News Archives - Prairie Dog Pals

Parasitism of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs by Linognathoides cynomyis (Phthiraptera: Polyplacidae).

September 22, 2018 by PDP

Abstract

The following study investigates louse parasitism of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus (Ord, Rodentia: Sciuridae)) on 20 plots at 13 colonies in the short-grass prairie of New Mexico, USA, June-August, 2011-2012. Among 124 lice collected from 537 prairie dogs during 1,207 sampling events in which anesthetized animals were combed for ectoparasites, all of the lice were identified as Linognathoides cynomyis (Kim, Phthiraptera: Polyplacidae). Data were analyzed under an information-theoretic approach to identify factors predicting louse parasitism. Lice were most prevalent on plots with high densities of prairie dogs. At the scale of hosts, lice were most abundant on prairie dogs in poor body condition (with low mass:foot ratios) and prairie dogs harboring large numbers of fleas (Siphonaptera, mostly Oropsylla hirsuta (Baker, Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae) and Pulex simulans (Baker,Siphonaptera: Pulicidae)). Lice have been implicated as supplemental vectors of the primarily flea-borne bacterium Yersinia pestis (Yersin, Enterobacteriales: Yersiniaceae), a re-emerging pathogen that causes sylvatic plague in prairie dog populations. Coparasitism by lice and fleas, as found herein, might enhance plague transmission. L. cynomyis deserves attention in this context.

Amyloid-producing Odontoameloblastoma in a Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus)

September 10, 2018 by PDP

A 6-year-old female black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) was presented with a space-occupying lesion in the left submandibular region. On computed tomography, a low attenuating, poorly circumscribed mass infiltrated the left mandibular bone, with osteolytic change. Microscopically, the lesion was composed of odontogenic epithelium proliferating in nests and embedded in abundant dental papilla-like ectomesenchyme, including dentine and enamel. Multifocal amyloid deposition was observed. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic epithelial cells were positive for cytokeratin (CK) AE1/AE3, CK14 and p63. Some epithelial cells were positive for amelogenin and some adjacent to the amyloid deposits co-expressed S100. The ectomesenchymal cells expressed vimentin and strong S100 immunoreactivity was observed in odontoblast-like cells. The amyloid was immunolabelled with amelogenin. The tumour was diagnosed as amyloid-producing odontoameloblastoma.

Summer Garage Sale

August 2, 2018 by PDP

The Summer garage sale will be held on Friday, 24 August and Saturday 25 August from 8AM to 4PM (may close earlier on Saturday if things are slow). It will be held at 917 Morris St NE and will be run by Debbie Stevenson and other volunteers. If you have donations for the Garage Sale you can contact Debbie on 505 205 7966 to arrange for a drop off.

So we have started collecting donations. If you want to help with the sale, or have something to donate, of know someone who has stuff to donate, we are now accepting volunteers and donations!

If you want an acknowledgement letter please give Ed Urbanski an inventory and value (total will work).

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4,000-year-old genomes point to origins of bubonic plague

June 14, 2018 by PDP

Geneticists are a step closer to understanding how plague evolved into one of the great scourges of human history. Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes bubonic plague, spreads through the bites of infected fleas. In the flea’s gut, plague bacteria multiply until a mass of bacteria blocks the passage to the flea’s stomach. The starving flea bites a host and feeds frantically, but since it can’t swallow its meal, it ends up regurgitating blood and bacteria back into its prey’s bloodstream, spreading the disease to a new host.

Impact of Sylvatic Plague Vaccine on Non-target Small Rodents in Grassland Ecosystems.

May 13, 2018 by PDP

Abstract

Oral vaccination is an emerging management strategy to reduce the prevalence of high impact infectious diseases within wild animal populations. Plague is a flea-borne zoonosis of rodents that often decimates prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) colonies in the western USA. Recently, an oral sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) was developed to protect prairie dogs from plague and aid recovery of the endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). Although oral vaccination programs are targeted toward specific species, field distribution of vaccine-laden baits can result in vaccine uptake by non-target animals and unintended indirect effects. We assessed the impact of SPV on non-target rodents at paired vaccine and placebo-treated prairie dog colonies in four US states from 2013 to 2015. Bait consumption by non-target rodents was high (70.8%, n = 3113), but anti-plague antibody development on vaccine plots was low (23.7%, n = 266). In addition, no significant differences were noted in combined deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) abundance or community evenness and richness of non-target rodents between vaccine-treated and placebo plots. In our 3-year field study, we could not detect a significant positive or negative effect of SPV application on non-target rodents.