The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) works on developing various disease management tools, including the development of vaccines. Our current work focuses on vaccines for sylvatic plague, white-nose syndrome, and rabies as disease control strategies.
Sylvatic Plague Vaccine
Field Efficacy Trials with Sylvatic Plague Vaccine
Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, is widespread throughout the western US and frequently occurs in wild rodents. All four species of prairie dogs in the US are particularly susceptible to plague, suffering high mortality rates during outbreaks (> 90%) and resulting in local extirpations. As a keystone species of grassland ecosystems, prairie dog losses significantly impact numerous other species that depend on them for food or shelter, including black-footed ferrets, burrowing owls, mountain plovers, and several canine and avian predators. Currently, plague is managed in prairie dogs through manual application of insecticides to burrows to kill the fleas that transmit Y. pestis. However, this process is labor intensive and recent evidence suggests that fleas can develop resistance to the most frequently used pesticide.
The NWHC, in conjunction with others, has developed and tested a sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV), deliverable to prairie dogs via palatable bait that offers an additional approach for plague management. From 2013-15, the NWHC conducted a large, collaborative field study to test the effectiveness of SPV in reducing mortality from plague in four species of prairie dogs in 7 western states. This study involved state, federal, tribal and non-government agencies organized under the Black-footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Team (BFFRIT), a multi-agency effort led by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Vaccine treatment had an overall positive effect on prairie dog abundance on our study plots compared to placebo plots and also increased survival of prairie dogs on plots where plague was detected. Although some plague losses occurred on vaccine plots, our results provide evidence that consumption of vaccine-laden baits can protect prairie dogs against plague. However, further evaluation and refinement is needed to optimize SPV use as a management tool and to determine if its use will provide benefits to other species, like black-footed ferrets, or whether it could be used to protect public health.
Conservation and Public Health Applications of the Sylvatic Plague Vaccine on National Park Service Lands
Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, has devastated human and animal populations throughout history. The United States has 5-10 human cases of plague, including some deaths, every year. The disease is also deadly for endangered black-footed ferrets, considered one of the rarest mammals in North America, and their prey, prairie dogs. Reintroduction of black-footed ferrets has occurred at Badlands National Park as part of the national recovery effort. Despite initial successes, plague is considered to be the biggest impediment to the full recovery of the black-footed ferret.
Current efforts to manage plague in ferrets are labor intensive and include capture and vaccination of released ferrets and pesticide treatment of prairie dog burrows to reduce fleas that carry Y. pestis. However, fleas are developing resistance to pesticides in some locations. Therefore, the NWHC is examining the effectiveness of sylvatic plague vaccine to protect not only prairie dog populations, but the ferrets that depend on those populations for prey.
White-nose Syndrome Vaccine
Testing the Feasibility of Vaccination for White-Nose Syndrome and other Bat Diseases
Bats are important for protecting human health and the U.S. economy by controlling insects that carry diseases (e.g., West Nile and Zika Viruses) or cause damage to agricultural crops (estimated $3.5 billion in savings annually). Unfortunately, North American bats are experiencing devastating population declines from an emerging fungal disease, white-nose syndrome (WNS).
To help safeguard North American bat populations, the NWHC is developing a vaccine against the fungus that causes WNS that can be applied topically to wild bats. Currently, several vaccine candidates are being tested to determine which provides the best protection to hibernating bats. Once developed, the goal is to confer disease resistance to vulnerable bats and safeguard their populations. This project was requested by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is jointly funded by the USFWS, USGS Ecosystems Mission Area, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF).
Exploring the Potential for Transdermal Immunization of Bats
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and numerous state agencies and conservation organizations have solicited assistance with identifying and implementing strategies for conserving at-risk bat populations. Therefore, the NWHC is testing and developing novel methods of vaccination (transdermal – through the skin) against the fungus that causes WNS. This project is funded by the Ecosystems Mission Area Wildlife Disease Cyclical and is in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.
