Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38844973›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2024

Epidemiology of sarcoptic mange in a geographically constrained insular red fox population.

Christy N Wails, Claire C Helmke, Kathleen M Black, Roger Ramirez-Barrios, Sarah M Karpanty, Daniel H Catlin, James D Fraser

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Parasites & vectors, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Christy N Wails *Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA. wailscn@vt.edu.
Claire C Helmke *Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Kathleen M BlackDepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Roger Ramirez-BarriosDepartment of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Sarah M KarpantyDepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Daniel H CatlinDepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
James D FraserDepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.

Funding

US Fish and Wildlife Service F15AC00393
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSarcoptic mange is a skin disease caused by the contagious ectoparasite Sarcoptes scabiei, capable of suppressing and extirpating wild canid populations. Starting in 2015, we observed a multi-year epizootic of sarcoptic mange affecting a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) population on Fire Island, NY, USA. We explored the ecological factors that contributed to the spread of sarcoptic mange and characterized the epizootic in a landscape where red foxes are geographically constrained.

methodsWe tested for the presence of S. scabiei DNA in skin samples collected from deceased red foxes with lesions visibly consistent with sarcoptic mange disease. We deployed 96-100 remote trail camera stations each year to capture red fox occurrences and used generalized linear mixed-effects models to assess the affects of red fox ecology, human and other wildlife activity, and island geography on the frequency of detecting diseased red foxes. We rated the extent of visual lesions in diseased individuals and mapped the severity and variability of the sarcoptic mange disease.

resultsSkin samples that we analyzed demonstrated 99.8% similarity to S. scabiei sequences in GenBank. Our top-ranked model (weight = 0.94) showed that diseased red foxes were detected more frequently close to roadways, close to territories of other diseased red foxes, away from human shelters, and in areas with more mammal activity. There was no evidence that detection rates in humans and their dogs or distance to the nearest red fox den explained the detection rates of diseased red foxes. Although detected infrequently, we observed the most severe signs of sarcoptic mange at the periphery of residential villages. The spread of visual signs of the disease was approximately 7.3 ha/week in 2015 and 12.1 ha/week in 2017.

conclusionsWe quantified two separate outbreaks of sarcoptic mange disease that occurred > 40 km apart and were separated by a year. Sarcoptic mange revealed an unfettered spread across the red fox population. The transmission of S. scabiei mites in this system was likely driven by red fox behaviors and contact between individuals, in line with previous studies. Sarcoptic mange is likely an important contributor to red fox population dynamics within barrier island systems.

Indexed as

FoxesSarcoptes scabieiScabiesAnimalsAnimals, WildGeographyHumansNew YorkSkinBarrier islandCamera trappingEctoparasitesEpizootic outbreakRed foxRemote detectionSarcoptes scabieiSarcoptic mangeVulpes vulpesWildlife disease

Identifiers

PMID38844973
PMCPMC11157703

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.