide range of mammal species, but its presence in wildlife is often underappreciated. Using a large-scale data set (n = 44,857) that details the extent of Y. pestis exposure in wildlife, we document exposure in 18 wildlife species, including coyotes (Canis latrans), bobcats (Lynx rufus), and black bears (Ursus americanus). Evidence of plague activity is widespread, with seropositive animals detected in every western state in the contiguous United States. Pathogen monitoring systems in wildlife that are both large scale and long-term are rare, yet they open the door for analyses on potential shifts in distribution that have occurred over time because of climate or land use changes. The data generated by these long-term monitoring programs, combined with recent advances in our understanding of pathogen ecology, offer a clearer picture of zoonotic pathogens and the risks they pose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah N. Bevins
- USDA APHIS WS National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Jeffrey C. Chandler
- USDA APHIS WS National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Nicole Barrett
- USDA APHIS WS National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Brandon S. Schmit
- USDA APHIS WS National Wildlife Disease Program, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | | | - Susan A. Shriner
- USDA APHIS WS National Wildlife Research Center, 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] [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 Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - R Jory Brinkerhoff
- Environmental Studies Program, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Joseph D Busch
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Chris Ray
- Environmental Studies Program, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Adina Doyle
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Jason W Sahl
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Paul Keim
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Sharon K Collinge
- Environmental Studies Program, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - David M Wagner
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
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