The annual meeting was conducted on 2 February 2019; you can click on the link below to read the minutes of the meeting.
Tularemia ( Francisella tularensis) in a Black-Tailed Prairie Dog ( Cynomys ludovicianus) Colony.
Cherry CC 1, 2, Kwit NA 1, 3, Ohms RE 4, Hammesfahr AM 4, Pappert R 3, Petersen JM 3, Nelson CA 3, Buttke DE 2.
Author information:
1. 1 Epidemic Intelligence Service, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
2. 2 Wildlife Health Branch, Biological Resources Division, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525, USA.
3. 3 Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA.
4. 4 Devils Tower National Monument, National Park Service, PO Box 10, Devils Tower, Wyoming 82714, USA.
Abstract
Tularemia is a bacterial zoonosis caused by Francisella tularensis. We conducted a serosurvey of black-tailed prairie dogs ( Cynomys ludovicianus) in
Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming, following an epizootic in voles ( Microtus spp.) due to F. tularensis. Only 1 of 44 (2%) sampled prairie dogs was seropositive for F. tularensis, providing evidence of survival and potentially limited spread among free-ranging prairie dogs.
| PMID: 30920904 |
Endangered wildlife are getting dosed with rat poisons
People who consider rodents to be pests often turn to an array of products, known as anticoagulant rodenticides, which are marketed to lethally “solve” the issue with poisoned bait. But researchers have been collecting evidence for years showing that it’s not just nuisance rats that can end up dead.
Some of the most recent studies, conducted in California, found that everything from Pacific fishers to bobcats to northern spotted owls often become victims of rodenticides. The list of potentially affected wildlife is long – basically anything that preys on a rodent could be at risk, because the poisons are so toxic they travel up the food chain, and in some cases, can remain in an animal’s body for years. It can even leapfrog in utero from one generation to the next.
Read more: Poison
Thom Smith | NatureWatch: Proposed border wall will impact 93 endangered and threatened species
A new study by the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Ariz., claims President Trump’s border wall threatens 93 endangered and threatened species, including jaguars, ocelots, Mexican gray wolves and cactus ferruginous pygmy owls.
This Aug. 12, 2017, photo shows posters in support of Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, home to 400-plus species of birds and several endangered wildcats, at a rally in Mission, Texas. The U.S. government carefully designed a path of least resistance to building a border wall in Texas, picking the wildlife refuge and other places it already owns or controls to quickly begin construction. All it needed was Congress to approve the money. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Read more: Wall
Evaluation of Five Pulicides to Suppress Fleas on Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs: Encouraging Long-Term Results with Systemic 0.005% Fipronil.
| 1. | Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2019 Jan 8. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2018.2339. [Epub ahead of print]
Eads DA 1, Biggins DE 2, Bowser J 2, Broerman K 2, Livieri TM 3, Childers E 4, Dobesh P 5, Griebel RL 5.
Author information: AbstractPlague, a flea-borne disease, hampers efforts to restore populations of black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes), which occupy colonies of prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) in North America. Plague is managed by infusing prairie dog burrows with DeltaDust® 0.05% deltamethrin, a pulicide that kills fleas. Experiments are needed to identify pulicides that can be used in rotation with DeltaDust for integrated plague management. In South Dakota, USA, we tested the efficacy of four pulicide dusts when applied at a rate of 8 g per burrow on colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus): Sevin® 5% carbaryl; Dusta-cide® 6% malathion; Alpine® 0.25% dinotefuran with 95% diatomaceous earth; and Tri-Die® 1% pyrethrum with 40% amorphous silica and 10% piperonyl butoxide. We also tested systemic 0.005% fipronil, which was distributed as ½ cup of laced grain per burrow. We sampled prairie dogs on 3294 occasions and detected 10,041 fleas. Sevin and Dusta-cide suppressed fleas but only for 1 month. Neither Alpine nor Tri-Die had any noticeable, consistent effect on fleas. Fipronil suppressed fleas by 97-100% for 3 months. The residual effect of fipronil persisted for ∼12 months. Efficacy of fipronil seems comparable with DeltaDust, which exhibited a residual effect for ∼10 months in prior studies. Continued research is needed to optimize fipronil treatments for plague management on prairie dog colonies. |
| PMID: 30620249 |