1
|
Tripp DW, Emslie AC, Sack DA, Zieschang M. A Prototype Insecticide Applicator and Quality Control Monitoring for Plague Management on Prairie Dog Colonies. WILDLIFE SOC B 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W. Tripp
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program, Foothills Wildlife Research Facility, 4330 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80521‐2153 USA
| | - Alexis C. Emslie
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program, Foothills Wildlife Research Facility, 4330 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80521‐2153 USA
| | - Danielle A. Sack
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program, Foothills Wildlife Research Facility, 4330 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80521‐2153 USA
| | - Matt Zieschang
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program, Foothills Wildlife Research Facility, 4330 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80521‐2153 USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Smith JE, Smith IB, Working CL, Russell ID, Krout SA, Singh KS, Sih A. Host traits, identity, and ecological conditions predict consistent flea abundance and prevalence on free-living California ground squirrels. Int J Parasitol 2021; 51:587-598. [PMID: 33508332 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2020.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Understanding why some individuals are more prone to carry parasites and spread diseases than others is a key question in biology. Although epidemiologists and disease ecologists increasingly recognize that individuals of the same species can vary tremendously in their relative contributions to the emergence of diseases, very few empirical studies systematically assess consistent individual differences in parasite loads within populations over time. Two species of fleas (Oropsylla montana and Hoplopsyllus anomalous) and their hosts, California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi), form a major complex for amplifying epizootic plague in the western United States. Understanding its biology is primarily of major ecological importance and is also relevant to public health. Here, we capitalize on a long-term data set to explain flea incidence on California ground squirrels at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County, USA. In a 7 year study, we detected 42,358 fleas from 2,759 live trapping events involving 803 unique squirrels from two free-living populations that differed in the amount of human disturbance in those areas. In general, fleas were most abundant and prevalent on adult males, on heavy squirrels, and at the pristine site, but flea distributions varied among years, with seasonal conditions (e.g., temperature, rainfall, humidity), temporally within summers, and between flea species. Although on-host abundances of the two flea species were positively correlated, each flea species occupied a distinctive ecological niche. The common flea (O. montana) occurred primarily on adults in cool, moist conditions in early summer whereas the rare flea (H. anomalous) was mainly on juveniles in hot, dry conditions in late summer. Beyond this, we uncovered significantly repeatable and persistent effects of host individual identity on flea loads, finding consistent individual differences among hosts in all parasite measures. Taken together, we reveal multiple determinants of parasites on free-living mammals, including the underappreciated potential for host heterogeneity - within populations - to structure the emergence of zoonotic diseases such as bubonic plague.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E Smith
- Biology Department, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94631, USA.
| | - Imani B Smith
- Biology Department, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94631, USA
| | - Cecelia L Working
- Biology Department, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94631, USA; Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, 140 E Green St, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Imani D Russell
- Biology Department, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94631, USA
| | - Shelby A Krout
- Biology Department, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94631, USA
| | - Kajol S Singh
- Biology Department, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94631, USA
| | - Andrew Sih
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Smith JE, Gamboa DA, Spencer JM, Travenick SJ, Ortiz CA, Hunter RD, Sih A. Split between two worlds: automated sensing reveals links between above- and belowground social networks in a free-living mammal. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0249. [PMID: 29967307 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals socialize in two or more major ecological contexts. In nature, these contexts often involve one situation in which space is more constrained (e.g. shared refuges, sleeping cliffs, nests, dens or burrows) and another situation in which animal movements are relatively free (e.g. in open spaces lacking architectural constraints). Although it is widely recognized that an individual's characteristics may shape its social life, the extent to which architecture constrains social decisions within and between habitats remains poorly understood. Here we developed a novel, automated-monitoring system to study the effects of personality, life-history stage and sex on the social network structure of a facultatively social mammal, the California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) in two distinct contexts: aboveground where space is relatively open and belowground where it is relatively constrained by burrow architecture. Aboveground networks reflected affiliative social interactions whereas belowground networks reflected burrow associations. Network structure in one context (belowground), along with preferential juvenile-adult associations, predicted structure in a second context (aboveground). Network positions of individuals were generally consistent across years (within contexts) and between ecological contexts (within years), suggesting that individual personalities and behavioural syndromes, respectively, contribute to the social network structure of these free-living mammals. Direct ties (strength) tended to be stronger in belowground networks whereas more indirect paths (betweenness centrality) flowed through individuals in aboveground networks. Belowground, females fostered significantly more indirect paths than did males. Our findings have important potential implications for disease and information transmission, offering new insights into the multiple factors contributing to social structures across ecological contexts.This article is part of the theme issue 'Interdisciplinary approaches for uncovering the impacts of architecture on collective behaviour'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E Smith