Project Documents
- Environmental Assessment- Field Studies to Assess the Safety and Effectiveness of White-nose Syndrome Vaccine Candidates in Bats November 2019
- Decision Record- Field and Captive Studies to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Treatment Delivery Methods in Bats
- Finding of No Significant Impact- Field and Captive Studies to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Treatment Delivery Methods in Bats
- Environmental Assessment- Field Studies to Assess the Safety and Effectiveness of White-nose Syndrome Vaccine Candidates in Bats October 2019
- Draft Decision Record- Field Studies to Assess the Safety and Effectiveness of White-Nose Syndrome Vaccine Candidates in Bats
- Draft Finding of No Significant Impact- Field Studies to Assess the Safety and Effectiveness of White-Nose Syndrome Vaccine Candidates in Bats
Rabies Vaccine
Oral Delivery of Vaccine to Control Rabies in Vampire Bats (Desmodus rotundus)
Rabies, transmitted by vampire bats to cattle or people, is a tremendous economic burden in Central and South American countries. Additionally, vampire bats are moving north and are expected to disperse into southern Texas in the next decade. Currently, managers cull vampire bats to reduce vector populations by applying a pesticide to the skin of captured bats. Therefore, the NWHC is developing an effective and practical oral vaccine for rabies that can be applied to the skin of vampire bats. To accomplish that goal, laboratory challenge trials in vampire bats are necessary to confirm vaccine efficacy, and a vehicle for delivering the vaccine must be developed and tested through field trials. The intended goal of this project is to find better ways to manage rabies in bats, reducing risks to humans and domestic animals. This work is being conducted in close collaboration with USDA-APHIS in Mexico.
Below are publications related to vaccines.
Virally-vectored vaccine candidates against white-nose syndrome induce anti-fungal immune response in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus)
Impact of sylvatic plague vaccine on non-target small rodents in grassland ecosystems
Factors influencing uptake of sylvatic plague vaccine baits by prairie dogs
Protection of bats (Eptesicus fuscus) against rabies following topical or oronasal exposure to a recombinant raccoon poxvirus vaccine
Burrow dusting or oral vaccination prevents plague-associated prairie dog colony collapse
Sylvatic plague vaccine partially protects prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) in field trials
Responses of juvenile black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) to a commercially produced oral plague vaccine delivered at two doses
Infectivity of attenuated poxvirus vaccine vectors and immunogenicity of a raccoonpox vectored rabies vaccine in the Brazilian Free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis)
Apparent field safety of a raccoon poxvirus-vectored plague vaccine in free-ranging prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), Colorado, USA
Age at vaccination may influence response to sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) in Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni)
Managing prairie dogs by managing plague: a vaccine for the future?
Season and application rates affect vaccine bait consumption by prairie dogs in Colorado and Utah, USA
Below are news stories related to vaccines.
- Overview
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) works on developing various disease management tools, including the development of vaccines. Our current work focuses on vaccines for sylvatic plague, white-nose syndrome, and rabies as disease control strategies.
Sylvatic Plague Vaccine
Field Efficacy Trials with Sylvatic Plague Vaccine
Over 30 organizations and agencies are testing a USGS-developed oral vaccine to prevent the spread of plague in prairie dogs. If successful, the sylvatic plague vaccine could help protect endangered black-footed ferrets in the western U.S. because the ferrets rely on prairie dogs for food.The vaccine is placed in peanut butter-flavored bait (pictured), which is then scattered throughout the test areas for consumption by prairie dogs. (Credit: Tonie Rocke, U.S. Geological Survey. Public domain.) Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, is widespread throughout the western US and frequently occurs in wild rodents. All four species of prairie dogs in the US are particularly susceptible to plague, suffering high mortality rates during outbreaks (> 90%) and resulting in local extirpations. As a keystone species of grassland ecosystems, prairie dog losses significantly impact numerous other species that depend on them for food or shelter, including black-footed ferrets, burrowing owls, mountain plovers, and several canine and avian predators. Currently, plague is managed in prairie dogs through manual application of insecticides to burrows to kill the fleas that transmit Y. pestis. However, this process is labor intensive and recent evidence suggests that fleas can develop resistance to the most frequently used pesticide.
