Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Elusive Documents Depository) 6-30-1960 Studies on the Ecology and Epizoology of the Native Fauna of the Great Salt Lake Desert University of Utah Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/elusive_docs Recommended Citation University of Utah, "Studies on the Ecology and Epizoology of the Native Fauna of the Great Salt Lake Desert" (1960). Elusive Documents. Paper 117. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/elusive_docs/117 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository) at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Elusive Documents by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Studies on the Euology and Epizoology of the Native Fauna of the Great Salt Lake Desert~ REPORT PERIOD January 1 to December 31, 1959 ANNUAL SUMMARY PROGRESS REPORT of the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR and STAFF Ecology and Epizoology Series N o. 44, June 30, 1960 Ecological and Epizoological Research University of Utah *Supported by U.S. Army Chemical Corps Contr act No. DA·42·007·403·CML-427, with the University of U tah S'IUDIES CN 'IHE ECOLOGY AND EPIZOOLOGY OF THE NA TIVE FAUNA of the GREAT SALT lAKE DESERT* REPORT PERICD January 1 to December 31, 1959 ANNUAL SUMMARY PROGRESS REPORT of the EXECUTIVE DIREC'roR and STAFF Ecology and Epizoology Series .No. 44, June 30, 1960 Ecological and Epizoological Research University of Utah *Supported by U. S . Army Chemical Corps Contract No. DA-42-0Cf/-403-~427, with the Universi ty of Utah l ORGANIZA TIC:tl Ecological and Epizoological Research University of Utah Executi ve Conunittee U. S . Anny Chendcal Corps Don M. Rees , Chairman and Director Project Officers Carl J. Christensen, Coordinator of Research Griffith E. Quinby Louis P. Gebhardt, Consultant Jack S . Palmer Angus M. Woodbury, Consultant Howard D. Johnson, Administrator Scientific Staff E. Dean Vest, Executive Director Sections Arthropod Transmission Ext:>eriJlllantal Infections Dale D. Parker, Head Paul s. Nicholes, Consultant D. Elmer Johnson Nyven J. Marchetta, Head Lionel M. West, II Alan A. Olschewski Ecology Section Epizool ogy Laboratory E . Dean Vest, Head John G. Bachtol d , Consultant John B. Bu§hman David L. Lundgren, Laboratory Head Harold J. Egoscue Robert Sidwell Bert Thorpe Military Personnel" Arthropod Transmission Exeer :iJnental Infections Ecology Bittmann, J. G. i.'-lf Bright, D. E . Jr. lH> Madrid, Timothy A. Colan to, J . D. Collins, H. W. J r . i.Y f Wagstaf f , Paul A. Esko, Robt. D. "'' Donovan, VI. A. Fielding, H. K. ''* Hagen, Don . \"1. ''* Johnson, VI . H. McConnell, T. A. Knox, R. W. Nishimoto, Jiro Lauden, R. W. Tiedeman, IJ.oyd , J r.** Lund , Larry P. ;'* Micone , C. A. Olsen, P. F. iHf '' Military persounel a ssigned f or training Press, A. F. Jr. i Hf purposes, who assisted wi th the wor k and Washington, J . 0. services perforood. Wilson, L. D. **Discharged from service dur i ng year . 3 TABlE OF CON'IEN'IS ORGJ\lliZA TION • • • l TABlll OF CON 'lEN 'IS 3 IN 'I'RODUC TION 5 EX!ERIME NTAL Q FEVER INFECTION 6 In Native Vertebrates : 6 :Susceptibility of six species of rodents 6 .Antibody production in deer mice 8 .Susceptibility of coyote pups • ll .Susceptibility of adult bob cats . 17 Susceptibility of a red-tailed hawk • 18 In Native Fleas: • 18 Techniques employed . 18 :Effect of temperature on flea longevity . 19 Infection of Orchopeas leucopus and Thrassis ~ gladiolis . 20 Organism longevity in fleas • 22 In Native Ticks: • 23 Ixodes kingi . 23 De rmacentor parunapertus • 23 Ornithodoros hermsi • 24 Q.. parkeri --- • 25 ~ lagophilus . • 25 EXPERIMENTAL PLAGUE INFECTION • 26 In Native Animals: • • • • • .26 Susceptibility of rodents • • 26 Characterization of enzootic strains • 26 In Native Fleas : ·29 Orchopeas sexdentatus . • , 29 Monopsyllus .!!• wagneri . , _ • 29 In Native Ticks : ·3 ~ Ornithodoros ~ • 31 TULAREMIA INFECTION IN TICKS ~ lagophilus .31 Ornithodoros he rmsi • . • • 32 STUDIES ON ECOWGY OF WILDUFB • 33 Food habits of certain rodents • 33 Chemical control of rodent ectoparasites •36 'lodent populations of biotic communities •38 Community d istr ~bution of samples co.Llected for disease studiell , 1.1 Na tive manunals c ollected alive for experimental usr . .45 Popula tion fluctuations of the jack rabbit • • • • • • • , ' 45 4 TABlE OF CON 'lEN 'IS (continued) S'IUDIES ct< THE COLONIZATION OF ECTOPARASI'IES 46 Rearing colonies • • • • • • 46 Artificial feeding of fleas • • • 47 Effects of humidity on fleas 48 EPI:L.OOLCGlCAL SURVEY uF \1ILDLIFE AND .LIVESTOCK 49 Q fever ••• .