Population Dynamics of Owned, Free-Roaming Dogs: Implications for Rabies Control

Conan, Anne; Akerele, Oluyemisi A.; Simpson, Gregory J.G.; Reininghaus, Bjorn; Rooyen, Jacques Van; Knobel, Darryn L.

doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0004177

Cited by 70 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Empirical studies showed that canine rabies can be eliminated if 60-80% of the dog population is vaccinated (Cleaveland et al, 2003;Totton et al, 2010). This is in line with theoretical models that estimate that 70% vaccination coverage of a dog population is sufficient to eliminate rabies (Coleman and Dye, 1996;Totton et al, 2010) and this is the vaccination coverage recommended by the WHO (WHO, 2013), although this can be hard to obtain (Conan et al, 2015;Minyoo et al, 2015). This target is based on models that usually assume linear density-dependent disease transmission.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 52%

Disease transmission mode has little effect on simulated canine rabies elimination

Ward

Smith

Massei

2018

Preprint

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Disease transmission in animal populations can be affected by density or by frequency of contacts between individuals, although many models assume linear density-dependent transmission. We used rabies and free-roaming dogs (Canis familiaris) in two Nepalese cities as a model system to explore the impact of linear and non-linear density-dependent disease transmission on disease elimination achieved through rabies vaccination or vaccination and sterilisation. Strongly non-linear transmission approximated realistic frequency dependent transmission. Free roaming dogs, abundant in many parts of the developing world, are responsible for most cases of rabies transmission to humans. Most models of rabies transmission assume that the disease transmission rate is linearly density-dependent, although a recent empirical study did not find evidence to support this assumption. Rabies vaccination, culling and dog sterilisation are employed to eliminate rabies or to reduce the numbers of human cases. We created a continuous-time deterministic compartmental model to describe rabies epidemiology within a dog population and to analyse the two modes of transmission. Under each transmission mode, we investigated the efficacy of dog vaccination and fertility control to eliminate rabies. To investigate the effect of dog density on disease control efforts, models were run for cities with high and low dog population densities using data from the Nepalese cities. The results showed that, at low population density, the amount of control effort required for disease elimination did not differ substantially between different transmission modes. At high population density, the effort required to achieve disease elimination was only higher for linear density-dependent than for non-linear transmission due to the exact value of the transmission rate, beta. The model suggests that although disease transmission mode may alter the impact of control on rabies elimination, this impact is relatively small and probably not relevant to disease management.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 52%

Disease transmission mode has little effect on simulated canine rabies elimination

Ward

Smith

Massei

2018

Preprint

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“…Preference for male dogs has been reported in some studies [17,37,42,62], because of the belief that male dogs make better guard dogs [29]. A similar study of free-roaming dogs in South Africa, however, reported male-biased sex ratio, even though females did not have higher mortality during one of the study years [68] and a study of dogs in an urban center of central Tanzania found no differences in survival rates between sexes [69]. Lactating females had lower BCS than non-lactating females, suggesting that reproduction has costs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Acosta-Jamett et al found that although only 28% of dogs were vaccinated against canine distemper (rabies was not mentioned in this study), the mortality rate of adult dogs was 0.2 or less and the main two causes of death were human activities (41%) followed by disease (35%) [42]. Conan et al found that rabies vaccination only reduced mortality rates in unvaccinated puppies and argued that this was highly unlikely due to reduced risk of succumbing to rabies [68]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

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Ecology and Demography of Free-Roaming Domestic Dogs in Rural Villages near Serengeti National Park in Tanzania

