Abbott Rachel C, Russell Robin E, Richgels Katherine L D, Tripp Daniel W, Matchett Marc R, Biggins Dean E, Rocke Tonie E
U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Rd., Madison, WI, 53711, USA.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Health Program, 4330 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
Ecohealth. 2018 Mar;15(1):12-22. doi: 10.1007/s10393-017-1294-1. Epub 2017 Nov 20.
Sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) is a virally vectored bait-delivered vaccine expressing Yersinia pestis antigens that can protect prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) from plague and has potential utility as a management tool. In a large-scale 3-year field trial, SPV-laden baits containing the biomarker rhodamine B (used to determine bait consumption) were distributed annually at a rate of approximately 100-125 baits/hectare along transects at 58 plots encompassing the geographic ranges of four species of prairie dogs. We assessed site- and individual-level factors related to bait uptake in prairie dogs to determine which were associated with bait uptake rates. Overall bait uptake for 7820 prairie dogs sampled was 70% (95% C.I. 69.9-72.0). Factors influencing bait uptake rates by prairie dogs varied by species, however, in general, heavier animals had greater bait uptake rates. Vegetation quality and day of baiting influenced this relationship for black-tailed, Gunnison's, and Utah prairie dogs. For these species, baiting later in the season, when normalized difference vegetation indices (a measure of green vegetation density) are lower, improves bait uptake by smaller animals. Consideration of these factors can aid in the development of species-specific SPV baiting strategies that maximize bait uptake and subsequent immunization of prairie dogs against plague.
野生鼠疫疫苗（SPV）是一种通过病毒载体以诱饵形式递送的疫苗，可表达鼠疫耶尔森菌抗原，能保护草原犬鼠（草原犬鼠属）免受鼠疫侵害，具有作为管理工具的潜在用途。在一项为期3年的大规模田间试验中，每年以约100 - 125个诱饵/公顷的速率，沿着包含四种草原犬鼠地理分布范围的58个地块的样带，分发含有生物标志物罗丹明B（用于确定诱饵消耗情况）的载有SPV的诱饵。我们评估了与草原犬鼠摄取诱饵相关的地点和个体层面因素，以确定哪些因素与诱饵摄取率相关。对7820只采样草原犬鼠的总体诱饵摄取率为70%（95%置信区间69.9 - 72.0）。然而，影响草原犬鼠诱饵摄取率的因素因物种而异，一般来说，体型较重的动物诱饵摄取率更高。植被质量和投饵日期对黑尾草原犬鼠、甘尼森草原犬鼠和犹他草原犬鼠的这种关系有影响。对于这些物种，在季节后期投饵，此时归一化植被指数（衡量绿色植被密度的指标）较低，可提高体型较小动物的诱饵摄取率。考虑这些因素有助于制定物种特异性的SPV投饵策略，以最大限度地提高诱饵摄取率以及随后使草原犬鼠对鼠疫进行免疫。
