ABSTRACT
Objectives To investigate the prevalence of animal plague in Horqin Right Front County and provide scientific bases for prevention and treatment of the disease.Methods Plague surveillance was carried out according to the requirements of National Plague Monitoring Programme at 3 monitoring points in Horqin Right Front County in 2012.Squirrel density,the number of small rats,rat fleas,pathogenic and serological surveillance of Yersinia pestis were included in the study.Results A total of 356 dauricus were captured,the average density was 0.88 rats/hm2; female and male ratio was 1 ∶ 1.31 and the female embryo rate was 96.46％.The captured 13 small nocturnal mice belonged to 2 species,which included 10 cricetulus barabensis and 3 cricetulus longicaudatus,and the capture rate of small nocturnal mouse was 4.33％ (13/300).A total of 98 rat fleas were collected from 25 rats; rat flea carrying rate was 100％(25/25) and flea index was 3.92.Eighty rat burrows were detected,and flea index was 0.188.Pathogen test results were negative.Indirect hemagglutination test was used to examine 356 rat sera and 1 serum was positive.Conclusions Detection of positive rat sera has proved the existence of plague epidemic in Horqin Right Front County.Therefore,the work on plague prevention and control has a long way to go.