PLAGUE EPIZOOTIC AMONG OCHOTONA IN WESTERN MONGOLIA
Abstract
Experimental data confirmed the high sensitivity of Mongolian pikas to plague strains discovered in them during the epizootic, whereas for the guinea pigs these strains proved to be weakly virulent. In the spring the population of Mongolian pikas became very low, whereas that of Dahurian pikas was higher. The epizootic ended apparently in consequence of dying out of Mongolian pikas and repopulation of infected burrows by less susceptible under given conditions species of rodents, such as Urocitellus undulatus and O. dahurica. It is also assumed that Mongolian pikas received infection from a sick marmot, inasmuch as the first infected individuals were found near its burrow and it was here within a limited area that the epizootic ran its course during the first two months. The nearness of the epizootic focus to the frontiers of the USSR and the absence of natural barriers for the imigration of rodents from the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic dictate the necessity of strengthening antiepidemic measures in the areas of the Gorno-Altai autonomous region adjacent to Western Mongolia.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0651240
Entities
People
- G. I. Demina
- Ye P. Demin
- Z. I. Shchekunova