et al. 2016

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Free-roaming dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are of public health and conservation concern because of their potential to transmit diseases, such as rabies, to both people and wildlife. Understanding domestic dog population dynamics and how they could potentially be impacted by interventions, such as rabies vaccination, is vital for such disease control efforts. For four years, we measured demographic data on 2,649 free-roaming domestic dogs in four rural villages in Tanzania: two villages with and two without a rabies vaccination campaign. We examined the effects of body condition, sex, age and village on survivorship and reproduction. Furthermore, we compared sources of mortality among villages. We found that adult dogs (>12mos) had higher survival than puppies in all villages. We observed a male-biased sex ratio across all age classes. Overall survival in one non-vaccination village was lower than in the other three villages, all of which had similar survival probabilities. In all villages, dogs in poor body condition had lower survival than dogs in ideal body condition. Sickness and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) predation were the two main causes of dog death. Within vaccination villages, vaccinated dogs had higher survivorship than unvaccinated dogs. Dog population growth, however, was similar in all the villages suggesting village characteristics and ownership practices likely have a greater impact on overall dog population dynamics than vaccination. Free-roaming domestic dogs in rural communities exist in the context of their human owners as well as the surrounding wildlife. Our results did not reveal a clear effect of vaccination programs on domestic dog population dynamics. An investigation of the role of dogs and their care within these communities could provide additional insight for planning and implementing rabies control measures such as mass dog vaccination.

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“…Zoonotic diseases such as rabies, tuberculosis, and brucellosis continue to pose a threat to public health in many parts of South Africa, including the Mnisi study area (Marcotty et al, 2009;Conan et al, 2015). Few households reported a history of an illness that could be linked to animals; however, zoonoses are likely underdiagnosed and misinterpreted in this community (Quan et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

One Health profile of a community at the wildlife-domestic animal interface, Mpumalanga, South Africa

Berrian

Rooyen

Martínez‐López

et al. 2016

Preventive Veterinary Medicine

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1 Highlights  Developed profile of a rural community bordering wildlife using One Health approach  Education on animal health was desired despite limited understanding of zoonoses  Domiciliary rodent sightings associated with animal ownership and household size  Frequency of consumption of animal source foods associated with animal ownership  Favorable towards conservation but strong preference for separation from wildlife AbstractWe used a community engagement approach to develop a One Health profile of an agropastoralist population at the interface of wildlife areas in eastern South Africa. Representatives from 262 randomly-selected households participated in an in-person, cross-sectional survey.Questions were designed to ascertain the participants' knowledge, attitudes, and practices with regard to human health, domestic animal health, and natural resources including wildlife and water. Surveys were conducted within four selected villages by a team of trained surveyors and translators over four weeks in July-August 2013. Questions were a combination of multiple choice (single answer), multiple selection, open-ended, and Likert scale.The study found that nearly three-quarters of all households surveyed reported owning at least one animal (55% owned chickens, 31% dogs, 25% cattle, 16% goats, 9% cats, and 5% pigs). Among the animal-owning respondents, health concerns identified included dissatisfaction with government-run cattle dip facilities (97%) and frequent morbidity and mortality of chickens that had clinical signs consistent with Newcastle disease (49%). Sixty-one percent of participants believed that diseases of animals could be transmitted to humans. Ninety-six percent of respondents desired greater knowledge about animal diseases. With regard to human health issues, the primary barrier to health care access was related to transportation to/from the community health clinics. Environmental health issues revealed by the survey included 2 disparities by village in drinking water reliability and frequent domiciliary rodent sightings positively associated with increased household size and chicken ownership. Attitudes towards conservation were generally favorable; however, the community demonstrated a strong preference for a dichotomous approach to wildlife management, one that separated wildlife from humans.Due to the location of the community, which neighbors the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, and the livestock-dependent lifestyle of the resource-poor inhabitants, a One Health approach that takes into consideration the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health is necessary. The community profile described in this study provides a foundation for health research and planning initiatives that are driven by community engagement and consider the multitude of factors affecting health at the human-domestic animal-wildlife interface. Furthermore, it allows for the determination and quantification of the linkages between human, animal, and environmental health.

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Population Dynamics of Owned, Free-Roaming Dogs: Implications for Rabies Control

Cited by 70 publications

References 34 publications

Disease transmission mode has little effect on simulated canine rabies elimination

Disease transmission mode has little effect on simulated canine rabies elimination

Ecology and Demography of Free-Roaming Domestic Dogs in Rural Villages near Serengeti National Park in Tanzania

One Health profile of a community at the wildlife-domestic animal interface, Mpumalanga, South Africa

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