Lethal effects on flea larvae of fipronil in host feces: Potential benefits for plague mitigation
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- Data Release: USGS data release - Data on flea larvae survival following exposure to black-tailed prairie dog scat, 2016-2018
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Abstract
Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is a zoonotic disease of mammalian hosts and flea vectors. Fipronil baits have been used to suppress adult fleas for plague mitigation. The degree and duration of flea control may increase if fipronil also kills other stages in the flea life cycle. We fed grain treated with 0.005% fipronil by weight, or nontreated grain, to black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus), which excrete fipronil and metabolites in their feces after consuming fipronil in their diet. We presented prairie dog feces to 331 larval Oropsylla montana (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae). When exposed to feces lacking fipronil or metabolites, 84% of larvae survived for 24 h. In contrast, survival declined to 42% for larvae contacting feces from fipronil-treated prairie dogs. Just 7% of larvae consuming feces from fipronil-treated prairie dogs survived. Fipronil and metabolites may persist in host feces for several months or longer in prairie dog burrows where flea larvae dwell and forage. The lethal effects of fipronil on adult and larval fleas (and perhaps other life stages) may help to explain why fipronil baits are capable of suppressing fleas on prairie dogs for ≥12 mo.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Lethal effects on flea larvae of fipronil in host feces: Potential benefits for plague mitigation |
| Series title | Journal of Wildlife Diseases |
| DOI | 10.7589/JWD-D-22-00092 |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 2023 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wildlife Disease Association |
| Contributing office(s) | Fort Collins Science Center |
| Description | 9 p. |
| First page | 84 |
| Last page | 92 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |