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Wildlife Diseases
and
Health Concerns
Plague

Plague is an acute disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis. Humans usually become infected by the bites of infected fleas but also directly from exposure to tissues or body fluids from diseased animals, especially when skinning animals. The disease is characterized by the sudden onset of fever and chills, followed by the development of swollen and painful lymph nodes (buboes) in the armpits, groin, and other areas 2 to 6 days following exposure. In addition to the bubonic form, septicemic infection may develop and involve other organs. Secondary infection of the lungs may lead to primary plague pneumonia, which then can be transmitted from person to person by aerosol. The disease may be only mild and short-lived but frequently progresses to a severe form, with 25% to 60% fatality in untreated cases. In the United States, plague is maintained in wild rodent populations in the western states by flea transmission between rodents. Sylvatic plague may persist in these animal populations with varying severity, depending on the species’ resistance. Prairie dogs are susceptible to sudden die-offs. Outbreaks of plague have decimated prairie dog colonies in less than 1 to 2 years. Rabbits, hares, carnivores, and wild ungulates have also been infected occasionally. Human cases of plague are reported most frequently in New Mexico, Arizona, California, Colorado, and Oregon (Fig. 8). More than 50% of the 284 cases in the United States reported from 1970 to 1990 were in New Mexico. Use insect repellents on skin or treat field clothes with permethrin. Practice good sanitation procedures when handling animals. Seek medical care and treatment if sick.

Murine Typhus Fever

Murine typhus fever is caused by Rickettsia typhi, a rickettsial organism that occurs throughout the southeastern and Gulf Coast states and southern California. Rats are the reservoir animals from which the disease reaches many humans by way of rat fleas. The oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis, is considered the most important vector of the disease. The causative organism enters the bloodstream when feces of infected fleas are scratched or rubbed into a flea-bite wound or other breaks in the skin. Murine typhus is similar to epidemic or louse-borne typhus, but illness is much milder and the fatality rate in untreated cases is much lower.


FLEA DISEASES:
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