Susan Smith
Judy L. Williamson
Daniel W. Tripp
Tonie E. Rocke
Gebbiena Bron
2021
<p><span>The variable response of wild mice to </span><i>Yersinia pestis</i><span> infection, the causative agent of plague, has generated much speculation concerning their role in the ecology of this potentially lethal disease. Researchers have questioned the means by which </span><i>Y. pestis</i><span> is maintained in nature and also sought methods for managing the disease. Here we assessed the efficacy of a new tool, the sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV), in wild-caught northern grasshopper mice (</span><i>Onychomys leucogaster</i><span>) and commercially acquired Sonoran deer mice (</span><i>Peromyscus maniculatus sonoriensis</i><span>). More than 40% of the animals survived a subcutaneous </span><i>Y. pestis</i><span> challenge of 175,000 colony forming units (over 30,000 times the white mouse 50% lethal dose) in both vaccine-treated and control groups. Our results indicate that SPV distribution is unlikely to protect adult mice from plague infection in field settings and corroborate the heterogeneous response to </span><i>Y. pestis</i><span> infection in mice reported by others.</span></p>
application/pdf
10.7589/JWD-D-20-00122
en
Wildlife Disease Association
Moderate susceptibility to subcutaneous plague (Yersinia pestis) challenge in vaccine-treated and untreated Sonoran deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus sonoriensis) and northern grasshopper mice (Onychomys leucogaster)
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