| field evaluations of dichlorvos as a vapor toxicant for control of prairie dog fleas. | | 1975 | 1181442 |
| control of oropsylla hirsuta, a plague vector, by treatment of prairie dog burrows with 0.5% permethrin dust. | permethrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, applied on two plots with a pressurized hand-held duster at mean rates of 2.3 and 4.0 g per burrow, was used to determine control levels for oropsylla hirsuta fleas, a vector of bubonic plague, in black-tail prairie dog, cynomys ludovicianus, burrows in northern colorado during the summer of 1988. burrows were sampled by "flagging" at day 0 and weeks 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 to determine the mean number of fleas per burrow and percentage of burrows with at least o ... | 1992 | 1552524 |
| dynamics of plague in a gunnison's prairie dog colony complex from new mexico. | a plague (yersinia pestis) epizootic spread through gunnison's prairie dogs (cynomys gunnisoni), and possibly other rodent species, in the moreno valley in north-central new mexico between winter 1984-1985 and autumn 1987. we observed the progress of the epizootic and subsequent population recovery at four prairie dog towns within the valley during this period. at two towns (midlake and val verde) the prairie dogs were marked prior to the epizootic. at two additional towns (vega and south entran ... | 1997 | 9391954 |
| effects of pyriproxyfen spray, powder, and oral bait treatments on the relative abundance of nontarget arthropods of black-tailed prairie dog (rodentia: sciuridae) towns. | separate black-tailed prairie dog, cynomys ludovicianus (ord), towns on the rocky mountain arsenal national wildlife refuge, colorado, were treated with technical pyriproxyfen (nylar) spray, powder, and oral bait. the treatments were applied to reduce relative abundance of the plague vector oropsylla hirsuta (baker). because pyriproxyfen is a juvenile hormone analog, we were also concerned with the effects of the treatments on nontarget arthropods, which is the focus of this study. pitfall traps ... | 2000 | 10916304 |
| effects of pyriproxyfen spray, powder, and oral bait treatments on the relative abundance of fleas (siphonaptera: ceratophyllidae) in black-tailed prairie dog (rodentia: sciuridae) towns. | separate black-tailed prairie dog, cynomys ludovicianus (ord), towns on the rocky mountain arsenal national wildlife refuge, colorado, were treated with technical pyriproxyfen (nylar) using spray, powder, and oral bait carriers. direct combing methods (1997 and 1998) and burrow flagging (1998) were used to estimate relative abundance of the plague vector oropsylla hirsuta (baker). pyriproxyfen spray (0.05%) and powder (0.05%) did not significantly reduce (p > 0.05) o. hirsuta abundance. pyriprox ... | 2000 | 11126542 |
| detection of novel bartonella strains and yersinia pestis in prairie dogs and their fleas (siphonaptera: ceratophyllidae and pulicidae) using multiplex polymerase chain reaction. | we developed a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (pcr) assay that simultaneously detects three types of flea-associated microorganisms. targets for the assay were sequences encoding portions of the glta, a 17-kda antigen, and pla genes of bartonella spp. strong et al., rickettsia spp. da rocha-lima, and yersinia pestis yersin, respectively. a total of 260 flea samples containing bloodmeal remnants were analyzed from fleas collected from abandoned prairie dog (cynomys ludovicianus) burrows at t ... | 2003 | 12943112 |
| treatment of black-tailed prairie dog burrows with deltamethrin to control fleas (insecta: siphonaptera) and plague. | burrows within black-tailed prairie dog (cynomys ludovicianus) colonies on the rocky mountain arsenal national wildlife refuge, colorado, were dusted with deltamethrin insecticide to reduce flea (insecta: siphonaptera) abundance. flea populations were monitored pre- and posttreatment by combing prairie dogs and collecting fleas from burrows. a single application of deltamethrin significantly reduced populations of the plague vector oropsylla hirsuta, and other flea species on prairie dogs and in ... | 2003 | 14596288 |
| possible vector dissemination by swift foxes following a plague epizootic in black-tailed prairie dogs in northwestern texas. | to determine whether swift foxes (vulpes velox) could facilitate transmission of yersinia pestis to uninfected black-tailed prairie dog (cynomys ludovicianus) colonies by acquiring infected fleas, ectoparasite and serologic samples were collected from swift foxes living adjacent to prairie dog towns during a 2004 plague epizootic in northwestern texas, usa. a previous study (1999-2001) indicated that these swift foxes were infested almost exclusively with the flea pulex irritans. black-tailed pr ... | 2006 | 16870868 |
