Investigation of Western Burrowing Owls (Athene Cunicularia Hypugaea) as Hosts for Fleas Infected with Yersinia Pestis PDF Download
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Author: Rachel Ketterling
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 35
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Author: Rachel Ketterling
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 35
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Book Description
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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Book Description
Reintroduction of captive-bred Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) in the Nicola Valley, British Columbia, has had limited success in increasing the local breeding population. Traditionally, yearling captive-hatched Burrowing Owls that were paired and released into artificial burrows in the field, held overnight, and provided with supplemental food throughout the breeding season (hard release) have had high post-release dispersal and mortality. In 2005 and 2006, I used an alternative soft-release technique to test for an improvement upon the hard-release technique. The soft release followed the same procedure as the traditional hard release but also included enclosures around burrow entrances to contain the owls for a 2-week period in the field prior to release. I compared immediate post-release dispersal, seasonal survival, and reproductive success for 37 hard-released and 30 soft-released pairs. I radio-tagged 39 of these released owls in order to accurately monitor their activities, regardless of whether they remained at release sites or dispersed. The soft-release technique led to 20% more owls remaining at the release sites, 14% more owls surviving the breeding season, and 20% more owl pairs fledging juveniles. In addition to investigating adult survival and reproductive success, I examined post-fledging juvenile survival, local recruitment, and habitat use, and adult prey consumption behaviour in order to assess the potential of these aspects to limit the success of the reintroduction. Survival and local recruitment rates of the juveniles of captive-bred adults released with two different techniques were similar to that of juveniles of wild adults in the same study area or in other parts of the Burrowing Owl's range. Juvenile habitat-selection analyse sidentified the importance of rangeland, and comparisons of prey consumption revealed the rapid development of foraging abilities by captive-bred Burrowing Owls. I concluded that these aspects of.
Author: Matthew Stuber
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Burrowing owl
Languages : en
Pages : 83
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"In some portions of their range, western burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) nest in higher densities near irrigated agricultural areas when compared to non-agricultural, arid habitat. Previous research suggests that owls may associate with agricultural areas because of more reliable and abundant prey, particularly invertebrates. One potential cost of this association, however, is an increased risk of exposure of owls to pesticides that are applied to agricultural fields. I investigated the exposure to and possible effects on burrowing owls of organophosphate, organochlorine, and carbamate pesticides in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA) located in southern Idaho. I used plasma cholinesterase as a biomarker to investigate in vivo organophosphate and carbamate exposure, footwash samples to investigate potential external exposure, and chemical analysis of whole egg contents to investigate organochlorine (p,p1-DDE) exposure in nesting adult females. I also compared eggshell thickness in agricultural and non-agricultural areas to determine the potential for thinning caused by pesticide exposure. Cholinesterase levels and eggshell thickness did not differ between owls nesting at agricultural burrows and non-agricultural burrows. Additionally, there were no pesticide residues detected in footwash samples. Therefore I found no evidence that owls nesting in agricultural areas were exposed to high levels of pesticides while breeding. However, a metabolite of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), p,p1-DDE, occurred in 27 of 58 eggs sampled. Thus, despite DDT being banned from use in the United States since 1973, burrowing owls breeding in southern Idaho were exposed to residues of this organochlorine pesticide. I detected no DDT or metabolites of DDT in the soils that I sampled from areas in which owls bred in the NCA, and presence of p,p1-DDE in eggs occurred irrespective of (1) whether owls nested in agricultural or non-agricultural areas, or (2) the distance to the nearest agricultural field. Considering these results, and that organochlorine pesticides are lipid soluble and have long retention in exposed animals, it is possible that owls were exposed to p,p1-DDE during migration and/or on their wintering grounds, and not on their breeding grounds in the NCA. With one exception, p,p1-DDE concentrations in eggs in my study were lower than those known to cause reproductive impairment in other avian species. Additionally, p,p1-DDE concentrations in eggs were not correlated with eggshell thickness, so there was no evidence of the well-known eggshell thinning effects of DDT and its metabolites. These results suggest that exposure to p,p1-DDE in burrowing owls breeding in the NCA was not causing widespread reproductive impairment, regardless of where exposure may have occurred."--Boise State University ScholarWorks.