- Biology Department, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA, 94631, USA
| | - Denisse A Gamboa
- Biology Department, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA, 94631, USA
| | - Julia M Spencer
- Biology Department, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA, 94631, USA
| | - Sarah J Travenick
- Biology Department, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA, 94631, USA
| | - Chelsea A Ortiz
- Biology Department, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA, 94631, USA
| | - Riana D Hunter
- Biology Department, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA, 94631, USA
| | - Andy Sih
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Russell RE, Abbott RC, Tripp DW, Rocke TE. Local factors associated with on-host flea distributions on prairie dog colonies. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:8951-8972. [PMID: 30271558 PMCID: PMC6157659 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Revised: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Outbreaks of plague, a flea-vectored bacterial disease, occur periodically in prairie dog populations in the western United States. In order to understand the conditions that are conducive to plague outbreaks and potentially predict spatial and temporal variations in risk, it is important to understand the factors associated with flea abundance and distribution that may lead to plague outbreaks. We collected and identified 20,041 fleas from 6,542 individual prairie dogs of four different species over a 4-year period along a latitudinal gradient from Texas to Montana. We assessed local climate and other factors associated with flea prevalence and abundance, as well as the incidence of plague outbreaks. Oropsylla hirsuta, a prairie dog specialist flea, and Pulex simulans, a generalist flea species, were the most common fleas found on our pairs. High elevation pairs in Wyoming and Utah had distinct flea communities compared with the rest of the study pairs. The incidence of prairie dogs with Yersinia pestis detections in fleas was low (n = 64 prairie dogs with positive fleas out of 5,024 samples from 4,218 individual prairie dogs). The results of our regression models indicate that many factors are associated with the presence of fleas. In general, flea abundance (number of fleas on hosts) is higher during plague outbreaks, lower when prairie dogs are more abundant, and reaches peak levels when climate and weather variables are at intermediate levels. Changing climate conditions will likely affect aspects of both flea and host communities, including population densities and species composition, which may lead to changes in plague dynamics. Our results support the hypothesis that local conditions, including host, vector, and environmental factors, influence the likelihood of plague outbreaks, and that predicting changes to plague dynamics under climate change scenarios will have to consider both host and vector responses to local factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robin E. Russell
- U.S. Geological SurveyNational Wildlife Health CenterMadisonWisconsin
| | - Rachel C. Abbott
- U.S. Geological SurveyNational Wildlife Health CenterMadisonWisconsin
| | - Daniel W. Tripp
- Colorado Division of Parks and WildlifeWildlife Health ProgramFort CollinsColorado
| | - Tonie E. Rocke
- U.S. Geological SurveyNational Wildlife Health CenterMadisonWisconsin
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Roth T, Sammak R, Foley J. Prevalence and Seasonality of Fleas Associated With California Ground Squirrels and the Potential Risk of Tularemia in an Outdoor Non-Human Primate Research Facility. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 55:452-458. [PMID: 29202201 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjx201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Ectoparasites at primate research centers may be difficult to control, e.g. without exposing non-human primates (NHPs) to toxicants, but their impact on NHP health is poorly understood. In 2010, there was an epizootic of tularemia at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) in Yolo County, California that resulted in 20 confirmed and suspect clinical cases in outdoors housed rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta [Zimmermann]) and a 53% seroprevalence in the southern section of the colony. We studied ectoparasite burdens at the CNPRC in order to understand possible conditions at the time of the epizootic and provide data for the management of ectoparasites for the future. In 2015, we recorded 52 California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi [Richardson]) burrow systems in the southern colony and collected 560 fleas. The largest number of fleas (n = 184) was collected in October and the most common species were Hoplopsyllus anomalus (Baker) (n = 331), Oropsylla montana (Baker) (n = 158), Echidnophaga gallinacea (Westwood) (n = 60), and Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché) (n = 11), all of which are opportunistically anthropophilic. Free, non-host-associated fleas included 12 H. anomalus, 9 C. felis, 6 O. Montana, and 1 E. gallinacea. We collected 1 H. anomalus from a rhesus macaque. Our results suggest a high potential for the rapid spread of zoonotic infectious diseases via flea transmission in primate facilities with ground squirrels and that flea control measures should be given a high priority.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tara Roth
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA
| | | | - Janet Foley
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Smith JE, Long DJ, Russell ID, Newcomb KL, Muñoz VD. Otospermophilus beecheyi(Rodentia: Sciuridae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/mspecies/sew010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
|
7
|
