This study evaluated characteristics associated with raccoon (Procyon lotor) rabies in New York State (NYS), USA, where this disease has been endemic for the last 15 years. The study included 4448 cases of raccoon rabies in terrestrial mammals reported across 1639 census tracts of NYS during 1997-2003. A Poisson-regression model with census tract-year as the unit of analysis revealed a higher number of raccoon-variant rabies cases per square kilometer in census tracts with each percent increase in the proportion of low-intensity residential areas (those with a lower concentration of housing units) (RR=7.68) and a lack of rivers/lakes (RR=1.20) and major roads (RR=1.10), while the number of cases decreased with each 1-m increase in land elevation (RR=0.998), and each percent increase in the proportion of wetlands (RR=0.01). The model was adjusted for county, ecoregion, and latitude to help control for unknown spatially dependent covariates. The model may be used in prioritizing areas for rabies control based on differential risk, including use of costly intervention methods such as oral rabies vaccine.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2008.03.001 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
The continuing search for a better mouse trap: Two tests of a practical, low-cost camera trap for detecting and observing small mammals.
PLoS One
January 2025
Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, Virginia, United States of America.
The advent of digital wildlife cameras has led to a dramatic increase in the use of camera traps for mammalian biodiversity surveys, ecological studies and occupancy analyses. For cryptic mammals such as mice and shrews, whose small sizes pose many challenges for unconstrained digital photography, use of camera traps remains relatively infrequent. Here we use a practical, low-cost small mammal camera platform (the "MouseCam") that is easy and inexpensive to fabricate and deploy and requires little maintenance beyond camera service.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Systematic Review of Zoonotic Enteric Parasites in Synanthropic Mammalian Species in Florida.
Pathogens
December 2024
Department of Public Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA.
Florida is home to a vast number of wildlife species that come into close contact with residents and domestic animals. As mammals are competent hosts for many zoonotic diseases, it is important to understand what exposure risks are present for both people and animals. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, this review analyzed published literature spanning 1963 through 2023 documenting zoonotic enteric parasites in synanthropic wild mammals of Florida, excluding mice and rats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe non-indigenous dung beetle () can effectively reproduce using the dung of indigenous eastern North American mammals.
PeerJ
January 2025
Department of Plant, Food and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Non-indigenous dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) species in North America are important contributors to ecosystem functions, particularly in pasture-based livestock systems. Despite the significant body of research surrounding non-indigenous (and often invasive) dung beetles in agricultural contexts, there has been minimal study concerning the impact that these species may have on indigenous dung beetle populations in natural environments. Here we examine the possible impact of the introduced dung beetle on indigenous dung beetle populations via use of indigenous mammal dung.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNavigating new threats: Prey naïveté in native mammals.
J Anim Ecol
January 2025
University of Florida, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Invasive predators pose a substantial threat to global biodiversity. Native prey species frequently exhibit naïveté to the cues of invasive predators, and this phenomenon may contribute to the disproportionate impact of invasive predators on prey populations. However, not all species exhibit naïveté, which has led to the generation of many hypotheses to explain patterns in prey responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDetection and phylogenetic analysis of blood-associated pathogens from spleen samples of wild raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Germany.
Sci Rep
December 2024
Department of Zoology, Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
Raccoons (Procyon lotor) originated in North America and have been introduced to Europe. Due to their close contact with human settlements, they are important reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens, such as Baylisascaris procyonis. The relevance and prevalence of vector-borne pathogens have not yet been fully elucidated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!