| abundance patterns of two oropsylla (ceratophyllidae: siphonaptera) species on black-tailed prairie dog (cynomys ludovicianus) hosts. | behavioral, genetic, and immune variation within a host population may lead to aggregation of parasites whereby a small proportion of hosts harbor a majority of parasites. in situations where two or more parasite species infect the same host population there is the potential for interaction among parasites that could potentially influence patterns of aggregation through either competition or facilitation. we studied the occurrence and abundance patterns of two congeneric flea species on black-ta ... | 2006 | 17249353 |
| bacterial communities of bartonella-positive fleas: diversity and community assembly patterns. | we investigated the bacterial communities of nine bartonella-positive fleas (n = 6 oropsylla hirsuta fleas and n = 3 oropsylla montana fleas), using universal primers, clone libraries, and dna sequencing. dna sequences were used to classify bacteria detected in a phylogenetic context, to explore community assembly patterns within individual fleas, and to survey diversity patterns in dominant lineages. | 2008 | 18203862 |
| no evidence of deer mouse involvement in plague (yersinia pestis) epizootics in prairie dogs. | plague, the disease caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis, can have devastating impacts on black-tailed prairie dog (cynomys ludovicianus) colonies. one suggested mechanism behind sporadic prairie dog die-offs involves an alternative mammal host, such as the deer mouse (peromyscus maniculatus), which often inhabits prairie dog colonies. we examined the flea populations of deer mice to investigate the potential of flea-borne transmission of plague between deer mice and prairie dogs in northern ... | 2008 | 18447619 |
| oropsylla hirsuta (siphonaptera: ceratophyllidae) can support plague epizootics in black-tailed prairie dogs (cynomys ludovicianus) by early-phase transmission of yersinia pestis. | 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 (> or =5 days post-infection [p.i.]). oropsylla hirsuta, a prairie dog flea, rarely blocks and transmission is inefficient > or =5 days p.i.; thus, this flea has been considered incapa ... | 2008 | 18454591 |
| prevalence and abundance of fleas in black-tailed prairie dog burrows: implications for the transmission of plague (yersinia pestis). | plague, the disease caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis, can have devastating impacts on north american wildlife. epizootics, or die-offs, in prairie dogs (cynomys ludovicianus) occur sporadically and fleas (siphonaptera) are probably important in the disease's transmission and possibly as maintenance hosts of y. pestis between epizootics. we monitored changes in flea abundance in prairie dog burrows in response to precipitation, temperature, and plague activity in shortgrass steppe in north ... | 2008 | 18605787 |
| prevalence of yersinia pestis in rodents and fleas associated with black-tailed prairie dogs (cynomys ludovicianus) at thunder basin national grassland, wyoming. | rodents (and their fleas) that are associated with prairie dogs are considered important for the maintenance and transmission of the bacterium (yersinia pestis) that causes plague. our goal was to identify rodent and flea species that were potentially involved in a plague epizootic in black-tailed prairie dogs at thunder basin national grassland. we collected blood samples and ectoparasites from rodents trapped at off- and on-colony grids at thunder basin national grassland between 2002 and 2004 ... | 2008 | 18689663 |
| transmission efficiency of two flea species (oropsylla tuberculata cynomuris and oropsylla hirsuta) involved in plague epizootics among prairie dogs. | 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 ... | 2008 | 18787922 |
| evidence for the involvement of an alternate rodent host in the dynamics of introduced plague in prairie dogs. | 1. the introduction of plague to north america is a significant threat to colonies of prairie dogs (cynomys ludovicianus), a species of conservation concern in the great plains. other small rodents are exposed to the causative agent, yersinia pestis, during or after epizootics; yet, its effect on these rodents is not known, and their role in transmitting and maintaining plague in the absence of prairie dogs remains unclear. 2. we live-trapped small rodents and collected their fleas on 11 colonie ... | 2009 | 19302321 |
| flea abundance on black-tailed prairie dogs (cynomys ludovicianus) increases during plague epizootics. | black-tailed prairie dogs (cynomys ludovicianus) on the great plains of the united states are highly susceptible to plague, caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis, with mortality on towns during plague epizootics often approaching 100%. the ability of flea-borne transmission to sustain disease spread has been questioned because of inefficiency of flea vectors. however, even with low individual efficiency, overall transmission can be increased if flea abundance (the number of fleas on hosts) inc ... | 2009 | 19492944 |