Osikowicz LM, Billeter SA, Rizzo MF, Rood MP, Freeman AN, Burns JE, Hu R, Juieng P, Loparev V, Kosoy M. Distribution and Diversity of Bartonella washoensis Strains in Ground Squirrels from California and Their Potential Link to Human Cases. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2016; 16:683-690. [PMID: 27705539 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2016.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the prevalence of Bartonella washoensis in California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi) and their fleas from parks and campgrounds located in seven counties of California. Ninety-seven of 140 (69.3%) ground squirrels were culture positive and the infection prevalence by location ranged from 25% to 100%. In fleas, 60 of 194 (30.9%) Oropsylla montana were found to harbor Bartonella spp. when screened using citrate synthase (gltA) specific primers, whereas Bartonella DNA was not found in two other flea species, Hoplopsyllus anomalus (n = 86) and Echidnophaga gallinacea (n = 6). The prevalence of B. washoensis in O. montana by location ranged from 0% to 58.8%. A majority of the gltA sequences (92.0%) recovered from ground squirrels and fleas were closely related (similarity 99.4-100%) to one of two previously described strains isolated from human patients, B. washoensis NVH1 (myocarditis case in Nevada) and B. washoensis 08S-0475 (meningitis case in California). The results from this study support the supposition that O. beecheyi and the flea, O. montana, serve as a vertebrate reservoir and a vector, respectively, of zoonotic B. washoensis in California.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lynn M Osikowicz
- 1 Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Sarah A Billeter
- 2 Vector-Borne Disease Section, California Department of Public Health , Ontario, California
| | - Maria Fernanda Rizzo
- 1 Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Michael P Rood
- 3 Vector Management Program, Environmental Health Division, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health , Baldwin Park, California
| | - Ashley N Freeman
- 2 Vector-Borne Disease Section, California Department of Public Health , Ontario, California
| | - Joseph E Burns
- 2 Vector-Borne Disease Section, California Department of Public Health , Ontario, California
| | - Renjie Hu
- 2 Vector-Borne Disease Section, California Department of Public Health , Ontario, California
| | - Phalasy Juieng
- 4 Division of Scientific Resources, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Vladimir Loparev
- 4 Division of Scientific Resources, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Michael Kosoy
- 1 Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Fort Collins, Colorado
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Earl SC, Rogers MT, Keen J, Bland DM, Houppert AS, Miller C, Temple I, Anderson DM, Marketon MM. Resistance to Innate Immunity Contributes to Colonization of the Insect Gut by Yersinia pestis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0133318. [PMID: 26177454 PMCID: PMC4503695 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Accepted: 06/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic and pneumonic plague, is typically a zoonotic vector-borne disease of wild rodents. Bacterial biofilm formation in the proventriculus of the flea contributes to chronic infection of fleas and facilitates efficient disease transmission. However prior to biofilm formation, ingested bacteria must survive within the flea midgut, and yet little is known about vector-pathogen interactions that are required for flea gut colonization. Here we establish a Drosophila melanogaster model system to gain insight into Y. pestis colonization of the insect vector. We show that Y. pestis establishes a stable infection in the anterior midgut of fly larvae, and we used this model system to study the roles of genes involved in biofilm production and/or resistance to gut immunity stressors. We find that PhoP and GmhA both contribute to colonization and resistance to antimicrobial peptides in flies, and furthermore, the data suggest biofilm formation may afford protection against antimicrobial peptides. Production of reactive oxygen species in the fly gut, as in fleas, also serves to limit bacterial infection, and OxyR mediates Y. pestis survival in both insect models. Overall, our data establish the fruit fly as an informative model to elucidate the relationship between Y. pestis and its flea vector.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shaun C. Earl
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Miles T. Rogers
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Keen
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - David M. Bland
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Andrew S. Houppert
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Caitlynn Miller
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Ian Temple
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Deborah M. Anderson
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Melanie M. Marketon
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Phuong MA, Lim MCW, Wait DR, Rowe KC, Moritz C. Delimiting species in the genusOtospermophilus(Rodentia: Sciuridae), using genetics, ecology, and morphology. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark A. Phuong
- Department of Integrative Biology; Museum of Vertebrate Zoology; University of California; Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Science Building Berkeley CA 94720 USA
| | - Marisa C. W. Lim
- Department of Integrative Biology; Museum of Vertebrate Zoology; University of California; Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Science Building Berkeley CA 94720 USA
| | - Daniel R. Wait
- Department of Integrative Biology; Museum of Vertebrate Zoology; University of California; Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Science Building Berkeley CA 94720 USA
| | - Kevin C. Rowe
- Department of Integrative Biology; Museum of Vertebrate Zoology; University of California; Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Science Building Berkeley CA 94720 USA
- Sciences Department; Museum Victoria; Melbourne VIC 3001 Australia
| | - Craig Moritz
- Department of Integrative Biology; Museum of Vertebrate Zoology; University of California; Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Science Building Berkeley CA 94720 USA
- Research School of Biology; The Australian National University; Acton ACT 0200 Australia
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
VOEGELI B, SALADIN V, WEGMANN M, RICHNER H. Parasites as mediators of heterozygosity-fitness correlations in the Great Tit (Parus major). J Evol Biol 2012; 25:584-90. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02445.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|