Mitigating plague risk in utah prairie dogs: Evaluation of a systemic flea‐control product

Abstract

Plague, the disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is a major threat to the Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens), a species listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Fleas are the primary vectors of plague, and flea control can stop the spread of plague epizootics and increase Utah prairie dog survival. We evaluated a newly developed grain-bait insecticide treated with the active ingredient imidacloprid. In 2009, we conducted a single application of the product in treatment plots within each of 4 study sites and sampled fleas from captured Utah prairie dogs on treatment and control plots at monthly intervals. We observed mixed results; the product generally was effective at reducing flea prevalence, abundance, and intensity on prairie dogs at some sites and not at others, and the effectiveness within a site varied over time. In 2010, we doubled the amount of bait on treatment plots, yet we still failed to observe a consistent decline in flea prevalence, abundance, and intensity on prairie dogs. At the application rates we evaluated, the imidacloprid product is likely not as effective at controlling fleas on Utah prairie dogs as the more commonly used topical insecticide containing deltamethrin. However, managers should also consider the risk of flea species developing resistance following the repeated application of a single flea-control product. Furthermore, because we observed a higher than expected diversity of flea species (8) on Utah prairie dogs, future work should be undertaken to investigate how other mammalian host species might mediate flea population dynamics, plague ecology, and the outcome of flea management approaches. ß 2012 The Wildlife Society.

Evaluation of Five Pulicides to Suppress Fleas on Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs: Encouraging Long-Term Results with Systemic 0.005% Fipronil

“…In addition to deltamethrin, multiple types of pulicides have been tested with PDs, including 2% carbaryl dust (Barnes et al 1972), 0.5% permethrin dust (Beard et al 1992), 0.15% natural pyrethrin 0.3% permethrin dust (Hoogland et al 2004), systemic 0.025% imidacloprid on edible grain ( Jachowski et al 2011( Jachowski et al , 2012, and systemic 0.005% fipronil on grain (Poché et al 2017). To date, fipronil grain has provided the most promising results.…”

Burrow Dusting or Oral Vaccination Prevents Plague-Associated Prairie Dog Colony Collapse

“…This approach can be effective in reducing mortality and spillover to domestic animals and humans but does little to offset the broader ecological impacts of epizootic plague. Since the early 2000s, attention has shifted to developing preventive plague management approaches for prairie dog habitats via vector control (Hoogland et al 2004 ; Biggins et al 2010 ; Griebel 2012 ; Jachowski et al 2012 ; Tripp et al 2016 ) and oral vaccination (Mencher et al 2004 ; Rocke et al 2010 , 2014 ; Abbott et al 2012 ).…”

Season and Application Rates Affect Vaccine Bait Consumption by Prairie Dogs in Colorado and Utah, Usa

“…These efforts are labor intensive and expensive and are often applied too late to prevent large-scale mortality (Griebel, 2012;Jachowski et al, 2012). Consequently, a more proactive, effective, efficient, and sustainable long-term approach for controlling plague has been identified as a conservation need (Seglund and Schnurr, 2010;Abbott et al, 2012).…”