SPECIAL NOTICE
B -- Determining Proportion of Animals Using Host-Targeted Bait Boxes and Use of Protective Shroud on Bait Boxes Against Squirrels
- Notice Date
- 5/13/2010
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541620
— Environmental Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Procurement and Grants Office (Atlanta), 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 3000, Atlanta, Georgia, 30341-4146
- ZIP Code
- 30341-4146
- Solicitation Number
- 00HCVHCC-2010-83909
- Archive Date
- 5/21/2010
- Point of Contact
- Linda M Young, Phone: (770) 488-2655
- E-Mail Address
-
lml3@cdc.gov
(lml3@cdc.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention intends to issue a sole source purchase order to Terry L. Schulze, 9 Evergreen, Perrinville, NJ 08535, for determining what proportion of a localized small mammal population in using host-targeted bait boxes to aid in determining the most efficient means of treatment, whether used alone or as part of an overall ITM approach and the use of a protective galvanized shroud to premvent bait box depredation by squirrels as an attempt to register this patented technology with the US EPA. Lyme disease, caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, and transmitted by the black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the United States. Although chemical pesticides and repellents are available to combat these disease transmitting pests, many citizens are hesitant about the use of these pesticides due to concerns about short range toxicity and long range health problems attributed to these chemicals. DVBD scientists have developed host-targeted methods of controlling disease vectors thereby reducing populations of infected rodent reservoirs and questing ticks. Development of new, environmentally safe vector-control methods is a very high priority for Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (DVBD) and CDC. Because these DVBD patented, host-targeted bait boxes and other host-targeted technologies use such small amounts of pesticides enclosed in a box, they provide an especially eco-friendly method of vector-borne disease control in a residential setting. This is a win-win solution both for public health and the environment. The latest development of host-targeted technologies comes as a new adaptation to the bait box technology. Initial studies were performed in DVBD laboratories. A novel doxycycline hyclate impregnated bait formulation was shown to be efficacious in preventing tick-transmitted B. burgdorferi infection as well as providing a cure for early established infection in a murine model of Lyme borreliosis. In addition, this doxycycline bait formulation, encompassing a bacteriostatic drug, demonstrated the unexpected result of clearing spirochete infection in feeding ticks. These data provide evidence for exploring alternative techniques to prevent transmission of Lyme disease spirochetes. These studies were performed at CDC, DVBD and have been published in the Amer J Trop Med and Hyg (Dolan et al. 2008. 78:803-805). CDC, DVBD scientists have also developed and patented the host-targeted devices that contain not only the antibiotic bait but an acaracide treated wick system that contains fipronil. These boxes lure rodents inside where they are passively treated. A single visit to a bait box can protect small mammals from tick and flea infestations for > 52 days. Finally, CDC, DVBD scientists and developed and patented a class of all natural plant derived compounds that have shown to be efficacious in both killing and repelling questing tick populations. These naturally-derived compounds provide a green alternative to synthetic traditional pesticides. These three tools for combating Lyme disease will be evaluated in an overall integrated tick management (ITM) approach for reducing Lyme disease. However, in order to maximize the most efficient means of treatment for each one of these tools when used alone or part of an overall ITM approach, we will determine the given percent of animals and ticks in an overall localized population that will utilize host-targeted devices. Finally, we will perform a field study to evaluate the efficacy of the Maxforce Tick Management System (TMS) retrofitted with both fipronil and doxycycline bait in an attempt to re-register the product with EPA and make the produce once again available to the public for the prevention and control of Lyme disease. The purpose of the requirement is as follows: (1) To determine what proportion of a localized small mammal population is using host-targeted bait boxes to aid in determining the most efficient means of treatment, whether used alone or as part of an overall ITM approach. This study will coincide as a follow up to previous and ongoing host-targeted studies evaluating the efficacy of these patented prevention and control products for future registration by EPA and FDA. Study will be conducted using intensive trapping and marking of host mammals concurrent with deployment of bait boxes in a residential setting. (2) To evaluate the ability of modified Maxforce Tick Management System (TMS) bait boxes that contain the acaricide fipronil, doxycycline hyclate antibiotic bait, and the Connecticut Tick Control protective shroud device. Bait boxes will be serviced weekly. The ability of this host-targeted bait box to prophylactically protect and cure rodent reservoirs, kill ticks on these small mammals and reduce the number of infected questing ticks on treated properties will be evaluated. This includes Borrelia burgdorferi, and the agent, Anaplasmosis phagocytophilum in Peromyscus leucopus, Tamias striatus, Sciurus carolinensis, and Blarina brevicauda, the primary reservoirs of these two vector-borne diseases. Finally, the ability of a metal shroud protective device to eliminate squirrel depredation will be evaluated. This will assist the CDC, DVBD in attempting to register this patented device with the EPA and once again make available to the public for prevention and control of Lyme disease infected ticks. The scope of work is as follows: The vendor shall furnish all labor, materials and equipment necessary to evaluate the efficacy of