[Level of parasitic contact in colonies of the little suslik in the semideserts of western Kazakhstan]. / Uroven' parazitarnogo kontakta v poseleniiakh malogo suslika v polupustyniakh zapadnogo Kazakhstana.

Field experiments were conducted during the settling of young animals of Citellus pygmaeus in four areas 4 to 13.6 hectares in size. From 3 to 6 animals were caught in each area and labeled by administering radioactive substance (0.5 micrograms of glycine 14C or methionine 35S) and colouring hair on the head. In a day or two labeled sousliks were caught again and in 6-7 days a total catching of animals and collection of ectoparasites from their hair and burrows done. In al, 942 sousliks were caught in the experimental areas and 2624 specimens of fleas of different species and 2305 ticks of R. schulzei collected. The average number of fleas which were labeled on one little souslik for a day was 0.1 to 2.3. The number of labeled fleas in the above areas coincided with the number of fleas infected with plague in the areas of epizootia. The level of parasitic contact in settlements of little souslik cannot provide the development of plague epizootia by transmission of the agent through fleas.