Zapata-Valdés Carinthia, Avila-Flores Rafael, Gage Kenneth, Holmes Jennifer, Montenierri John, Kosoy Michael, Suzán Gerardo
1 Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Interior S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, México, D.F. 04510, México.
2 Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Interior S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, México, D.F. 04510, México.
J Wildl Dis. 2018 Jan;54(1):26-33. doi: 10.7589/2016-09-214. Epub 2017 Oct 23.
: The presence of keystone species can influence disease dynamics through changes in species diversity and composition of vector and host communities. In this study, we compared 1) the diversity of small mammals; 2) the prevalence, abundance, and intensity of arthropod vectors; and 3) the prevalence of Yersinia pestis, Francisella tularensis, and Bartonella spp. in vectors, between two grassland communities of northern Sonora, Mexico, one with (La Mesa [LM]) and one without (Los Fresnos [LF]) black-tailed prairie dogs ( Cynomys ludovicianus). The mammal community in LF exhibited higher species richness and diversity than LM, and species composition was different between the two communities. Flea species richness, prevalence, abundance, and intensity, were higher in LM than in LF. The most abundant fleas were Oropsylla hirsuta and Pulex simulans, and C. ludovicianus was the host with the highest flea intensity and richness. There was no serologic evidence for the presence of Y. pestis and F. tularensis in any community, but Bartonella spp. was present in 18% of the total samples. Some specificity was observed between Bartonella species, flea species, and mammal species. Although prairie dogs can indirectly affect the diversity and abundance of hosts and vectors, dynamics of vector-borne diseases at these spatial and temporal scales may be more dependent on the vector and pathogen specificity.
关键物种的存在可通过物种多样性以及病媒和宿主群落组成的变化来影响疾病动态。在本研究中，我们比较了墨西哥索诺拉州北部两个草原群落之间的：1）小型哺乳动物的多样性；2）节肢动物病媒的患病率、丰度和感染强度；3）病媒中鼠疫耶尔森菌、土拉弗朗西斯菌和巴尔通体属的患病率。其中一个群落（拉梅萨[LM]）有黑尾土拨鼠（草原犬鼠），另一个群落（洛斯弗雷斯诺斯[LF]）没有。LF的哺乳动物群落比LM表现出更高的物种丰富度和多样性，且两个群落的物种组成不同。LM的跳蚤物种丰富度、患病率、丰度和感染强度均高于LF。最常见的跳蚤是多毛山蚤和拟蚤，而草原犬鼠是跳蚤感染强度和丰富度最高的宿主。没有血清学证据表明任何群落中存在鼠疫耶尔森菌和土拉弗朗西斯菌，但18%的总样本中存在巴尔通体属。在巴尔通体物种、跳蚤物种和哺乳动物物种之间观察到了一些特异性。虽然土拨鼠可间接影响宿主和病媒的多样性和丰度，但在这些时空尺度上，病媒传播疾病的动态可能更依赖于病媒和病原体的特异性。
