scholarly journals Efficacy of the transfluthrin-based Personal Insect Repellent Kit (PIRK) against the ixodid ticks Ixodes scapularis, Amblyomma americanum and Dermacentor variabilis

2021 ◽  
pp. 100070
Author(s):  
Maria V. Murgia ◽  
Jasleen Kaur ◽  
Laurie Widder ◽  
Catherine A. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Amblyomma Americanum ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Insect Repellent

scholarly journals Standardized Ixodid Tick Survey in Mainland Florida

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glass ◽  
Ganser ◽  
Wisely ◽  
Kessler
Keyword(s):  
Tick Species ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Ixodid Tick ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Amblyomma Americanum ◽  
The State ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Tick Survey

A statewide survey of questing ixodid ticks in mainland Florida was developed consistent with U.S. CDC standards to maximize the amount of epidemiologic and environmental data gathered. Survey sites were stratified by climatic zones and proportional to recognized land cover categories. A total of 560 transects on 41 sites within the state were sampled repeatedly by flagging between 2015 and 2018. Four tick species were collected; Amblyomma americanum, Amblyomma maculatum, Ixodes scapularis and Dermacentor variabilis. All species were more commonly found in northern and central regions of the state than in southern and western regions. Adult I. scapularis were active from autumn through spring and complementary to adult A. americanum and D. variabilis. Standardized survey methods help reduce sampling biases and better characterize risk from the species surveyed. However, differences in the attractiveness of collection methods for different tick species makes cross-species comparisons a continuing challenge.

THE OCCURRENCE OF SPIROCHETES IN IXODID TICKS IN NORTH CAROLINA

1989 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 594-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay F. Levine ◽  
Charles S. Apperson ◽  
William L. Nicholson
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Disease Patient ◽  
Antibody Test ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Amblyomma Americanum ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Antibody Testing ◽  
Fluorescence Antibody

Ticks were collected at 6 sites in North Carolina identified as the location of tick contact by Lyme disease patients, and at 6 sites located in counties where cases had been diagnosed. Specimens were screened for evidence of spirochete infection; fewer than 1% of the specimens collected harbored spirochetes. Indirect fluorescence antibody testing, with a species-specific monoclonal antibody, confirmed that one Ixodes scapularis Say collected at the residence of a Lyme disease patient was infected with Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Hyde, Schmid, and Brenner. Two specimens (Amblyomma americanum (L.) and I. scapularis) screened by a direct fluorescence antibody test with polyclonal antisera were infected with Borrelia. Spirochetes other than B. burgdorferi were found in A. americanum. No spirochetes were observed in Dermacentor variabilis (Say) or I. brunneus (Koch).

scholarly journals Validating Species Distribution Models With Standardized Surveys for Ixodid Ticks in Mainland Florida

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory E Glass ◽  
Claudia Ganser ◽  
William H Kessler
Keyword(s):  
Species Distribution ◽  
Species Distribution Models ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
External Validation ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Amblyomma Americanum ◽  
The State ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Valid Species ◽  
Distribution Models

Abstract Tick-borne pathogens are of growing concern. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed guidelines standardizing surveys of tick vectors to better monitor the changes in their occurrences. Unbiased surveillance data, from standardized surveys, are presumed critical to generate valid species distribution models (SDMs). We tested previously generated SDMs from standardized protocols for three medically important ticks [Amblyomma americanum (Linnaeus, Ixodida, Ixodidae), Ixodes scapularis (Say, Ixodida, Ixodidae), and Dermacentor variabilis (Say, Ixodida, Ixodidae)]. These previous models ruled out a quarter to half of the state as having these species, with consensus occurrence in about a quarter of the state. New surveys performed throughout 2019 on 250 transects at 43 sites indicated the rule-out functions were 100% accurate for I. scapularis and D. variabilis and 91.9% for A. americanum. As SDM concordance increased, the proportion of transects yielding ticks increased. Independent surveys of SDMs provide external validation—an aspect missing from many SDM studies.

scholarly journals Prevalence and diversity of piroplasms and ticks in young raccoons and an association of Babesia sensu stricto infections with splenomegaly

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayla Buck Garrett ◽  
Renee Schott ◽  
Lea Peshock ◽  
Michael J. Yabsley
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Transmission ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Babesia Microti ◽  
Alternative Route ◽  
The Usa ◽  
History Of

AbstractPiroplasms are intraerythrocytic parasites that are often transmitted by ixodid ticks, but vertical transmission is an alternative route for some species. In the USA, raccoons (Procyon lotor) are hosts for two known species, a Babesia microti-like sp. and Babesia lotori (in Babesia sensu stricto group). To better understand the natural history of Babesia in raccoons, we tested young raccoons from Minnesota and Colorado for Babesia spp., examined them for ticks, and assessing for splenomegaly as a sign of clinical disease. Raccoons from both states were infected with B. microti-like sp. and Babesia sensu stricto spp. Infections of B. microti-like were common, even in 1-week-old raccoons, suggesting vertical transmission. Babesia sensu stricto infections were more common in older raccoons. Raccoons infected with Babesia sensu stricto had significantly higher spleen:body weight ratios compared with uninfected or B. microti-like sp.-infected raccoons. Ticks were only found on raccoons from Minnesota. The most common and abundant tick was Ixodes texanus but Ixodes scapularis and Dermacentor variabilis were also found on raccoons. We report piroplasm infections and infestations with several tick species in very young raccoons. Young raccoons infected with Babesia sensu stricto spp. had higher spleen:body weight ratios, suggesting a disease risk.

scholarly journals Modeling the Distribution of Medically Important Tick Species in Florida