| bacterial communities of disease vectors sampled across time, space, and species. | a common strategy of pathogenic bacteria is to form close associations with parasitic insects that feed on animals and to use these insects as vectors for their own transmission. pathogens interact closely with other coexisting bacteria within the insect, and interactions between co-occurring bacteria may influence the vector competency of the parasite. interactions between particular lineages can be explored through measures of alpha-diversity. furthermore, general patterns of bacterial communi ... | 2010 | 19865184 |
| inferring host-parasite relationships using stable isotopes: implications for disease transmission and host specificity. | identifying the roles of different hosts and vectors is a major challenge in the study of the ecology of diseases caused by multi-host pathogens. intensive field studies suggested that grasshopper mice (onychomys leucogaster) help spread the bacterium that causes plague (yersinia pestis) in prairie dog colonies by sharing fleas with prairie dogs (cynomys ludovicianus); yet conclusive evidence that prairie dog fleas (oropsylla hirsuta) feed on grasshopper mice is lacking. using stable nitrogen is ... | 2009 | 19967881 |
| the absence of concordant population genetic structure in the black-tailed prairie dog and the flea, oropsylla hirsuta, with implications for the spread of yersinia pestis. | the black-tailed prairie dog (cynomys ludovicianus) is a keystone species on the mid- and short-grass prairies of north america. the species has suffered extensive colony extirpations and isolation as a result of human activity including the introduction of an exotic pathogen, yersinia pestis, the causative agent of sylvatic plague. the prairie dog flea, oropsylla hirsuta, is the most common flea on our study colonies in north-central montana and it has been shown to carry y. pestis. we used mic ... | 2010 | 20550633 |
| flea abundance, diversity, and plague in gunnison's prairie dogs (cynomys gunnisoni) and their burrows in montane grasslands in northern new mexico. | plague, a flea-transmitted infectious disease caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis, is a primary threat to the persistence of prairie dog populations (cynomys spp.). we conducted a 3-yr survey (2004-2006) of fleas from gunnison's prairie dogs (cynomys gunnisoni) and their burrows in montane grasslands in valles caldera national preserve in new mexico. our objectives were to describe flea communities and identify flea and rodent species important to the maintenance of plague. we live-trapped p ... | 2010 | 20688629 |
| population genetic structure of the prairie dog flea and plague vector, oropsylla hirsuta. | oropsylla hirsuta is the primary flea of the black-tailed prairie dog and is a vector of the plague bacterium, yersinia pestis. we examined the population genetic structure of o. hirsuta fleas collected from 11 prairie dog colonies, 7 of which had experienced a plague-associated die-off in 1994. in a sample of 332 o. hirsuta collected from 226 host individuals, we detected 24 unique haplotype sequences in a 480 nucleotide segment of the cytochrome oxidase ii gene. we found significant overall po ... | 2011 | 20696095 |
| polymerase chain reaction (pcr) identification of rodent blood meals confirms host sharing by flea vectors of plague. | elucidating feeding relationships between hosts and parasites remains a significant challenge in studies of the ecology of infectious diseases, especially those involving small or cryptic vectors. black-tailed prairie dogs (cynomys ludovicianus) are a species of conservation importance in the north american great plains whose populations are extirpated by plague, a flea-vectored, bacterial disease. using polymerase chain reaction (pcr) assays, we determined that fleas (oropsylla hirsuta) associa ... | 2010 | 21175944 |
| isolation and characterization of 11 microsatellite loci from oropsylla hirsuta, a vector of sylvatic plague. | the flea (oropsylla hirsuta) is an important vector of the plague bacterium, yersinia pestis, in black-tailed prairie dog (cynomys ludovicianus) colonies. we developed 11 anonymous microsatellite primers for o. hirsuta using a subtractive hybridization procedure. all primers were polymorphic exhibiting 4-12 alleles. | 2009 | 21564833 |
