Plague-riddled prairie dogs a model for infectious disease spread

Sporadic outbreaks of plague among black-tailed prairie dogs is an ideal model for the study of infectious zoonotic disease, say biologists. Plague doesn't usually kill people these days, but it's alive and well among the millions of ground-dwelling rodents of Colorado and other western states, notably the black-tailed prairie dog. They're resilient critters, though: following wholesale destruction of colonies, they seem to repopulate with a vengeance.