scholarly journals High Proportion of Unfed Larval Blacklegged Ticks, Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae), Collected From Modified Nest Boxes for Mice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
R T Larson ◽  
G M Bron ◽  
X Lee ◽  
S M Paskewitz
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammal ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Wild Animal ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Blacklegged Tick ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Primary Vector ◽  
Collection Methods

Abstract The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, is the primary vector of several tick-borne pathogens, including those causing Lyme disease and babesiosis, in the eastern United States and active collection methods for this species include dragging or wild animal sampling. Nest boxes targeting mice may be an alternative strategy for the surveillance and collection of immature I. scapularis feeding on these hosts and would be much safer for animals compared to small mammal trapping. We constructed double-walled insulated nest boxes (DWINs) with collection tubes mounted below the nesting chamber and deployed eleven in southern Wisconsin from June until September of 2020. The DWINs were occupied by Peromyscus spp. and birds (wren species, Troglodytidae family). We collected 192 ticks from collection tubes, all of which were identified as either I. scapularis (95%) or Dermacentor variabilis Say (Acari: Ixodidae) (5%). Only 12% (21/182) and 20% (2/10) of I. scapularis and D. variabilis were blood-fed, respectively. The high proportion of unfed ticks found in collection tubes may be due to grooming by hosts inside the nest boxes. Alternatively, immature ticks may have climbed trees and entered the DWIN seeking a host. Results suggest that nest boxes could be a tool for finding ticks in areas of low density or at the leading edge of invasion, when small mammal trapping or drag sampling is not feasible.

scholarly journals Immature Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) Collected From Peromyscus leucopus (Rodentia: Cricetidae) and Peromyscus maniculatus (Rodentia: Cricetidae) Nests in Northern Wisconsin

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 304-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan T Larson ◽  
Xia Lee ◽  
Tela Zembsch ◽  
Gebbiena M Bron ◽  
Susan M Paskewitz
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Immature Stages ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Blacklegged Tick ◽  
Disease Vector ◽  
Blood Meals

Abstract The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, is the primary Lyme disease vector in the eastern United States. Both immature stages of I. scapularis take blood meals from mice belonging to the genus Peromyscus. Mice are active during the night and spend the majority of diel periods in nests. Thus, immature I. scapularis have a greater opportunity to drop from Peromyscus hosts while in nests compared with the forest floor. Here, we collected 11 Peromyscus nests during a 3-mo period during which the immature I. scapularis are known to be active. We then examined nesting materials for the presence of I. scapularis. Immature I. scapularis were detected in 64% of Peromyscus nests examined. Additionally, 55% of the nests contained at least one Dermacentor variabilis Say larva. Eighty-seven percent of all larval ticks found within nests were blood-fed. Because Peromyscus spp. are highly competent reservoirs of numerous tick-borne pathogens, the ticks that detach in their nests may be important for the maintenance of tick-borne diseases. However, further studies are needed to determine the fate of the I. scapularis that detach in Peromyscus nests.

scholarly journals Landscape determinants of density of blacklegged ticks, vectors of Lyme disease, at the northern edge of their distribution in Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoit Talbot ◽  
Andreea Slatculescu ◽  
Charles R. Thickstun ◽  
Jules K. Koffi ◽  
Patrick A. Leighton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Tick Density ◽  
Blacklegged Tick ◽  
Forested Areas ◽  
Northern Edge ◽  
The Many

Abstract In eastern North America, including Canada, Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and transmitted to humans by the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis. The last decade has seen a growing incidence of Lyme disease in Canada, following the northward range expansion of I. scapularis tick populations from endemic areas in eastern United States. This may be attributable to movement of the many hosts that they parasitize, including songbirds, deer and small mammals. In this study, we wanted to test the effect of spatial, temporal and ecological variables, on blacklegged tick density and infection rates, near the northern limit of their distribution in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. We found an effect of both proportion of forested areas and distance to roads, on density of I. scapularis ticks and prevalence of infection by B. burgdorferi. We also found an effect of both sampling year and ordinal sampling data on prevalence of infection by B. burgdorferi. In six adjacent sites showing evidence of reproducing I. scapularis populations, we found that forest composition and structure influenced density of I. scapularis ticks. Our results suggest that blacklegged tick density and infection rate in Canada may be influenced by a variety of factors.

Emergence of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) in a Small Mammal Population in a Coastal Oak-Pine Forest, Maine, USA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan P Elias ◽  
Jack W Witham ◽  
Elizabeth F Schneider ◽  
Peter W Rand ◽  
Malcolm L Hunter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Mouse Population ◽  
Small Mammal Population ◽  
Prevalence Proportion ◽  
Dog Tick ◽  
White Footed Mouse

