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Prairie dogs are particularly susceptible to plague. When the bacterium enters a colony, it rapidly turns into an epidemic , or a fast-spreading virus . If this happens, the plague mortality rate is almost 100 percent [source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ].
Prairie dogs are not silent, long-term reservoirs of plague; instead over 95% of prairie dogs will die within 78 hours of infection with plague. Because of this, prairie dogs can be an indicator species for the presence of plague circulating in other rodent species in an area.
23 lip 2020 · Active prairie dog colonies were identified by the visual and audible presence of prairie dogs, and the boundary of these colonies was determined by locating signs of maintenance or recent prairie dog activity.
4 paź 2018 · Sylvatic plague is a flea-borne bacterial disease of wild rodents. Humans, pets, and wildlife can be afflicted with this disease. Prairie dogs are highly susceptible to plague and are the primary food source of the highly endangered black-footed ferret, which is also susceptible to the disease.
Sylvatic plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, is a bacterial disease transmitted by fleas that afflicts many mammalian species, including humans. Plague is widespread throughout the western U.S. and frequently occurs in wild rodents.
23 maj 2019 · ABSTRACT. Yersinia pestis, a bacterial pathogen that causes sylvatic plague, is present in the prairie dogs ( Cynomys spp.) of North America. Epizootics of sylvatic plague through transmission in vectors (fleas) commonly completely extirpate colonies of prairie dogs.
Despite their important role, populations of the five prairie dog species have declined by around 95 percent—with two listed under the Endangered Species Act—due to a variety of threats, including habitat destruction and eradication efforts through shooting and poisoning campaigns.