rodent-targeted bait boxes. (1) Project one will determine the given percent of animals in an overall localized population that are using host-targeted bait boxes. This is a critical component of control needed to allow insight into providing the most efficient means of treatment whether used alone or as part of an overall ITM approach. These studies will be conducted using extensive grid trapping, impregnated ID tags, fluorescent marking powders, and UV/black detection lights. The vendor will need to have access to Lyme endemic residential areas that contain suitable tick/rodent/Lyme disease habitat with a minimum of 0.1 tick/m2 and adequate species of Peromyscus leucopus, Tamias striatus, Sciurus carolinensis, and Blarina brevicauda. The vendor shall furnish all labor, materials, field equipment, processing equipment, live mammalian traps (Sherman and Tomahawk), Maxforce TMS bait boxes, Detex non-toxic monitoring baits, GPS units, fluorescent marking powders, UV/blacklights, anesthesia equipment, AVID ID tags, fipronil, metal bait box shrouds, field laptops, and equipment necessary to evaluate the efficacy of host-targeted devices to reduce infection rates in rodent reservoirs, questing ticks, and to reduce populations of questing ticks in Lyme endemic areas of NJ. The vendor will identify suitable test plots for each study, conduct weekly pre- and post-treatment flagging and trapping of animals in plots to determine the ability of these host-targeted technologies to kill ticks, reduce infected reservoirs, and reduce the risk of tick-borne diseases. Vendor will provide monthly reports and perform statistical analysis. All data will be sent to CDC/NCID/DVBD, Fort Collins, CO. The DVBD contract PI will provide all additional equipment as needed to properly process and evaluate rodents and ticks (this includes but is not limited to: BSK, specimen vials, animal processing equipment, tick collection and processing equipment, HPLC and PCR analysis, culture and microscopy work, bait, bait boxes, data collection, generation, and evaluation). The DVBD contract PI will assist grantees with all field trials until completed. (2) Project two will evaluate the ability of modified Maxforce Tick Management System (TMS) bait boxes that contain the acaricide fipronil, doxycycline bait, and the Connecticut Tick Control protective shroud device. Bait boxes will be serviced weekly. The ability of this host-targeted bait box to prophylactically protect and cure rodent reservoirs, kill ticks on these small mammals and reduce the number of infected questing ticks on treated properties will be evaluated. This includes Borrelia burgdorferi, and the agent, Anaplasmosis phagocytophilum in Peromyscus leucopus, Tamias striatus, Sciurus carolinensis, and Blarina brevicauda, the primary reservoirs of these two vector-borne diseases. The ability of the CTC galvanized metal shroud protective device to eliminate squirrel depredation and make the boxes serviceable while maintaining their childproof status will be evaluated. This will assist the CDC, DVBD in attempting to register this patented device with the EPA and once again make available to the public for prevention and control of Lyme disease infected ticks. All efficacy data will be recorded for each project and data will be analyzed, statistical analysis performed, and monthly written reports provided to CDC. All laboratory and field work should be performed under GLP guidelines for future FDA/EPA registration. Animal work will need to be performed under an approved IACUC protocol on file at CDC, DVBD, BDB, so the data can be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The vendor shall perform the following tasks in the order shown: Project 1: (1a) Locate, measure, and stake a total of two 5-hectare residential properties (> 60%) wooded) in Millstone Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. The properties must contain > 1 tick/m2. Trapping effort will be directed toward estimating abundance, home range size, and bait box use by white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) and Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) during the activity period of questing I. scapularis nymphal and larval ticks (May-August). Host density during this season is relevant to assessing the impact mammal abundance has on the infection prevalence of nymphs the following year. A total of 50 MaxForce® TMS bait boxes will be deployed on each property, to include an inner ring of boxes at ≈ 10-m intervals along a perimeter at distances of  3 m from the lawn-forest edge and an outer row established at  13 m from the lawn edge. A third ring will reside peripherally in the forested area. Floors of all boxes will be dusted with fluorescent marking powder (FMP), and re-dusted each morning during trapping (below), as needed. Four unique color FMPS will be used to distinguish inner, median and outer rows of boxes on each property. Animals will be observed for fluorescent marking powders using a UV/black light. All boxes will be individually numbered and weighed prior to deployment and again at retrieval to assess use by small mammals by measuring changes in box weight as an indicator of bait consumption over time. (1b) A trapping web will be established on each property consisting of 8 equally spaced radial lines of 50 m each, permanently marked and located using a hand-help GPS. Each trapping line will include 7 trap stations, each with 2 Sherman non-folding box traps baited with cotton balls and rolled oats: The first 4 trap stations at 5-m intervals from the lawn/woodland edge (5, 10, 15, and 20 m), and the next 3 trap stations at 10-m intervals (30, 40, and 50 m), for a total of 112 traps/web (1,120 trap-nights/trapping event). Captured rodents will be anesthetized with isoflurane prior to handling. Small mammal species, trap location and demographic data for all captured mammals will be recorded and each capture inspected under ultra-violet/black light to detect FMP. Each new capture will receive both passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags (AVID ID Detection System) and individually numbered ear tags. Upon recapture, we will record trap