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 190 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Kessler ◽  
Claudia Ganser ◽  
Gregory E. Glass
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Amblyomma Americanum ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Great Public Health

The lone star (Amblyomma americanum), black-legged (Ixodes scapularis) and American dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) are species of great public health importance as they are competent vectors of several notable pathogens. While the regional distributions of these species are well characterized, more localized distribution estimates are sparse. We used records of field collected ticks and an ensemble modeling approach to predict habitat suitability for each of these species in Florida. Environmental variables capturing climatic extremes were common contributors to habitat suitability. Most frequently, annual precipitation (Bio12), mean temperature of the driest quarter (Bio9), minimum temperature of the coldest month (Bio6), and mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were included in the final models for each species. Agreement between the modeling algorithms used in this study was high and indicated the distribution of suitable habitat for all three species was reduced at lower latitudes. These findings are important for raising awareness of the potential for tick-borne pathogens in Florida.

Low Abundance of Three Tick Species in the Piedmont of North Carolina

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline P Seagle ◽  
Maximilian R Vierling ◽  
Ryan J Almeida ◽  
D Jacob Clary ◽  
Will Hidell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Amblyomma Americanum ◽  
Host Factors ◽  
Southeast United States ◽  
The North ◽  
Mecklenburg County ◽  
North Carolina Piedmont ◽  
Multiple Species

Abstract Multiple species of ticks, including Ixodes scapularis (Say, Ixodida:Ixodidae), Amblyomma americanum (L., Ixodida:Ixodidae), and Dermacentor variabilis (Say, Ixodida:Ixodidae), occur in high and increasing abundance in both the northeast and southeast United States. North Carolina is at the nexus of spread of these species, with high occurrence and abundance of I. scapularis to the north and A. americanum to the south. Despite this, there are few records of these species in the Piedmont of North Carolina, including the greater Charlotte metropolitan area. Here, we update the known occurrence and abundance of these species in the North Carolina Piedmont. We surveyed for ticks using cloth drags, CO2 traps, and leaf litter samples at a total of 79 sites within five locations: Mecklenburg County, South Mountains State Park, Stone Mountain State Park, Duke Forest, and Morrow Mountain State Park, all in North Carolina, during the late spring, summer, and fall seasons of 2019. From these surveys, we had only 20 tick captures, illuminating the surprisingly low abundance of ticks in this region of North Carolina. Our results indicate the possibility of underlying habitat and host factors limiting tick distribution and abundance in the North Carolina Piedmont.

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Parasitizing Domestic Dogs in Southeastern Georgia

2004 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 426-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan B. Wells ◽  
Lance A. Durden ◽  
John H. Smoyer
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Rhipicephalus Sanguineus ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Amblyomma Americanum ◽  
Domestic Dogs ◽  
Gopher Tortoise ◽  
Gulf Coast Tick ◽  
Dog Tick ◽  
Ixodes Affinis

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) were collected from family-owned domestic dogs, Canis familiaris L., in Bulloch Co., GA, from 1996 to 2003 and from dogs maintained in a shelter in Emanuel Co., GA, in 2002 and 2003. A total of 2,466 ticks representing 9 species was recovered. The most frequently recovered species from family-owned dogs were the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say (54.6% of all ticks from this group of dogs), and American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis (Say) (27.7%). Collections from shelter-maintained dogs were dominated by the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) (73.6%). Except for 39 nymphs of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (L.), 12 nymphs of R. sanguineus, 7 nymphs of the Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum Koch, 1 nymph of D. variabilis and 72 larvae of the gopher tortoise tick, Amblyomma tuberculatum Marx, only adult ticks were present. Seasonally, I. scapularis adults were recorded from October through May and were most common in the fall; whereas, A. americanum, A. maculatum, A. tuberculatum, D. variabilis, and Ixodes affinis Neumann were all found only during the spring, summer and/or early fall. Two species of ticks collected during this study, A. tuberculatum and I. affinis, have Coastal Plain distributions in the southern U.S. and would only be expected to parasitize dogs within this region.

scholarly journals Identification of Novel Viruses in Amblyomma americanum , Dermacentor variabilis , and Ixodes scapularis Ticks

mSphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafal Tokarz ◽  
Stephen Sameroff ◽  
Teresa Tagliafierro ◽  
Komal Jain ◽  
Simon H. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Amblyomma Americanum ◽  
Animal Pathogens ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sequencing Platforms

ABSTRACT Ticks carry a wide range of known human and animal pathogens and are postulated to carry others with the potential to cause disease. Here we report a discovery effort wherein unbiased high-throughput sequencing was used to characterize the virome of 2,021 ticks, including Ixodes scapularis ( n = 1,138), Amblyomma americanum ( n = 720), and Dermacentor variabilis ( n = 163), collected in New York, Connecticut, and Virginia in 2015 and 2016. We identified 33 viruses, including 24 putative novel viral species. The most frequently detected viruses were phylogenetically related to members of the Bunyaviridae and Rhabdoviridae families, as well as the recently proposed Chuviridae . Our work expands our understanding of tick viromes and underscores the high viral diversity that is present in ticks. IMPORTANCE The incidence of tick-borne disease is increasing, driven by rapid geographical expansion of ticks and the discovery of new tick-associated pathogens. The examination of the tick microbiome is essential in order to understand the relationship between microbes and their tick hosts and to facilitate the identification of new tick-borne pathogens. Genomic analyses using unbiased high-throughput sequencing platforms have proven valuable for investigations of tick bacterial diversity, but the examination of tick viromes has historically not been well explored. By performing a comprehensive virome analysis of the three primary tick species associated with human disease in the United States, we gained substantial insight into tick virome diversity and can begin to assess a potential role of these viruses in the tick life cycle.

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