The NWHC, in conjunction with others, has developed and tested a sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV), deliverable to prairie dogs via palatable bait that offers an additional approach for plague management. From 2013-15, the NWHC conducted a large, collaborative field study to test the effectiveness of SPV in reducing mortality from plague in four species of prairie dogs in 7 western states. This study involved state, federal, tribal and non-government agencies organized under the Black-footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Team (BFFRIT), a multi-agency effort led by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Vaccine treatment had an overall positive effect on prairie dog abundance on our study plots compared to placebo plots and also increased survival of prairie dogs on plots where plague was detected. Although some plague losses occurred on vaccine plots, our results provide evidence that consumption of vaccine-laden baits can protect prairie dogs against plague. However, further evaluation and refinement is needed to optimize SPV use as a management tool and to determine if its use will provide benefits to other species, like black-footed ferrets, or whether it could be used to protect public health.
Conservation and Public Health Applications of the Sylvatic Plague Vaccine on National Park Service Lands
A Gunnison's prairie dog eats a bait laden with the sylvatic plague vaccine. Prairie dogs in the wild are less likely to succumb to plague after they ingest peanut butter-flavored bait that contains a vaccine against the disease. (Credit: Tonie Rocke, USGS. Public domain.) Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, has devastated human and animal populations throughout history. The United States has 5-10 human cases of plague, including some deaths, every year. The disease is also deadly for endangered black-footed ferrets, considered one of the rarest mammals in North America, and their prey, prairie dogs. Reintroduction of black-footed ferrets has occurred at Badlands National Park as part of the national recovery effort. Despite initial successes, plague is considered to be the biggest impediment to the full recovery of the black-footed ferret.
Current efforts to manage plague in ferrets are labor intensive and include capture and vaccination of released ferrets and pesticide treatment of prairie dog burrows to reduce fleas that carry Y. pestis. However, fleas are developing resistance to pesticides in some locations. Therefore, the NWHC is examining the effectiveness of sylvatic plague vaccine to protect not only prairie dog populations, but the ferrets that depend on those populations for prey.
White-nose Syndrome Vaccine
Testing the Feasibility of Vaccination for White-Nose Syndrome and other Bat Diseases
Bats are important for protecting human health and the U.S. economy by controlling insects that carry diseases (e.g., West Nile and Zika Viruses) or cause damage to agricultural crops (estimated $3.5 billion in savings annually). Unfortunately, North American bats are experiencing devastating population declines from an emerging fungal disease, white-nose syndrome (WNS).
Little brown bat with white-nose syndrome (Credit: Marvin Moriarty, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Public domain.) To help safeguard North American bat populations, the NWHC is developing a vaccine against the fungus that causes WNS that can be applied topically to wild bats. Currently, several vaccine candidates are being tested to determine which provides the best protection to hibernating bats. Once developed, the goal is to confer disease resistance to vulnerable bats and safeguard their populations. This project was requested by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is jointly funded by the USFWS, USGS Ecosystems Mission Area, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF).
Exploring the Potential for Transdermal Immunization of Bats
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and numerous state agencies and conservation organizations have solicited assistance with identifying and implementing strategies for conserving at-risk bat populations. Therefore, the NWHC is testing and developing novel methods of vaccination (transdermal – through the skin) against the fungus that causes WNS. This project is funded by the Ecosystems Mission Area Wildlife Disease Cyclical and is in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.
Project Documents
- Environmental Assessment- Field Studies to Assess the Safety and Effectiveness of White-nose Syndrome Vaccine Candidates in Bats November 2019
- Decision Record- Field and Captive Studies to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Treatment Delivery Methods in Bats
- Finding of No Significant Impact- Field and Captive Studies to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Treatment Delivery Methods in Bats
- Environmental Assessment- Field Studies to Assess the Safety and Effectiveness of White-nose Syndrome Vaccine Candidates in Bats October 2019
- Draft Decision Record- Field Studies to Assess the Safety and Effectiveness of White-Nose Syndrome Vaccine Candidates in Bats
- Draft Finding of No Significant Impact- Field Studies to Assess the Safety and Effectiveness of White-Nose Syndrome Vaccine Candidates in Bats
Rabies Vaccine
Bats in a Texas evening sky. (Credit: Paul Cryan, USGS. Public domain.) Oral Delivery of Vaccine to Control Rabies in Vampire Bats (Desmodus rotundus)
Rabies, transmitted by vampire bats to cattle or people, is a tremendous economic burden in Central and South American countries. Additionally, vampire bats are moving north and are expected to disperse into southern Texas in the next decade. Currently, managers cull vampire bats to reduce vector populations by applying a pesticide to the skin of captured bats. Therefore, the NWHC is developing an effective and practical oral vaccine for rabies that can be applied to the skin of vampire bats. To accomplish that goal, laboratory challenge trials in vampire bats are necessary to confirm vaccine efficacy, and a vehicle for delivering the vaccine must be developed and tested through field trials. The intended goal of this project is to find better ways to manage rabies in bats, reducing risks to humans and domestic animals. This work is being conducted in close collaboration with USDA-APHIS in Mexico.