Author: Giulia Vernati
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781124296951
Category : Coyote
Languages : en
Pages : 55
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Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for causing plague, is identified by the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) as a category A bioterrorism agent. Although classified as a "high virulence" pathogen, some host species while susceptible to infection, are resistant to disease. As such, coyotes (Canis latrans) generally exhibit mild, if any symptoms during infection, but with stimulation of adaptive immunity as evidenced by development of a humoral immune response. In an effort to further define the nature of the coyote antibody response to plague and its potential role in contributing to the disease-refractory nature of this host, a qualitative serologic analysis was conducted to assess differences and similarities in the anti-plague antibody repertoire when compared with disease-susceptible hosts. Western blots of Yersinia pestis plasmid-encoded recombinant proteins were examined with pooled rabbit, coyote and prairie dog serum from animals with serologically-confirmed Y. pestis infections. The rabbit serum originated from animals which were experimentally infected via aerosol route or subcutaneously with wt Yersinia pestis CO92. The coyote serum was collected from free-range coyotes and the presence of antibodies to Y. pestis F1 antigen serologically confirmed. The prairie dog serum was collected from colony survivors of epizootic outbreak's occurring in two distinct geographic locations i.e. Colorado and Texas. When comparisons among the different species were made, results revealed a similar antibody profile exists between the coyote, Colorado colony prairie dog and rabbits infected subcutaneously. Similarly, the Texas colony prairie dogs shared a similar profile to the rabbits experimentally infected via aerosol route. These results suggest that among other factors, host response may be dependent on the organism's route of entry. Additionally, assessment of the immunogenicity of several Y. pestis virulence proteins, which have been previously characterized in a rodent model, was performed using individual coyote sera samples, which were previously confirmed as either sero-positive or sero-negative. The results revealed that coyotes mount an immune response to many of the same plasmid encoded antigens as do mice. However, the frequency of antibody response to some of the antigens differed between these two host species. Again, this may be attributable to route of infection. In vivo-induced antigen technology (IVIAT) was also employed to identify novel virulence genes of Y. pestis which are up-regulated in vivo during infection in the coyote, and compared to both the rabbit and prairie dog host. Pooled immune coyote serum was adsorbed multiple times with broth cultures of Y. pestis grown at 37°C to remove antibodies reactive to constitutively expressed antigens. Plasmid expression libraries of genomic and pFra/pPst plasmid DNA from a pLcr - strain of Y. pestis was then screened by colony immunoblot using the adsorbed sera. The IVI gene set between hosts were compared, and selected loci, PCR-amplified, cloned, and expressed in their entirety to obtain recombinant products for further study. IVIAT screens against the chromosomal expression library revealed coyote serum to be reactive to five IVI genes. To include: fliP, an inner membrane, flagellar assembly protein; SltY, a soluble lytic transglycosylase protein involved in cell-wall remodeling, and LepA, a highly conserved protein, which facilitates tRNA/ribosomal back-translocation. Upon cross-screening the reactive IVI clones with immune serum from rabbit and prairie dog, it was observed that FliP was uniquely reactive to the coyote serum. Variability of IVI antigen immune signatures suggests differential up-regulation/expression of Y. pestis virulence factors in different animal hosts, and/or differential immune responses to antigens relevant to Y. pestis survival during infection. Although screening of the plasmid expression library did not yield identification of novel genes, reactivity to plasminogen activator and pesticin supports the findings generated in the Western Blot analysis. The data collected through this study provided insight into the dissimilarities and similarities in the immune response of Canis latrans during Y. pestis infection when compared with infected immune sera from plague-sensitive hosts, which may relate to the pattern of immune resistance observed in canines to this otherwise highly lethal bacterial agent.
Author:
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ISBN:
Category : Burrowing owl
Languages : en
Pages : 3
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Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) are commonly found in prairie dog towns throughout Colorado. Federal and state laws prohibit the harming or killing of burrowing owls and the destruction of active nests. It is quite possible to inadvertently kill burrowing owls during prairie dog poisoning projects or removal of prairie dogs. The following guidelines are intended as advice on how to determine if burrowing owls are present in a prairie dog town, and what to do if burrowing owls are detected.
Author: Athena Kostrubala Lemon
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fleas as carriers of disease
Languages : en
Pages :
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Yersinia pestis is the flea-transmitted etiologic agent of bubonic plague. Sylvatic plague ecology is highly complex, consisting of diverse flea and rodent species and pathogen strains. Transmission by flea bite primarily occurs via the Y. pestis biofilm-mediated foregut blockage and regurgitation mechanism, which has been largely detailed by studies in the single model interaction between Y. pestis KIM6+ and Xenopylla cheopis. Whether pathogen specific traits influence this interaction is unknown, but important considering the diversity of Y. pestis strains and vector competencies. In this study, the ability to proliferate and develop foregut blockage in X. cheopis fleas was compared between two distinct Y. pestis strains KIM6+ (biovar Medievalis, glycerol fermentation positive) and CO92 (biovar Orientalis, glycerol fermentation negative), and a CO92 strain functionally restored for glycerol fermentation (CO92gly). Orientalis biovar strains are specifically implicated in historic plague pandemics, globally distributed, and cause contemporary epidemics. Our data demonstrates that KIM6+ and CO92 strains develop foregut blockage at similar rates and temporal incidences, but the CO92gly strain shows significantly greater blockage rates and advanced temporal blockage incidence. In contrast, the KIM6+ strain exhibited faster growth and two-fold higher burdens per flea, with a distinctive foregut colonization extending the length of the esophagus in ~65% of blocked fleas, in contrast to 32% and 26%, respectively, in fleas blocked with CO92 and CO92gly. The proximity of bacteria to the flea mouthparts did not result in greater numbers of bacteria being regurgitated by KIM6+ infected fleas; all three strains showed variable numbers of Y. pestis transmission, but we observed a tendency for CO92gly to transmit fewer bacteria. Higher blockage rates are tantamount to effective transmission, yet lower transmission rates and absence of naturally occurring CO92gly-like strains confounds this concept and prompted us to test CO92gly competitive fitness. Co-infection of fleas with the parental CO92 strain revealed a gross fitness attenuation of CO92gly, suggesting that glycerol fermentation within the genetic context of CO92 is a fitness cost. Our study suggests that extant Y. pestis genotypes cumulatively accommodate comparable transmission efficiencies as it is of paramount importance to maintain pathogen spread from many competent flea vectors.
