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Plague Epizootic Dynamics in Chipmunk Fleas, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, USA, 2013-2015

Talisin T Hammond, Kelly A Liebman, Robert Payne

    Emerging Infectious Diseases
    |January 11, 2020
    PubMed

    Insights

    Plague surveillance in California

    Area of Science:

    • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
    • Infectious Diseases
    • Veterinary Medicine

    Background:

    • The bacterium Yersinia pestis causes plague, a zoonotic disease.
    • Chipmunks (Tamias spp.) can serve as hosts for fleas that carry Yersinia pestis.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To determine the prevalence of Yersinia pestis in fleas collected from chipmunks in the Sierra Nevadas.
    • To identify risk factors for plague transmission in this ecosystem.

    Main Methods:

    • Fleas were collected from Tamias spp. chipmunks in the Sierra Nevadas between 2013 and 2015.
    • Collected fleas were tested for the presence of Yersinia pestis DNA.

    Main Results:

    • Yersinia pestis was detected in fleas only during 2015, coinciding with a plague epizootic.
    • Infection prevalence was highest in fleas from Tamias speciosus chipmunks at high elevations.
    • No Yersinia pestis was detected in fleas from 2013 or 2014.

    Conclusions:

    • Fleas collected from chipmunks, particularly in high-elevation areas, can harbor Yersinia pestis during epizootic years.
    • Plague surveillance strategies should incorporate testing of flea vectors to monitor Yersinia pestis presence.
    Keywords:
    CaliforniaSierra NevadaSiphonapteraTamias alpinusTamias speciosusUnited StatesYersinia pestisYosemite National Parkbacteriachipmunk fleasdisease ecologyfleashost–parasitehost–pathogeninfection prevalenceplaguerodentssurveillancevector-borne infectionsvectorborne diseasezoonoses

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