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Interspecific oral rabies vaccine bait competition in the Southeast United States

Journal Article · · Applied Animal Behaviour Science
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [5];  [6]
  1. University of Georgia, Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL); Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States); OSTI
  2. University of Georgia, Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL)
  3. US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), Concord, NH (United States). Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
  4. US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), Fort Collins, CO (United States). Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
  5. University of Georgia, Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL); Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)
  6. University of Georgia, Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL); Krea University, Sri City (India)
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Here, the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Rabies Management Program (NRMP) has coordinated the use of oral rabies vaccination (ORV) to control the spread of raccoon rabies virus variant west of the Appalachian Mountains since 1997. Working with state and local partners, the NRMP deploys ORV baits containing a rabies vaccine, primarily targeting raccoon populations (Procyon lotor). Bait competition between raccoons and non-target species may limit the effectiveness of ORV programs, but the extent of bait competition remains poorly quantified, particularly in the southeastern United States. We placed placebo ORV baits in bottomland hardwood (n = 637 baits) and upland pine (n = 681 baits) habitats in South Carolina, USA during August-December 2019 and used remote cameras to examine bait competition between raccoons and non-target species. The estimated proportion of bait consumed by raccoons was 18.8 ± 2.1% in bottomland hardwood and 11.6 ± 2.1% in upland pine habitats. Vertebrate competition appeared to have a minimal effect on raccoon uptake as estimated consumption did not exceed 5% for any species or 8% of bait uptake events cumulatively. We estimated that raccoons were the primary consumer of baits in bottomland hardwood, whereas invertebrates were the primary consumer in upland pine (26.7 ± 1.3% of baits). Our results indicate a need to closely consider the effects of invertebrates on bait consumption to minimize their potential impact on ORV bait uptake by target species. Uptake probabilities by raccoons were relatively low but not primarily driven by competition with vertebrates. As such, strategies to increase the specificity of raccoon uptake may be needed to enhance the effectiveness of ORV baiting programs.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM); US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA)
Grant/Contract Number:
EM0004391
OSTI ID:
2417825
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1968973
Journal Information:
Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Journal Name: Applied Animal Behaviour Science Journal Issue: C Vol. 261; ISSN 0168-1591
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
Agriculture
Bait competition
Behavioral Sciences
Camera trapping
Oral rabies vaccination
Procyon lotor
Rabies
Raccoon
Veterinary Sciences