• . •• . •• 50 Rocky Mountain spotted fever 61 Plague 63 'fularemia 64 Anthrax 66 Brucella 67 5 IN'lliUDUCTION 1his report contair1s the results of studies* on t he ecology and epi­ zoology vf ~-fever, plague , tularemia , brucella, and Ro cky Mountaiil spot t ed fever in the wildlife o!' the southern arm of the Great Salt lake Desert iil northwestern Utah, frOJll January 1 to December 31, 1959 . It a ].so contains results of serological studies of blood from domestic ani­ mals fretjuentiilg this sane area. 1he overall research objective is to determine, as far as possible, the disease potential of the natural biotic coHJnunity populati ons of the study area. Special emphasis is placed on the ecological factors which may play a role in the transmission of the above disease organisms t o do­ mestic animals and man. In order to accomplish this objective, the research program is directed toward the study of these diseases in rela­ tion to: (l) susceptibility, carrier potential, and bacterenua of each species of ani.Jnal ccruprisi ng the populations of the various biotic com­ nn.mities; (2 t.he J)Otential role of certain ectoparasite popula tions as vectors; (3) the influence of the ecology o!' natural coJJ.munity populations on their spread and/or control; (4) their prevalence and i ncidence iil these natural populations ; and (5) the chemical control of wildlife ecto­ parasi tes. Suj.Jplemental research SU!Jporting the major research program includes : (l) colonization and rearing of native animals and ectopara s ites; (2) animal behavior; (3) agent virulence, and (4) maintenance of reference collections of the biota studied. * Studies by Ec ology and E pizoology Research, University of Utah. 'Jhis project was supported by U, S . Army Chemical Corps Contract No . DA- 42- 007- 403- CML- 427. 6 EXPERII>E NTAL Q FEVER INFECTION l - IN NATIVE VER 'IE BRA 'IES Susceptibil ity of Six Species of Wi ld Rodents Six species of wild rodents, deer mice, Peromyscus n~niculatus; pinyon mice, .f. truei; meadow mice , Microtus mon tanus, desert wood ratr, Neotoma lepida; Great Basin pocket Hlice, Perognathus pa rvus; and western ha rvest Juice, lleithrodoutornys megalotic, were found to be highly s usceptible to subcutaneous infection with Coxiell a burneti, strain AD . However, in all cases the infection was non-fatal and the animals recovered. The diagnosis of infection and the dete rmination of an ID50 for each species was based on the presence in t he serum of com­ plement fixing antibody titer of l/64 or greater, 28 days after subcu­ tareous inoculation of f. burneti. The data are shown in Table 1, with the ID50s and 95% confidence limits calculated by the method of probit analysis (Finney, 1950). The ID50s are in terms of a previously deter­ mined 50% infective dose of the frozen f.. burneti e gg yolk sac slurry in guinea pigs. TABLE L Fever Cornn1eLl<'lnt Fixin Antibod<~s i.-: :tvdc::ts o Ratio of the nwnber of animals possessing 28-day complement fixing antibody t iters of 1 64 or greater to the total number usedo Guinea Pig IDsos of Co burneti ,injected Controls ID50 Species 1olO 108 106 lo4 103 102 101 1 - Ant* Saline 95% C L Paragnathus parvus 209 Great Basin pocket 1nouse 8/8 7/7 8/8 6/8 l/7 0/8 l/7 0/10 166- 263 Reithrodonto~s megalotis 500 Western harvest mouse 6/6 6/6 5/5 5/5 0/5 0/6 l - 1000 Peromyscus man iculatus 676 Deer mouse 16/16 15/16 13/16 15/ 16 12/16 -- 4/16 0/14 0/16 2/57 0/32 123-3715 Peromyscus truei 48 Pinyon mouse 8/8 7/7 4/8 2/9 0/8 0/19 0/14 16-148 NeotC¥na lepida 380 Desert wood rat 8/9 9/9 4/9 l/8 0/9 0/20 0/15 60-2399 . Microtus montanus 107 Montane meadow mouse 7/7 8/8 8/8 7/ 8 7/7 3/6 0/8 1/8 0/17 0/18 13-871 - * Each animal received Oo2 ml of formalized Qo ~ antigen ....., 8 Complement Fixing Antibody Production in Deer Mice The production of complellJ3nt fixing (CF) antibody was studied in deer mice after subcutaneous and intraperitoneal inoculation of high (107) and low (lo3) guinea vig LD50 doses of standard frozen yolk sac slurry of .Q.o burnetio Serum S1l.lllples were collected at regular interv-als for periods up to 10 weeks and titered for CF antibody. An equal nwnbe r of uninoculated control deer mice maintained in close contact with the in­ fected mice \..ere bled and their sera tested for CF antibody, Figures 1 and 2 show the developuent of CF antibody in intraperi­ toneally and subcutaneously infected deer mice respectively. The effect of dose s,ize on CF antibody production in deer mice was essentially the same whether the mice were inoculated subcutaneoulsy or intraperitoneally. Animals inocula ted with the high dose in general produced antibody to higher titer than did mice inoculated with the lower dose .