- Multimedia
- Publications
Below are publications related to vaccines.
Filter Total Items: 27Virally-vectored vaccine candidates against white-nose syndrome induce anti-fungal immune response in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus)
White-nose syndrome (WNS) caused by the fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) has killed millions of North American hibernating bats. Currently, methods to prevent the disease are limited. We conducted two trials to assess potential WNS vaccine candidates in wild-caught Myotis lucifugus. In a pilot study, we immunized bats with one of four vaccine treatments or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)AuthorsTonie E. Rocke, Brock Kingstad-Bakke, Marcel Wuthrich, Ben Stading, Rachel C. Abbott, Marcos Isidoro Ayza, Hannah E. Dobson, Lucas dos Santos Dias, Kevin Galles, Julia S. Lankton, Elizabeth Falendysz, Jeffrey M. Lorch, J. Scott Fites, Jaime Lopera-Madrid, Bruce Klein, Jorge E. Osorio, J. Paul WhiteImpact of sylvatic plague vaccine on non-target small rodents in grassland ecosystems
Oral vaccination is an emerging management strategy to reduce the prevalence of high impact infectious diseases within wild animal populations. Plague is a flea-borne zoonosis of rodents that often decimates prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) colonies in the western USA. Recently, an oral sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) was developed to protect prairie dogs from plague and aid recovery of the endangered blaAuthorsGebbiena M. Bron, Katherine L. D. Richgels, Samuel. Michael D., Julia E. Poje, Faye Lorenzsonn, Jonathan P. Matteson, Jesse T. Boulerice, Jorge E. Osorio, Tonie E. RockeFactors influencing uptake of sylvatic plague vaccine baits by prairie dogs
Sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) is a virally vectored bait-delivered vaccine expressing Yersinia pestis antigens that can protect prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) from plague and has potential utility as a management tool. In a large-scale 3-year field trial, SPV-laden baits containing the biomarker rhodamine B (used to determine bait consumption) were distributed annually at a rate of approximately 100–AuthorsRachel C. Abbott, Robin E. Russell, Katherine Richgels, Daniel W. Tripp, Marc R. Matchett, Dean E. Biggins, Tonie E. RockeProtection of bats (Eptesicus fuscus) against rabies following topical or oronasal exposure to a recombinant raccoon poxvirus vaccine
Rabies is an ancient neglected tropical disease that causes tens of thousands of human deaths and millions of cattle deaths annually. In order to develop a new vaccine for potential use in bats, a reservoir of rabies infection for humans and animals alike, an in silico antigen designer tool was used to create a mosaic glycoprotein (MoG) gene using available sequences from the rabies Phylogroup I gAuthorsBen Stading, James A. Ellison, William C. Carson, Panayampalli Subbian Satheshkumar, Tonie E. Rocke, Jorge E. OsorioBurrow dusting or oral vaccination prevents plague-associated prairie dog colony collapse
Plague impacts prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), the endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) and other sensitive wildlife species. We compared efficacy of prophylactic treatments (burrow dusting with deltamethrin or oral vaccination with recombinant “sylvatic plague vaccine” [RCN-F1/V307]) to placebo treatment in black-tailed prairie dog (C. ludovicianus) colonies. Between 2013 and 2015, we mAuthorsDaniel W. Tripp, Tonie E. Rocke, Jonathan P. Runge, Rachel C. Abbott, Michael W. MillerSylvatic plague vaccine partially protects prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) in field trials
Sylvatic plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, frequently afflicts prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), causing population declines and local extirpations. We tested the effectiveness of bait-delivered sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) in prairie dog colonies on 29 paired placebo and treatment plots (1–59 ha in size; average 16.9 ha) in 7 western states from 2013 to 2015. We compared relative abundance (using caAuthorsTonie E. Rocke, Daniel W. Tripp, Robin E. Russell, Rachel C. Abbott, Katherine Richgels, Marc R. Matchett, Dean E. Biggins, Randall Griebel, Greg Schroeder, Shaun M. Grassel, David R. Pipkin, Jennifer Cordova, Adam Kavalunas, Brian Maxfield, Jesse T. Boulerice, Michael W. MillerResponses of juvenile black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) to a commercially produced oral plague vaccine delivered at two doses
