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Plague in a colony of Gunnison's prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) despite three years of infusions of burrows with 0.05% deltamethrin to kill fleas

John L. Hoogland·Dean E. Biggins·Nathaniel Blackford·David Eads·Dustin Long·Mariana Rivera Rodriguez·Lauren M. Ross·Sarah Tobey·Emma M. White
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Abstract

At Valles Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico, US, infusing Gunnison's prairie dog ( Cynomys gunnisoni ) burrows with an insecticide dust containing 0.05% deltamethrin killed fleas which transmit bubonic plague. The reduction in the number of fleas per prairie dog was significant and dramatic immediately after infusions, with a suggestion that the reduction persisted for as long as 12 mo. Despite the lower flea counts, however, a plague epizootic killed >95% of prairie dogs after 3 yr of infusions (once per year). More research is necessary for a better understanding of the efficacy of insecticide dusts at lowering flea counts and protecting prairie dogs from plague.

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John L. Hoogland, Dean E. Biggins, Nathaniel Blackford, David Eads, Dustin Long, Mariana Rivera Rodriguez, Lauren M. Ross, Sarah Tobey, Emma M. White. 2018. Plague in a colony of Gunnison's prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) despite three years of infusions of burrows with 0.05% deltamethrin to kill fleas. https://doi.org/10.7589/2017-04-089

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