Data-Driven Management—A Dynamic Occupancy Approach to Enhanced Rabies Surveillance Prioritization
Rabies lyssavirus (RABV) is enzootic in raccoons across the eastern United States. Intensive management of RABV by oral rabies vaccination (ORV) has prevented its spread westward and shown evidence of local elimination in raccoon populations of the northeastern US. The USDA, Wildlife Services, Natio...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Viruses |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/9/1795 |
| _version_ | 1797516919024123904 |
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| author | Amy J. Davis Jordona D. Kirby Richard B. Chipman Kathleen M. Nelson Amy T. Gilbert |
| author_facet | Amy J. Davis Jordona D. Kirby Richard B. Chipman Kathleen M. Nelson Amy T. Gilbert |
| author_sort | Amy J. Davis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rabies lyssavirus (RABV) is enzootic in raccoons across the eastern United States. Intensive management of RABV by oral rabies vaccination (ORV) has prevented its spread westward and shown evidence of local elimination in raccoon populations of the northeastern US. The USDA, Wildlife Services, National Rabies Management Program (NRMP) collaborates with other agencies to implement broad-scale ORV and conducts extensive monitoring to measure the effectiveness of the management. Enhanced Rabies Surveillance (ERS) was initiated during 2005 and updated in 2016 to direct surveillance efforts toward higher-value specimens by assigning points to different methods of encountering specimens for collection (strange-acting, roadkill, surveillance-trapped, etc.; specimen point values ranged from 1 to 15). We used the 2016–2019 data to re-evaluate the point values using a dynamic occupancy model. Additionally, we used ERS data from 2012–2015 and 2016–2019 to examine the impact that the point system had on surveillance data. Implementation of a point system increased positivity rates among specimens by 64%, indicating a substantial increase in the efficiency of the ERS to detect wildlife rabies. Our re-evaluation found that most points accurately reflect the value of the surveillance specimens. The notable exception was that samples from animals found dead were considerably more valuable for rabies detection than originally considered (original points = 5, new points = 20). This work demonstrates how specimen prioritization strategies can be used to refine and improve ERS in support of wildlife rabies management. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:08:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4c887e31469b4bcd8a737225a875c6d5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4915 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:08:33Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Viruses |
| spelling | doaj.art-4c887e31469b4bcd8a737225a875c6d52023-11-22T15:38:06ZengMDPI AGViruses1999-49152021-09-01139179510.3390/v13091795Data-Driven Management—A Dynamic Occupancy Approach to Enhanced Rabies Surveillance PrioritizationAmy J. Davis0Jordona D. Kirby1Richard B. Chipman2Kathleen M. Nelson3Amy T. Gilbert4National Wildlife Research Center, Wildlife Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USANational Rabies Management Program, Wildlife Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Concord, NH 03301, USANational Rabies Management Program, Wildlife Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Concord, NH 03301, USANational Rabies Management Program, Wildlife Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Concord, NH 03301, USANational Wildlife Research Center, Wildlife Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USARabies lyssavirus (RABV) is enzootic in raccoons across the eastern United States. Intensive management of RABV by oral rabies vaccination (ORV) has prevented its spread westward and shown evidence of local elimination in raccoon populations of the northeastern US. The USDA, Wildlife Services, National Rabies Management Program (NRMP) collaborates with other agencies to implement broad-scale ORV and conducts extensive monitoring to measure the effectiveness of the management. Enhanced Rabies Surveillance (ERS) was initiated during 2005 and updated in 2016 to direct surveillance efforts toward higher-value specimens by assigning points to different methods of encountering specimens for collection (strange-acting, roadkill, surveillance-trapped, etc.; specimen point values ranged from 1 to 15). We used the 2016–2019 data to re-evaluate the point values using a dynamic occupancy model. Additionally, we used ERS data from 2012–2015 and 2016–2019 to examine the impact that the point system had on surveillance data. Implementation of a point system increased positivity rates among specimens by 64%, indicating a substantial increase in the efficiency of the ERS to detect wildlife rabies. Our re-evaluation found that most points accurately reflect the value of the surveillance specimens. The notable exception was that samples from animals found dead were considerably more valuable for rabies detection than originally considered (original points = 5, new points = 20). This work demonstrates how specimen prioritization strategies can be used to refine and improve ERS in support of wildlife rabies management.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/9/1795detection probabilitydynamic occupancyrabies lyssavirusraccoonscience-based managementsurveillance |
| spellingShingle | Amy J. Davis Jordona D. Kirby Richard B. Chipman Kathleen M. Nelson Amy T. Gilbert Data-Driven Management—A Dynamic Occupancy Approach to Enhanced Rabies Surveillance Prioritization Viruses detection probability dynamic occupancy rabies lyssavirus raccoon science-based management surveillance |
| title | Data-Driven Management—A Dynamic Occupancy Approach to Enhanced Rabies Surveillance Prioritization |
| title_full | Data-Driven Management—A Dynamic Occupancy Approach to Enhanced Rabies Surveillance Prioritization |
| title_fullStr | Data-Driven Management—A Dynamic Occupancy Approach to Enhanced Rabies Surveillance Prioritization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Data-Driven Management—A Dynamic Occupancy Approach to Enhanced Rabies Surveillance Prioritization |
| title_short | Data-Driven Management—A Dynamic Occupancy Approach to Enhanced Rabies Surveillance Prioritization |
| title_sort | data driven management a dynamic occupancy approach to enhanced rabies surveillance prioritization |
| topic | detection probability dynamic occupancy rabies lyssavirus raccoon science-based management surveillance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/9/1795 |
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