We confirmed safety and immunogenicity of mass-produced vaccine baits carrying an experimental, commercial-source plague vaccine (RCN-F1/V307) expressing Yersinia pestis V and F1 antigens. Forty-five juvenile black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) were randomly divided into three treatment groups (n=15 animals/group). Animals in the first group received one standard-dose vaccine bait (5×AuthorsElsa M. Cárdenas-Canales, Lisa L. Wolfe, Tripp. Daniel W., Tonie E. Rocke, Rachel C. Abbott, Michael W. MillerInfectivity of attenuated poxvirus vaccine vectors and immunogenicity of a raccoonpox vectored rabies vaccine in the Brazilian Free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis)
Bats (Order Chiroptera) are an abundant group of mammals with tremendous ecological value as insectivores and plant dispersers, but their role as reservoirs of zoonotic diseases has received more attention in the last decade. With the goal of managing disease in free-ranging bats, we tested modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) and raccoon poxvirus (RCN) as potential vaccine vectors in the Brazilian FreeAuthorsBenjamin Stading, Jorge E. Osorio, Andres Velasco-Villa, Michael Smotherman, Brock Kingstad-Bakke, Tonie E. RockeApparent field safety of a raccoon poxvirus-vectored plague vaccine in free-ranging prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), Colorado, USA
Prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) suffer high rates of mortality from plague. An oral sylvatic plague vaccine using the raccoon poxvirus vector (designated RCN-F1/V307) has been developed for prairie dogs. This vaccine is incorporated into palatable bait along with rhodamine B as a biomarker. We conducted trials in August and September 2012 to demonstrate uptake and apparent safety of the RCN-F1/V307 vaAuthorsDaniel W. Tripp, Tonie E. Rocke, Sean P. Streich, Rachel C. Abbott, Jorge E. Osorio, Michael W. MillerAge at vaccination may influence response to sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) in Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni)
Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) have been considered at greater risk from Yersinia pestis (plague) infection in the montane portion of their range compared to populations at lower elevations, possibly due to factors related to flea transmission of the bacteria or greater host susceptibility. To test the latter hypothesis and determine whether vaccination against plague with an oral sylAuthorsTonie E. Rocke, Daniel W. Tripp, Faye Lorenzsonn, Elizabeth A. Falendysz, Susan Smith, Judy L. Williamson, Rachel C. AbbottManaging prairie dogs by managing plague: a vaccine for the future?
The Black-footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Team Executive Committee is conducting a project to develop,and (hopefully) eventually implement, a plague vaccination program for prairie dogs. The project is a component of the WesternAssociation of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Grasslands Conservation Initiative. An effective, field-worthy vaccine against plaguecould be the biggest breakthrough in reAuthorsTerry B. Johnson, Tonie E. Rocke, Pete Gober, Bill E. Van Pelt, Michael W. Miller, Daniel W. Tripp, Rachel C. Abbott, David L. BergmanSeason and application rates affect vaccine bait consumption by prairie dogs in Colorado and Utah, USA
Plague, a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, causes high rates of mortality in prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.). An oral vaccine against plague has been developed for prairie dogs along with a palatable bait to deliver vaccine and a biomarker to track bait consumption. We conducted field trials between September 2009 and September 2012 to develop recommendations for bait distribuAuthorsDaniel W. Tripp, Tonie E. Rocke, Sean P. Streich, Nathanael L. Brown, Julia Rodriguez-Ramos Fernandez, Michael W. Miller - News
Below are news stories related to vaccines.