Dog Ecology and Dog Rabies Control

Wandeler, Alexander I.; Budde, A.; Capt, Simon; Каппелер, Андреас; Matter, Hans C.

doi:10.1093/clinids/10.supplement_4.s684

Cited by 44 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The mean life expectancy of the dogs in the study-area was 2.76y for both sexes after survival of the first year. This corresponds closely to findings of average life expectancies of 2.8y [46] in Machakos and 1.9 y in dogs in the Serengeti [52], but is certainly much lower than in North American dogs with a life expectancy of 4.5y [53]. The 72% mortality found within the first year exceeds the mortality reported in Machakos District [27] and the reported 57% first year mortality in N’Djaména [29].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Domestic dog demographic structure and dynamics relevant to rabies control planning in urban areas in Africa: the case of Iringa, Tanzania

et al. 2012

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BackgroundMass vaccinations of domestic dogs have been shown to effectively control canine rabies and hence human exposure to rabies. Knowledge of dog population demography is essential for planning effective rabies vaccination programmes; however, such information is still rare for African domestic dog populations, particularly so in urban areas. This study describes the demographic structure and population dynamics of a domestic dog population in an urban sub-Saharan African setting. In July to November 2005, we conducted a full household-level census and a cross-sectional dog demography survey in four urban wards of Iringa Municipality, Tanzania. The achievable vaccination coverage was assessed by a two-stage vaccination campaign, and the proportion of feral dogs was estimated by a mark-recapture transect study.ResultsThe estimated size of the domestic dog population in Iringa was six times larger than official town records assumed, however, the proportion of feral dogs was estimated to account for less than 1% of the whole population. An average of 13% of all households owned dogs which equalled a dog:human ratio of 1:14, or 0.31 dogs per household or 334 dogs km-2. Dog female:male ratio was 1:1.4. The average age of the population was 2.2 years, 52% of all individuals were less than one year old. But mortality within the first year was high (72%). Females became fertile at the age of 10 months and reportedly remained fertile up to the age of 11 years. The average number of litters whelped per fertile female per year was 0.6 with an average of 5.5 pups born per litter. The population growth was estimated at 10% y-1.ConclusionsSuch high birth and death rates result in a rapid replacement of anti-rabies immunised individuals with susceptible ones. This loss in herd immunity needs to be taken into account in the design of rabies control programmes. The very small proportion of truly feral dogs in the population implies that vaccination campaigns aimed at the owned dog population are sufficient to control rabies in urban Iringa, and the same may be valid in other, comparable urban settings.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Domestic dog demographic structure and dynamics relevant to rabies control planning in urban areas in Africa: the case of Iringa, Tanzania

et al. 2012

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“…data with projected annual growth rates of 2·6% in SD and 3·8% in ND (National Bureau of Statistics Tanzania 2005), and from humandomestic dog ratios (Wandeler et al . 1988;Brooks 1990) obtained from household questionnaires (from SD in 2003 andLGCA in 2004).…”

Section: S T U D Y a R E Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring reservoir dynamics: a case study of rabies in the Serengeti ecosystem

Lembo

Hampson

Haydon

et al. 2008

Journal of Applied Ecology

183

194

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Summary 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.

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“…Additionally, similar findings were observed in other countries including the 4. WANDELER et al, 1988). However, these indices are completely different to that of India (SUDARSHAN et al, 2006) and China (KNOBEL et al, 2005), where the human to dog ratio is 36 and 48.3, respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Caracterização demográfica de cães e gatos e perfil de seus respectivos guardiões domiciliados numa pequena cidade no sul do Brasil

et al. 2015

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This study evaluated the population dynamics and ownerships of dogs and cats from the city of Jaguapitã, southern Brazil. The human to dog and cat ratios were 4.6 and 21.5, respectively. Comparatively more dogs (n=2,460) than cats (n=571) were within the households and there were significantly more male (55.8%; 679/1,217) dogs relative to females (44.2%; 538/1217). Most cats (69.2%; 180/260) did not received any antiparasitic medication, were not immunized against rabies (91.2%; 237/260) or any specific infectious disease (91.5%; 238/260). Less than half (40.8%; 106/260) of these was below oneyear-of age, but a significant number of cats was without any definite breed (81.2%; 211/260), and not spayed (93.5%; 243/260). Most dogs were of the mixed breed (69.5%; 846/1217), between one and four-years old (42.6%; 519/1217), and not spayed (96.3%; 1172/1,217). An elevated population of dogs received anthelminthic drugs (71%; 865/1,217), but most of these were not immunized against rabies (63.8% 777/1,217) or other infectious disease (58.6%; 713/1,217). Most (68.7%; 770/1,120) households were owners of a pet dog and/or cat; 54.4% (610/1,120) of these owned only dogs, 4.9% (55/1,120) were the owners of cats only, while 9.4% (105/1,120) owned pet dogs and cats. The results obtained are similar to those described in populated cities of Brazil and other countries. However, the free street access of pets associated with the reduced level of immunization against canine and feline infectious diseases coupled with the responsibility of ownership demonstrated by most residents make these animals highly susceptible to zoonotic and infectious diseases. Additionally, the free street access of unsprayed pets increases the risk of contact with other animals and the transmission of disease.

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Dog Ecology and Dog Rabies Control

Cited by 44 publications

References 8 publications

Domestic dog demographic structure and dynamics relevant to rabies control planning in urban areas in Africa: the case of Iringa, Tanzania

Domestic dog demographic structure and dynamics relevant to rabies control planning in urban areas in Africa: the case of Iringa, Tanzania

Exploring reservoir dynamics: a case study of rabies in the Serengeti ecosystem

Caracterização demográfica de cães e gatos e perfil de seus respectivos guardiões domiciliados numa pequena cidade no sul do Brasil

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