Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Age at Vaccination May Influence Response to Sylvatic Plague Vaccine (SPV) in Gunnison’s Prairie Dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni)

  • Original Contribution
  • Published:
EcoHealth Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) have been considered at greater risk from Yersinia pestis (plague) infection in the montane portion of their range compared to populations at lower elevations, possibly due to factors related to flea transmission of the bacteria or greater host susceptibility. To test the latter hypothesis and determine whether vaccination against plague with an oral sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) improved survival, we captured prairie dogs from a C. g. gunnisoni or “montane” population and a C. g. zuniensis or “prairie” population for vaccine efficacy and challenge studies. No differences (P = 0.63) were found in plague susceptibility in non-vaccinated animals between these two populations; however, vaccinates from the prairie population survived plague challenge at significantly higher rates (P < 0.01) than those from the montane population. Upon further analysis, we determined that response to immunization was most likely associated with differences in age, as the prairie group was much younger on average than the montane group. Vaccinates that were juveniles or young adults survived plague challenge at a much higher rate than adults (P < 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively), but no difference (P = 0.83) was detected in survival rates between control animals of different ages. These results suggest that host susceptibility is probably not related to the assumed greater risk from plague in the C. g. gunnisoni or “montane” populations of Gunnison’s prairie dogs, and that SPV could be a useful plague management tool for this species, particularly if targeted at younger cohorts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbott RC, Osorio JE, Bunck CM, Rocke TE (2012) Sylvatic plague vaccine: A new tool for conservation of threatened and endangered species? EcoHealth 9: 243-250.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Antolin MF, Gober P, Luce B, Biggins DE, Van Pelt WE, Seery DB, et al. (2002) The influence of sylvatic plague on North American wildlife at the landscape level, with special emphasis on black-footed ferret and prairie dog conservation. In: Transactions of the 67th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, pp 104–127, Wildlife Management Institute

  • Castle S (2000) Clinical relevance of age-related immune dysfunction. Clin Infect Dis 31:578-585.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cox DR (1972) Regression models and life-tables. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B (Methodological) 34:187–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cox MK, Franklin WL (1990) Premolar gap technique for aging live black-tailed prairie dogs. Journal of Wildlife Management 54:143-146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cully JF, Williams ES (2001) Interspecific comparisons of sylvatic plague in prairie dogs. Journal of Mammalogy 82:894-905.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Domenico J, Lucas JJ, Fujita M, Gelfand EW (2012). Susceptibility to vaccinia virus infection and spread in mice is determined by age at infection, allergen sensitization and mast cell status. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 158:196-205.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ecke DH, Johnson CW (1952) Plague in Colorado and Texas. Public Health Monograph No. 6

  • Eskey C, Haas V (1940) Plague in the Western part of the United States. US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez JR, Rocke TE (2011) Use of rhodamine B as a biomarker for oral plague vaccination of prairie dogs. J Wildl Dis 47:765-768.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fitzgerald JP (1993) The ecology of plague in Gunnison’s prairie dogs and suggestions for the recovery of black-footed ferrets. In: Proceedings of the symposium on the management of prairie dog complexes for the reintroduction of the black-footed ferret, Oldemeyer JL, Biggins DE, Miller BJ (editors), Biological Report, vol. 13, pp 50–59

  • Gage KL, Kosoy MY (2005) Natural history of plague: Perspectives from more than a century of research. In: Annual Review of Entomology. Annual Reviews, Palo Alto, pp 505-528

    Google Scholar 

  • Girard JM, Wagner DM, Vogler AJ, Keys C, Allender CJ, Drickamer LC, et al. (2004) Differential plague-transmission dynamics determine Yersinia pestis population genetic structure on local, regional, and global scales. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 101:8408-8413.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hafner D, Riddle B, Jezkova T (2005) Phylogeography of white-tailed prairie dogs, Cynomys gunnisoni: implications for subspecific recognition of C. g. gunnisoni. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2pp