location, tag number, and presence of FMP. Rodents will be returned to their point of capture and released shortly after processing. Each property will be trapped for a minimum of 7 days or until we find no unmarked animals of both species, after which trapping efforts will be terminated. The system will be evaluated in non-intervention areas to evaluate efficacy of FMP's and PIT's during May, June, and July with recordable time points being performed in Aug and June. Species density will be determined using minimum number alive and the program DISTANCE. We will plot minimum convex polygon home ranges for animals captured ≥ 5 times to determine the number of bait boxes found within each animal's home range, how many animals are using bait boxes and how many potentially treated animals are using off-site areas/spending time off of bait box treated properties. By marking inner and outer rings of bait boxes with unique colored FMP, we should be able to determine how many different boxes each captured animal is frequenting and whether they are accessing boxes on adjacent properties. All efficacy data will be recorded for each time point and data will be analyzed, statistical analysis performed, and written report provided to CDC. All laboratory and field work should be performed under GLP guidelines for future FDA/EPA registration. Animal work will need to be performed under an approved IACUC protocol on file at CDC, DVBD, BDB, so the data can be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Project 2: (2a) Locate, measure, and stake a total of four 1.0 - ha residential properties (> 60% wooded) in Millstone Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. The properties must contain > 1 tick/m2. Preliminary trapping surveys must be conducted on each property and show abundant populations of ticks and small mammal hosts. The study will evaluate the Maxforce TMS which is a 19.05 cm x 13.97 cm x 6.35 cm child-resistant plastic box that has been retrofitted with doxycycline antibiotic bait (formulated at 500 mg/Kg) and a fipronil-treated felt wick assembly (1% AI, 3 ml total volume). After entering the box, the small mammals travel down the central corridor and are passively treated as they contact the wick while attempting to access the bait chambers. A single treatment is effective in killing ticks on small mammals for 42 d. All Maxforce TMS bait boxes need to have the following modifications done. First, the lid will need to be removed by removing the 4 drive screws holding it in place. Second, the 2-piece, tightly fitting protective cover constructed of 0.032 gauge galvanized steel will need to be installed over each box. The top and bottom sections of the clam-shell cover and bait box will be secured together at 2 opposite corners by means of 20.3 cm cable ties. The protected shroud is property of Connecticut Tick Control Services, LLC (1 Testa Place, Norwalk, CT 06854). Twenty-five (25) Maxforce TMS bait boxes equipped with the protective cover will be deployed at each property in Aug 2010. Bait boxes should be deployed along 2 concentric rings, with the first located within the forest at ± 10 m from the lawn edge with a ± 25-m interval between individual boxes. Wherever possible, boxes should be placed in proximity to likely small mammal foraging or nesting sites. Because the combined weight of the bait box and protective covering exceeded 1200 g and were judged too heavy to be easily displaced by nuisance wildlife, the boxes should not need tethered. (2b) Bait boxes will need to be visited weekly for 9 consecutive weeks and weighed in the field using a portable balance. Boxes exhibiting a loss in weight of ≥ 50.0 g (indicating that ≈ 50% of bait had been removed) will need to be opened, rebaited, and resealed as described above, and reweighed. Any change in box orientation or damage to boxes, including the acaricide wicks, should be noted for later replacement or repair. All efficacy data will be recorded for each time point and data will be analyzed, statistical analysis performed, and written report provided to CDC. All laboratory and field work should be performed under GLP guidelines for future FDA/EPA registration. Animal work will need to be performed under an approved IACUC protocol on file at CDC, DVBD, BDB, so the data can be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The period of performance shall commence upon receipt of a purchase order and shall continue for a period of 180 days. The vendor must be fully familiar with the process of evaluating tick control technologies including host-targeted devices, rodent baits, and acaricides in a field setting. This includes but is not limited to: applying of chemicals, safety measures, locating and identifying suitable tick habitat, marking plots, flagging for questing ticks, proper times and conditions to flag for ticks, knowledge of deer ticks, lone star ticks, and Lyme disease, knowledge of trapping rodents, processing rodents for infection, assaying ticks by PCR, evaluating baits and tick control using host-targeted devices such as bait boxes. Minimum vendor qualifications are as follows: must be able to conduct the study at weekly intervals and evaluate data using statistical analysis including the Henderson method for comparing efficacy of treated vs. control plots and the statistical program DISTANCE for determining localized populations of small mammalian hosts.CDC believes that this requirement is met by only one provider. This procurement will be processed under the authority of FAR 6.302-1 and 6.302-2. Only one responsible source and no other sources will satisfy agency requirements. No solicitation is being issued. Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. This procurement is not set-aside for small business. For contractual questions contact Linda M. Young.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/CDCP/PGOA/00HCVHCC-2010-83909/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Perrineville, New Jersey, United States
- Record
- SN02149417-W 20100515/100513235722-38b2f28573be0300ceae0330c03b98eb (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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