Matchett Marc R, Eads David A, Cordova Jennifer, Livieri Travis M, Hicks Holly, Biggins Dean E
US Fish and Wildlife Service, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, 333 Airport Road, Lewistown, Montana 59457, USA.
US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526, USA.
J Wildl Dis. 2023 Jan 1;59(1):71-83. doi: 10.7589/JWD-D-22-00008.
Sylvatic plague is a widespread, primarily flea-vectored disease in western North America. Because plague is highly lethal to endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes, BFFs) and the prairie dogs (Cynomys spp., PDs) on which BFFs depend for habitat and prey, minimizing the impacts of plague is a priority at BFF reintroduction sites. We developed a new, flour-based bait pellet containing 0.84 mg of fipronil and weighing ∼1.25 g (FipBits). We measured the degree and duration of flea control on black-tailed PDs (C. ludovicianus) in Montana and on Gunnison's PDs (C. gunnisoni) in Arizona, USA from 2018-2020. FipBits were distributed on treated plots one time at a rate of 125/ha. Fleas were virtually eliminated in Montana from 1 mo posttreatment to 1 yr later and remained substantially depressed 2 yr posttreatment. With the split colony design, we probably underestimated the degree of flea control achieved with FipBits due to crossover edge effects along the arbitrary line dividing the plots. Flea control in Arizona was significant from 1 mo posttreatment to 1 yr later, but flea abundance had recovered by 2 yr posttreatment. Flea control was evaluated from 2020-2021 in South Dakota, USA on four plots treated with three concentrations of fipronil in FipBits (0.68, 0.71, and 0.83 mg/FipBit). Fleas were essentially eliminated for 10 mo on the 0.83-mg plot and were substantially reduced on the two 0.71-mg plots. Fleas were reduced on the 0.68-mg plot, but the degree of control was less than observed on other treated plots. Impacts of plague on PDs and BFFs would probably be greatly reduced by the levels of flea control observed with FipBits. Options for expanded FipBit evaluations are being pursued for what may become a highly practical, affordable, and effective plague mitigation tool.
鼠疫是北美西部一种广泛传播的、主要通过跳蚤传播的疾病。由于鼠疫对濒危的黑足雪貂（Mustela nigripes，BFFs）以及黑足雪貂赖以生存的栖息地和猎物草原犬鼠（Cynomys spp.，PDs）具有高度致死性，因此在黑足雪貂重新引入地点，将鼠疫的影响降至最低是一项优先任务。我们开发了一种新的基于面粉的诱饵颗粒，其中含有0.84毫克氟虫腈，重量约为1.25克（FipBits）。我们在2018年至2020年期间，在美国蒙大拿州的黑尾草原犬鼠（C. ludovicianus）和亚利桑那州的甘尼森草原犬鼠（C. gunnisoni）身上，测量了跳蚤控制的程度和持续时间。FipBits以每公顷125个的速率一次性分布在处理过的地块上。在蒙大拿州，从处理后1个月到1年后，跳蚤几乎被消灭，处理后2年，跳蚤数量仍大幅减少。采用分割群落设计时，由于沿着划分地块的任意线存在交叉边缘效应，我们可能低估了FipBits实现的跳蚤控制程度。在亚利桑那州，从处理后1个月到1年后，跳蚤控制效果显著，但处理后2年，跳蚤数量已恢复。2020年至2021年期间，在美国南达科他州的四个地块上，对用三种浓度氟虫腈（0.68、0.71和0.83毫克/ FipBit）处理的FipBits进行了跳蚤控制评估。在0.83毫克的地块上，跳蚤在10个月内基本被消灭，在两个0.71毫克的地块上，跳蚤数量大幅减少。在0.68毫克的地块上，跳蚤数量减少了，但控制程度低于其他处理过的地块。FipBits所观察到的跳蚤控制水平可能会大大降低鼠疫对草原犬鼠和黑足雪貂的影响。正在寻求扩大FipBit评估的选项，以使其成为一种非常实用、经济且有效的鼠疫缓解工具。
