Effects of Deltamethrin Treatment on Small Mammal and Ectoparasite Population Dynamics and Plague Prevalence in a North American Mixed-Grass Prairie System

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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“… 2010 ; Salkeld et al . 2010 ; Mize & Britten 2016 ; Maestas & Britten 2019 ; Eads et al . 2020 ), defined by Matchett et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No evidence for enzootic plague within black‐tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) populations

et al. 2021

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“…Is deltamethrin dust an effective agent of flea control on small rodents when infused into PD burrows? In South Dakota, Maestas and Britten (2019) treated black-tailed PD (BTPD, Cynomys ludovicianus) burrows with deltamethrin dust; flea loads on small rodents were reduced by up to 49%. We studied small rodents on colonies of three PD species in Montana and Utah.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecology and Management of Plague in Diverse Communities of Rodents and Fleas

Eads

Biggins

Gage

2020

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

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Plague originated in Asia as a flea-borne zoonosis of mammalian hosts. Today, the disease is distributed nearly worldwide. In western United States of America, plague is maintained, transmitted, and amplified in diverse communities of rodents and fleas. We examined flea diversity on three species of prairie dogs (Cynomys spp., PDs) and six species of sympatric small rodents in Montana and Utah, United States of America. Among 2896 fleas, 19 species were identified; 13 were found on PDs and 9 were found on small rodents. In Montana, three flea species were found on PDs; the three species parasitize PDs and mice. In Utah, 12 flea species were found on PDs; the 12 species parasitize PDs, mice, voles, chipmunks, ground squirrels, rock squirrels, and marmots. Diverse flea communities and their willingness to parasitize many types of hosts, across multiple seasons and habitats, may favor plague maintenance and transmission. Flea parasitism on Peromyscus deer mice varied directly with elevation. Fleas are prone to desiccation, and might prosper at higher, mesic elevations; in addition, Peromyscus nest characteristics may vary with elevation. Effective management of plague is critical. Plague management is probably most effective when encompassing communities of rodents and fleas. Treatment of PD burrows with 0.05% deltamethrin dust, which suppressed fleas on PDs for >365 days, suppressed fleas on small rodents for at least 58 days. At one site, deltamethrin suppressed fleas on small rodents for at least 383 days. By simultaneously suppressing fleas on PDs and small rodents, deltamethrin should promote ecosystem resilience and One Health objectives.

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“…Plague is a primary cause of prairie dog population declines that have led to recent listing petitions and decisions regarding threatened species status (USFWS 1991, 2000, 2008, 2017). Furthermore, recovery of the endangered and plague susceptible black‐footed ferret ( Mustela nigripes ) is dependent on healthy populations of prairie dogs of which ferrets are an obligate predator (Antolin et al 2002, Matchett et al 2010). Most plague transmission is sustained via flea‐borne transmission of the pathogen (Gage and Kosoy 2005, Eisen et al 2006) and infected rodent fleas can be a source of spillover infection for other wildlife and humans (Craven et al 1993, Kugeler et al 2015).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Eads et al (2019) used pump‐operated dusters (Birchmeier Sprühtechnik AG, Switzerland) and crank‐dusters (DustinMizer, EarthDuster LLC, Elkins, AK, USA) for field applications. Insecticidal dust application equipment manufactured by Technicide Inc. (Techniduster [discontinued] or the Exacticide Power Duster, Technicide Inc., Heber City, UT, USA) has also been widely used (Matchett et al 2010, Griebel 2013, Black‐Footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Team 2016, Tripp et al 2016, Maestas and Britten 2019) for plague management onprairie dog colonies.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several recent reports describing vector control efforts using 0.05% deltamethrin powder (DeltaDust®, Bayer Crop Science, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA; hereafter, dust) in plague management programs suggest that each burrow is infused with a target of about 4–6 g of dust (Biggins et al 2010, Matchett et al 2010, Tripp et al 2016, Eads et al 2018, Maestas and Britten 2019). In virtually all published reports regarding the use of deltamethrin dust to manage plague in prairie dog populations, detailed methods on how application equipment was calibrated or how the quality of application was measured, controlled, or assured are minimal or absent.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Prototype Insecticide Applicator and Quality Control Monitoring for Plague Management on Prairie Dog Colonies

Tripp

Emslie

Sack

et al. 2021

Wildlife Society Bulletin

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Plague causes declines in native wildlife populations including those of prairie dogs (Cynomys sp.) and endangered black‐footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes). The infusion of insecticides into prairie dog burrows is a vector control method regularly used to suppress or prevent plague transmission by fleas. Detailed methods on how insecticide application equipment (dusters) is calibrated or how the quality of application is monitored are not regularly reported. We describe a new prototype duster and compare its performance to commercially available equipment using quality‐control monitoring procedures. We infused 0.05% deltamethrin (dust) into burrows of Gunnison's and black‐tailed prairie dogs (C. gunnisoni, C. ludovicianus) in Colorado in 2014–2017. The prototype and commercial dusters distributed a similar amount of dust ( truex ¯ = 5.39 and 5.29 g/burrow, respectively; t(797) = −0.83, P = 0.4). However, the prototype dusters required less operation time to dispense dust than the commercial dusters ( truex ¯ = 1.0 sec vs. 7.69 sec/burrow; t(481) = 49.2, P ≤ 0.001). If we applied a standard operating time of 5 sec to all commercially available units, 60% (20 of 34) would fail to dispense ≥4 g of dust. The prototype dusters were more consistent in their dust output, with all units (12 of 12) dispensing ≥4 g of dust with an operation time of only 1 sec. Controlled and accurate application of insecticide is difficult to achieve if quality‐control monitoring and equipment calibration are not conducted. The efficacy of vector control is likely only as effective as the quality and precision of the application of the insecticide itself. When evaluating plague management outcomes, it is important to consider if some observed limitations of efficacy are caused by the failure of the management tool or the failure of managers to effectively use the tool. Future work to calibrate the prototype dusters to dispense larger target doses and performance testing with other insecticide formulations is needed. Additional modifications to adapt the prototype dusters for use on ATV‐mounted platforms may increase the utility of the equipment. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.

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Effects of Deltamethrin Treatment on Small Mammal and Ectoparasite Population Dynamics and Plague Prevalence in a North American Mixed-Grass Prairie System

Cited by 4 publications

References 35 publications

No evidence for enzootic plague within black‐tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) populations

No evidence for enzootic plague within black‐tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) populations

Ecology and Management of Plague in Diverse Communities of Rodents and Fleas

A Prototype Insecticide Applicator and Quality Control Monitoring for Plague Management on Prairie Dog Colonies

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