Prairie dog responses to vector control and vaccination during an initial invasion.

We evaluated the invasion of plague bacteria into a population of black-tailed prairie dogs (; BTPDs) in South Dakota. We aimed to ascertain if invaded slowly or rapidly, and to determine if vector (flea) control or vaccination of BTPDs assisted in increasing survival rates. We sampled BTPDs in 2007 (before documentation), 2008 (year of confirmed invasion), and 2009 (after invasion).