Abstract
Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, triggers die-offs in colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus), but the time-frame of plague activity is not well understood. We document plague activity in fleas from prairie dogs and their burrows on three prairie dog colonies that suffered die-offs. We demonstrate that Y. pestis transmission occurs over periods from several months to over a year in prairie dog populations before observed die-offs.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank the National Science Foundation for support through the Ecology of Infectious Diseases Program (EID 0327052), and the Shortgrass Steppe Long-Term Ecological Research Project (DEB 021763 and 0823405). They also thank S Bayard de Volo, W Black IV, D Eads, K Gage, A Fellow, S Field, H Franklin, E Harp, N Galloway, A Lebsock, M Lindquist, K Meierbachtol, J Montenieri, and C Webb for their assistance.
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St. Romain, K., Tripp, D.W., Salkeld, D.J. et al. Duration of Plague (Yersinia pestis) Outbreaks in Black-Tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) Colonies of Northern Colorado. EcoHealth 10, 241–245 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-013-0860-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-013-0860-4