  • Hainz U, Jenewein B, Asch E, Pfeiffer KP, Berger P, Grubeck-Loebenstein B (2005) Insufficient protection for healthy elderly adults by tetanus and TBE vaccines. Vaccine 23:3232-3235.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heath DG, Anderson, Jr GW, Mauro JM (1998) Protection against experimental bubonic and pneumonic plague by a recombinant capsular F1–V antigen fusion protein vaccine. Vaccine 16:1131-1137.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hollister N (1916) A systematic account of the prairie dogs. North American Fauna. Bureau of Biological Survey. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoogland JL (1996) Why do Gunnison’s prairie dogs give anti-predator calls? Animal Behavior 51:871-880.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoogland JL (1999) Philopatry, dispersal, and social organization of Gunnison’s prairiedogs. Journal of Mammalogy 80:243-251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoogland JL, Hutter JM (1987) Using molar attrition to age live priaire dogs Journal of Wildlife Management 51:393-394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lechleitner R, Kartman L, Goldenberg M, and Hudson B (1968) An epizootic of plague in Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) in southcentral Colorado. Ecology 49:734-743.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lechleitner RR, Tileston, JV, Kartman L (1962) Die-off of a Gunnison’s prairie dog colony in central Colorado. I. Ecological observations and description of the epizootic. Zoonoses Research 1:185-199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mencher JS, Smith SR, Powell TD, Stinchcomb DT, Osorio JE, Rocke TE (2004) Protection of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) against plague after voluntary consumption of baits containing recombinant raccoon poxvirus vaccine. Infection and Immunity 72:5502-5505.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Osorio JE, Powell TD, Frank RS, Moss K, Haanes EJ, Smith SR, et al. (2003). Recombinant raccoon pox vaccine protects mice against lethal plague. Vaccine 21:1232-1238.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rayor LS (1985) Dynamics of a plague outbreak in Gunnison’s prairie dog. Journal of Mammalogy 66:194-196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rocke TE, Kingstad-Bakke B, Berlier W, Osorio JE (2014) A recombinant raccoon poxvirus vaccine expressing both Yersinia pestis F1 and truncated V antigens protects animals against lethal plague. Vaccines 2:772–784. doi:10.3390/vaccines2040772

  • Rocke TE, Pussini N, Smith SR, Williamson J, Powell B, Osorio JE (2010) Consumption of baits containing raccoon pox-based plague vaccines protects black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 10:53-58.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rocke TE, Smith S, Marinari P, Kreeger J, Enama JT, Powell BS (2008a). Vaccination with F1–V fusion protein protects black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) against plague upon oral challenge with Yersinia pestis. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 44:1-7.

  • Rocke TE, Smith SR, Stinchcomb DT, Osorio JE (2008b). Immunization of black-tailed prairie dogs against plague through consumption of vaccine-laden baits. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 44:930-937.

  • Seglund AE, Schnurr PM (2010) Colorado Gunnison’s and white-tailed prairie dog conservation strategy. Colorado Division of Wildlife, Denver, Colorado, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spiegelhalter DJ, Best NG, Carlin BR, van der Linde A (2002) Bayesian measures of model complexity and fit. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B-Statistical Methodology 64:583-616.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stacy S, Pasquali A, Sexton V, Cantwell A, Kraig E, Dube P (2008) An age-old pardigm challenged: old baboons generate vigorous humoral immune responses to LcrV, a plague antigen. J Immunol 181:109-115.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sturtz S, Ligges U, Gelman A (2005) R2WinBUGS: A package for running WinBUGS from R. Journal of Statistical Software 12:1-16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tripp DW, Rocke TE, Streich SP, Brown NL, Fernandez JR, Miller MW (2014) Season and application rates affect vaccine bait consumption by prairie dogs in Colorado and Utah, USA. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 50:224-234.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Turner GG (2001) Recovery of Utah and Gunnison’s prairie dog colonies following epizootics of sylvatic plague Thesis. Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD

  • USFWS (2008) Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; 12-month finding on a petition to list the Gunnison’s prairie dog as threatened or endangered. Fish UV, Wildlife Service, Federal Register, February 5, 2008, pp 6660–6684

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases for Y. pestis strain C092 and BEI Resources for F1 antigen. J. Lambert-Newman provided animal care; R. Russell and K. Richgels provided statistical advice and editorial comments; S. Singleton, S. Streich, A. Tschirley, C. Kloster, and R. Wertsbaugh provided field assistance. The study was supported by funding from the USGS. Use of trade, product, or firm names does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. USGS National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Rd., Madison, WI, 53711, USA

    Tonie E. Rocke, Faye Lorenzsonn, Elizabeth Falendysz, Susan Smith, Judy Williamson & Rachel Abbott

  2. Wildlife Health Program, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 317 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO, 80526-2097, USA

    Dan Tripp

Authors
  1. Tonie E. Rocke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dan Tripp
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Faye Lorenzsonn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Elizabeth Falendysz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Susan Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Judy Williamson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Rachel Abbott
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tonie E. Rocke.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rocke, T.E., Tripp, D., Lorenzsonn, F. et al. Age at Vaccination May Influence Response to Sylvatic Plague Vaccine (SPV) in Gunnison’s Prairie Dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni). EcoHealth 12, 278–287 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-014-1002-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-014-1002-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation