Objective Investigate the presence of natural plague foci in the Altai mountain region along the China-Mongolia border and prevent cross-border transmission of the plague.Methods Collection of rodents and ectoparasites using snap traps set overnight,and sampling of plague-suspect materials from dead rodent burrows and their surroundings.Plague serology was used to test for the F1 antigen and antibodies of the plague,and a four-step isolation method was used to examine the conolusion.Results A Citellus undulatus was found at the first monitoring site,where the plague F1 antigen was detected and the Yersinia pestis was subsequently isolated.F1 antibodies were detected in four live rats from the same burrow and surrounding area;eight out of nine Mustela putorius at the second monitoring site tested positive for the plague F1 antibody;two plague F1 antibodies were detected in Vulpes vulpes at the third site;thirteen infected burrows were found,with an infection rate of 0.97％(13/1335);163 small mammals of 7 species from 5 families were captured,with a positive rate of 9.20％(15/163)for the plague bacterium F1 antigen and antibodies;within 60 days,the range of plague bacteria detection was approximately 50.5001 hm2.Conclusion This survey isolated the Conclusion Yersinia pestis for the first time from the dominant species,the Citellus undula-tus,in the Altai mountain region on the China-Mongolia border.It identified and tracked the distribution dynamics of three plague host species across three new plague foci,providing direct evidence for the determination of a new natural plague focus.
Citellus undulatusYersinia pestisNatural plague fociChina-Mongolia borderAltai mountain region
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