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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
environmental science
Exploring reservoir dynamics: A case study of rabies in the Serengeti ecosystem
Journal of Applied Ecology, Volume 45, No. 4, Year 2008
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Description
1. Knowledge of infection reservoir dynamics is critical for effective disease control, but identifying reservoirs of multi-host pathogens is challenging. Here, we synthesize several lines of evidence to investigate rabies reservoirs in complex carnivore communities of the Serengeti ecological region in northwest Tanzania, where the disease has been confirmed in 12 carnivore species. 2. Long-term monitoring data suggest that rabies persists in high-density domestic dog Canis familiaris populations (> 11 dogs km -2) and occurs less frequently in lower-density (< 5 dogs km -2) populations and only sporadically in wild carnivores. 3. Genetic data show that a single rabies virus variant belonging to the group of southern Africa canid-associated viruses (Africa 1b) circulates among a range of species, with no evidence of species-specific virus-host associations. 4. Within-species transmission was more frequently inferred from high-resolution epidemiological data than between-species transmission. Incidence patterns indicate that spill-over of rabies from domestic dog populations sometimes initiates short-lived chains of transmission in other carnivores. 5. Synthesis and applications. The balance of evidence suggests that the reservoir of rabies in the Serengeti ecosystem is a complex multi-host community where domestic dogs are the only population essential for persistence, although other carnivores contribute to the reservoir as non-maintenance populations. Control programmes that target domestic dog populations should therefore have the greatest impact on reducing the risk of infection in all other species including humans, livestock and endangered wildlife populations, but transmission in other species may increase the level of vaccination coverage in domestic dog populations necessary to eliminate rabies. © 2008 The Authors.
Authors & Co-Authors
Lembo, Tiziana
United Kingdom, Roslin
The Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies
Tanzania, Arusha
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute
Hampson, Katie
Tanzania, Arusha
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute
United Kingdom, Sheffield
The University of Sheffield
United States, Princeton
Princeton University
Haydon, Daniel Thomas
United Kingdom, Glasgow
University of Glasgow
Craft, Meggan E.
Tanzania, Arusha
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute
United States, Minneapolis
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Dobson, Andrew D.M.
Tanzania, Arusha
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute
United States, Princeton
Princeton University
Dushoff, Jonathan G.
Canada, Hamilton
Mcmaster University
Eblate, Ernest Ernest
Tanzania, Arusha
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute
Hoare, Richard E.
Tanzania, Arusha
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute
Kaare, Magai T.
United Kingdom, Roslin
The Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies
Tanzania, Arusha
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute
Mlengeya, Titus D.K.
Tanzania, Arusha
Tanzania National Parks
Mentzel, Christine
Tanzania, Arusha
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute
Cleaveland, Sarah C.
United Kingdom, Roslin
The Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies
Tanzania, Arusha
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute
Statistics
Citations: 191
Authors: 12
Affiliations: 8
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01468.x
ISSN:
00218901
e-ISSN:
13652664
Research Areas
Genetics And Genomics
Health System And Policy
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Cohort Study
Case Study
Study Approach
Qualitative
Study Locations
Tanzania