A study on Tibetan sheep in the Gansu plague-endemic area and the risk of plague transmission by their vectors
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pntd.0014650
- PMID
- 42599957
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W7203488606
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
Identifying historical exposure in agricultural stock highlights possible routes for pathogen movement into supply networks, supporting the need for expanded monitoring protocols and community awareness initiatives.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
What is the prevalence of prior plague exposure and ectoparasite burden among Tibetan sheep residing in designated enzootic zones of Gansu Province?
Study design
A cross-sectional field survey combining seasonal collection of blood, respiratory, and arthropod specimens with spatial mapping and standard diagnostic assays.
Population and setting
Domesticated sheep managed across thirty-five herds distributed throughout nine villages in the Subei Mongol Autonomous County.
Main findings
Serological screening detected low-level antibody presence in roughly three per thousand animals, whereas nucleic acid amplification and bacterial isolation returned negative outcomes. Geographic modeling demonstrated that locations yielding positive serology clustered nearer to known pathogen detection points than areas with negative results. Arthropod colonization occurred in less than one percent of the examined population, consisting exclusively of ticks and mites.
Public-health relevance
Identifying historical exposure in agricultural stock highlights possible routes for pathogen movement into supply networks, supporting the need for expanded monitoring protocols and community awareness initiatives.
Important limitations
The cross-sectional sampling approach limits temporal tracking of infection dynamics. Additionally, the discrepancy between positive serology and negative molecular or culture results prevents confirmation of active, transmissible disease at the time of assessment.
GIDS interpretation
This report establishes foundational exposure metrics within a recognized wildlife-livestock interface, supplying background context for regional disease ecology without validating ongoing transmission events.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 7 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.