Original Article

A Conceptual Model for the Impact of Climate Change on Fox Rabies in Alaska, 1980–2010

  1. B. I. Kim1,2,
  2. J. D. Blanton2,*,
  3. A. Gilbert2,
  4. L. Castrodale3,
  5. K. Hueffer4,
  6. D. Slate5,
  7. C. E. Rupprecht2

Article first published online: 4 MAR 2013

DOI: 10.1111/zph.12044

Additional Information

How to Cite

Kim, B. I., Blanton, J. D., Gilbert, A., Castrodale, L., Hueffer, K., Slate, D. and Rupprecht, C. E. (2013), A Conceptual Model for the Impact of Climate Change on Fox Rabies in Alaska, 1980–2010. Zoonoses and Public Health. doi: 10.1111/zph.12044

Author Information

  1. 1

    Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

  2. 2

    National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

  3. 3

    Alaska Division of Public Health, Anchorage, AK, USA

  4. 4

    Institute of Arctic Biology and Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA

  5. 5

    National Rabies Management Program, Wildlife Services, United States Department of Agriculture, Manchester, NH, USA

* Correspondence:
J. Blanton. Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop G33, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. Tel.: +1-404-639-2289; Fax: +1-404-639-1564; E-mail: asi5@cdc.gov

Publication History

  1. Article first published online: 4 MAR 2013
  2. Manuscript Received: 2 JUL 2012

Funded by

  • National Center for Research Resources. Grant Number: 5P20RR016466-12
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Grant Number: P20 GM103395-12
  • National Institutes of Health

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Keywords:

  • Climate change;
  • rabies;
  • red fox;
  • arctic fox;
  • epizootiology

Summary

The direct and interactive effects of climate change on host species and infectious disease dynamics are likely to initially manifest at latitudinal extremes. As such, Alaska represents a region in the United States for introspection on climate change and disease. Rabies is enzootic among arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) throughout the northern polar region. In Alaska, arctic and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are reservoirs for rabies, with most domestic animal and wildlife cases reported from northern and western coastal Alaska. Based on passive surveillance, a pronounced seasonal trend in rabid foxes occurs in Alaska, with a peak in winter and spring. This study describes climatic factors that may be associated with reported cyclic rabies occurrence. Based upon probabilistic modelling, a stronger seasonal effect in reported fox rabies cases appears at higher latitudes in Alaska, and rabies in arctic foxes appear disproportionately affected by climatic factors in comparison with red foxes. As temperatures continue a warming trend, a decrease in reported rabid arctic foxes may be expected. The overall epidemiology of rabies in Alaska is likely to shift to increased viral transmission among red foxes as the primary reservoir in the region. Information on fox and lemming demographics, in addition to enhanced rabies surveillance among foxes at finer geographic scales, will be critical to develop more comprehensive models for rabies virus transmission in the region.

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