Author: Jennifer Lynn Davis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Burrowing owl
Languages : en
Pages : 138
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Author: Gebbiena M. Bron
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 242
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Multi-host and multi-vector diseases are complex. Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, affects many mammalian species and can be transmitted via several routes, but flea-borne transmission is the primary mode of transmission. Plague can decimate prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) colonies and other species that depend on them, including the endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). After decades of research, plague dynamics on prairie dog colonies are still poorly understood. The purpose of this dissertation was to gain a holistic understanding of the complex dynamics of plague ecology in the western United States, by assessing the role of short-lived rodents and their fleas in plague maintenance and epizootics on prairie dog colonies. Our study was conducted in conjunction with a large-scale, blind, placebo-controlled, field efficacy trial on the newly developed, orally-delivered sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) for prairie dogs from 2013 to 2015, led by the U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center. Using a combination of field and laboratory-based studies, we observed that consumption of the SPV did not protect deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and Northern grasshopper mice (Onychomys leucogaster) from plague and deer mouse abundance and short-lived rodent community structure (richness and evenness) were not significantly different between placebo and vaccine treated prairie dog colonies. Surprisingly, we detected plague positive mouse fleas (Aetheca wagneri, Pleochaetis exilis, Orchopeas leucopus) on mice prior to plague-induced declines in black-tailed prairie dogs (C. ludovicianus) in Montana and white-tailed prairie dogs (C. leucurus) in Wyoming, but not during plague outbreaks. To determine the possible source of plague infection in the flea pools we used amplicon deep sequencing and we did not detect prairie dog DNA. In addition, rodent-flea interaction networks were highly specialized, geographically different and fleas rarely switched from short-lived rodents to prairie dogs and vice versa. Thus we showed that mice are involved in the plague cycle on prairie dog colonies, but their role remains uncertain and the direct connection between short-lived rodents and prairie dogs stays anecdotal. Overall, these studies demonstrate the complexity involved in plague ecology and highlight the importance of a holistic approach to studying multi-host and multi-vector diseases.
Author: Bala Thiagarajan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781109833171
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 169
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Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are epizootic hosts for plague (Yersinia pestis); however, alternate enzootic hosts are important for the maintenance of the pathogen. We determined small rodents and prairie dog associations and quantified rodent and flea relationships in the presence and absence of prairie dog colonies and plague. We identified potential alternate hosts and flea vectors for the maintenance and transmission of plague in the prairie ecosystem. This is the first multi-year study to investigate associations between prairie dogs, rodents and fleas across the range of the black-tailed prairie dog. Few rodent species associated with black-tailed prairie dogs and were found to be highly abundant on colonies. Rodent species implicated in plague were present at study areas with and without plague. Peromyscus maniculatus and Onychomus leucogaster, two widely occurring species, were more abundant in areas with a recent history of plague. Flea community characteristics varied within each study area in the presence and absence of prairie dogs. Based on flea diversity on rodents, and the role of rodents and fleas in plague, we identified P. maniculatus and O. leucogaster and their associated fleas, Aetheca wagneri, Malareus telchinus, Orchopeas leucopus, Peromyscopsylla hesperomys, and Pleochaetis exilis to be important for the dynamics of sylvatic plague in our study areas. Peromyscus maniculatus and O. leucogaster were consistently infected with Bartonella spp., another blood parasite. Presence of prairie dog fleas on other rodents at both off and on prairie dog colonies suggests the potential for intra and interspecific transmission of fleas between rodent hosts, and between other small rodents and prairie dogs.
Author: Adam Clinton Strong
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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Conclusions: Fleas under stress from abiotic changes had increased Y. pestis growth, reduced fecundity, and unpredictable mortality. This implies that flea and pathogen microclimate variation has a significant effect upon Y. pestis prevalence in the environment, possibly increasing plague risk due to global climate change. Also, female fleas have a greater role in plague transmission due to increased bacterial development. Finally, food resource requirements of O. montana larvae are extremely minimal and likely have little effect upon flea population size.
