Biotelemetry as a technique in disease ecology studies.

Disease ecology studies frequently demand a detailed knowledge of movements and activity patterns of infected animals, base-line data from apparently healthy individuals and/or inter-action rates between hosts. Additionally, some investigations require periodic examinations of hosts and the recovery of dead animals for necropsy. Until quite recently these data have been obtained primarily by live trapping and marking animals, systematic collections of specimens, or, as in the case of rabies, reports of state public health or veterinary diagnostic laboratories. All of these approaches present difficulties which may limit the quality or quantity of the information gained. For example, the technique of live trapping requires the assumption that movement and activity parameters are not affected by the experimental procedures. Balph ( 1 968 ) , however, has shown that ground squirrels may become “trap happy” in response to a ready source of food or “trap shy” as a result of the noxious experience of being captured and handled. Similarly information obtained from systematic collections of specimens and from laboratory diagnostic reports frequently prove to be of limited value in unraveling the ecological relationships of disease complexes.