| Gene flow in a Yersinia pestis vector, Oropsylla hirsuta, during a plague epizootic. | Appreciating how Yersinia pestis, the etiological agent of plague, spreads among black - tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies (BTPD), is vital to wildlife conservation programs in North American grasslands. A little - studied aspect of the system is the role of Y. pestis vectors, i.e. fleas, play in the spreading of plague in natural settings. We investigated the genetic structure and variability of a common prairie dog flea (Oropsylla hirsuta) in BTPD colonies in order to examine ... | 2011 | 21946710 |
| fleas of black-footed ferrets and their potential role in the movement of plague. | sylvatic plague is one of the major impediments to the recovery of the black-footed ferret ( mustela nigripes ) because it decimates their primary prey species, prairie dogs ( cynomys spp.), and directly causes mortality in ferrets. fleas are the primary vector of yersinia pestis , the causative agent of sylvatic plague. the goal of this research was to better understand the flea fauna of ferrets and the factors that might influence flea abundance on ferrets. fleas from ferrets were tested for y ... | 2017 | 28384062 |
| evaluation of yersinia pestis transmission pathways for sylvatic plague in prairie dog populations in the western u.s. | sylvatic plague, caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis, is periodically responsible for large die-offs in rodent populations that can spillover and cause human mortalities. in the western us, prairie dog populations experience nearly 100% mortality during plague outbreaks, suggesting that multiple transmission pathways combine to amplify plague dynamics. several alternate pathways in addition to flea vectors have been proposed, such as transmission via direct contact with bodily fluids or inha ... | 2016 | 27234457 |
| detections of yersinia pestis east of the known distribution of active plague in the united states. | we examined fleas collected from black-tailed prairie dog (cynomys ludovicianus) burrows from 2009 through 2011 in five national park units east of the known distribution of active plague across the northern great plains for the presence of yersinia pestis. across all national park units, oropsylla tuberculata and oropsylla hirsuta were the most common fleas collected from prairie dog burrows, 42.4% and 56.9%, respectively, of the 3964 fleas collected from burrow swabbing. using a nested pcr ass ... | 2016 | 26771845 |
| prevalence of the generalist flea pulex simulans on black-tailed prairie dogs (cynomys ludovicianus) in new mexico, usa: the importance of considering imperfect detection. | if a parasite is not detected during a survey, one of two explanations is possible: the parasite was truly absent or it was present but not detected. we fit occupancy models to account for imperfect detection when combing fleas (siphonaptera) from black-tailed prairie dogs (cynomys ludovicianus) during june-august 2012 in the vermejo park ranch, new mexico, usa. with the use of detection histories from combing events during monthly trapping sessions, we fit occupancy models for two flea species: ... | 2015 | 25588009 |
| ectoparasites in black-footed ferrets (mustela nigripes) from the largest reintroduced population of the conata basin, south dakota, usa. | the black-footed ferret, mustela nigripes, is an endangered carnivore endemic to the grasslands of north america. we present the first investigation of ectoparasites associated with black-footed ferrets since reintroduction. we sampled more than 200 individuals from one of the largest and most successful reintroduced populations located in the conata basin of south dakota, usa. we compared our findings with ectoparasite assemblages of sympatric carnivores and historic ferret records. we collecte ... | 2014 | 24499333 |
| mammalian hosts, vectors, and bacterial pathogens in communities with and without black-tailed prairie dogs ( cynomys ludovicianus) in northwestern mexico. | : the presence of keystone species can influence disease dynamics through changes in species diversity and composition of vector and host communities. in this study, we compared 1) the diversity of small mammals; 2) the prevalence, abundance, and intensity of arthropod vectors; and 3) the prevalence of yersinia pestis, francisella tularensis, and bartonella spp. in vectors, between two grassland communities of northern sonora, mexico, one with (la mesa [lm]) and one without (los fresnos [lf]) b ... | 2018 | 29059012 |
| interactions among symbionts of oropsylla spp. (siphonoptera: ceratophyllidae). | we used high-throughput dna sequencing to explore bacterial communities of three species of oropyslla fleas [oropsylla hirsuta (baker), oropsylla montana (baker), and oropsylla tuberculata cynomuris (jellison)] and detected seven bacterial lineages related to known insect symbionts. no significant co-occurrence patterns were detected among bacterial lineages, but relative abundance data suggest that the two most common lineages (bartonella and rickettsiales) interact negatively. furthermore, pre ... | 2012 | 22679855 |