Abstract In the United States, surveillance has been key to tracking spatiotemporal emergence of blacklegged ticks [Ixodes scapularis Say (Ixodida:Ixodidae)] and their pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae), the agent of Lyme disease. On the Holt Research Forest in midcoastal Maine, collection of feeding ticks from live-trapped small mammal hosts allowed us to track the emergence and establishment of I. scapularis, 1989–2019. From 1989–1995, we collected only I. angustus Neumann (Ixodida: Ixodidae)(vole tick), Dermacentor variabilis Say (Ixodida: Ixodidae) (American dog tick), and I. marxi Banks (Ixodida: Ixodidae) (squirrel tick) from seven species of small mammals. The most abundant tick host was the white-footed mouse [Peromyscus leucopus Rafinesque (Rodentia:Cricetidae)] followed by the red-backed vole (Myodes gapperi Vigors (Rodentia: Cricetidae)). Emergence of I. scapularis was signaled via the appearance of subadult I. scapularis in 1996. Emergence of B. burgdorferi was signaled through its appearance in I. scapularis feeding on mice in 2005. There was a substantial increase in I. scapularis prevalence (proportion of hosts parasitized) and burdens (ticks/host) on white-footed mice and red-backed voles in 2007. The ~11-yr time-to-establishment for I. scapularis was consistent with that seen in other studies. White-footed mice comprised 65.9% of all captures and hosted 94.1% of the total I. scapularis burden. The white-footed mouse population fluctuated interannually, but did not trend up as did I. scapularis prevalence and burdens. There were concurrent declines in I. angustus and D. variabilis. We discuss these results in the broader context of regional I. scapularis range expansion.

scholarly journals Responses of ticks to immersion in hot bathing water: Effect of surface type, water temperature, and soap on tick motor control

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0261592
Author(s):  
David J. Schimpf ◽  
Matthew M. Ewert ◽  
Victor K. Lai ◽  
Benjamin L. Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Water Temperature ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Potential Temperature ◽  
Ventral Side ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Amblyomma Americanum ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Test Surface ◽  
Eastern United States

Preventing bites from undetected ticks through bathing practices would benefit public health, but the effects of these practices have been researched minimally. We immersed nymphal and adult hard ticks of species common in the eastern United States in tap water, using temperatures and durations that are realistic for human hot bathing. The effect of (a) different skin-equivalent surfaces (silicone and pig skin), and (b) water temperature was tested on Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis and Ixodes scapularis nymphs. Overall, the type of surface had a much larger effect on the nymphs’ tendency to stay in contact with the surface than water temperature did. Most nymphs that separated from the surface did so within the first 10 s of immersion, with the majority losing contact due to the formation of an air bubble between their ventral side and the test surface. In addition, adult Ixodes scapularis were tested for the effect of immersion time, temperature, and soap on tick responsiveness. Some individual adults moved abnormally or stopped moving as a result of longer or hotter immersion, but soap had little effect on responsiveness. Taken together, our results suggest that the surface plays a role in ticks’ tendency to stay in contact; the use of different bath additives warrants further research. While water temperature did not have a significant short-term effect on tick separation, ticks that have not attached by their mouth parts may be rendered unresponsive and eventually lose contact with a person’s skin in a hot bath. It should be noted that our research did not consider potential temperature effects on the pathogens themselves, as previous research suggests that some tickborne pathogens may become less hazardous even if the tick harboring them survives hot-water exposures and later bites the bather after remaining undetected.

No Evidence of Competition Between the Blacklegged Tick (Acari: Ixodidae) and American Dog Tick on the Rodent Host White-Footed Deermouse (Rodentia: Cricetidae) in Southwestern Tennessee

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
R A Butler ◽  
M L Kennedy ◽  
A E Houston ◽  
E K Bowers ◽  
L B Coons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tick Species ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Interspecific Association ◽  
Rodent Host ◽  
Blacklegged Tick ◽  
Interspecific Associations ◽  
Research And Education ◽  
Dog Tick

Abstract Investigations that analyze interspecific associations of vectors on their hosts are important for understanding community structure and implementing ways to comprehend mechanisms of pathogen transmission. We assessed the interspecific association of two tick species (Ixodes scapularis Say (Ixodida: Ixodidae) and Dermacentor variabilis Say (Ixodida: Ixodidae)) on the rodent host Peromyscus leucopus Rafinesque (Rodentia: Cricetidae) at the Hobart Ames Research and Education Center in southwestern Tennessee. Of the rodents captured, 95 (63%) had neither species of tick, 6 (4%) had both tick species, 25 (16%) had I. scapularis only, and 26 (17%) had D. variabilis only. A coefficient of association (C7 = −0.08) was calculated, which suggested there was competition between the two species of ectoparasites, but this value was not significant, indicating that there was a neutral relationship between the tick species on P. leucopus. The co-occurrence of both tick species on their host at the same time suggested that the two tick species can occupy the same host and use the same resources without competing.

scholarly journals Interactions between sympatric invasive European fire ants (Myrmica rubra) and blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251497
Author(s):  
Lucy D. Guarnieri ◽  
Sara E. McBride ◽  
Eleanor Groden ◽  
Allison M. Gardner
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
New England ◽  
National Park ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Larval Density ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Acadia National Park ◽  
Myrmica Rubra ◽  
Desert Island ◽  
Primary Vector

The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the invasive European fire ant (Myrmica rubra) are both expanding throughout their sympatric range in coastal New England. Ixodes scapularis is the primary vector of the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is the causative agent of Lyme disease, and Mount Desert Island, Maine, home to Acadia National Park, currently is affected by a high Lyme disease burden. Ticks have many natural predators, including ants, although no previous studies have investigated interactions between these two species. To test the hypothesis that the presence of M. rubra alters I. scapularis abundance, we collected ticks by drag-sampling at eight ant-infested sites and eight uninfested control sites in Acadia National Park. We found that nymph density was significantly higher at ant-infested sites, while larval density was significantly higher at control sites. In addition, we conducted a laboratory bioassay to measure M. rubra aggression against I. scapularis larvae, nymphs, and adults and Dermacentor variabilis adults, and found that ant aggression was significantly higher against D. variabilis adults than I. scapularis adults. Our findings support the hypothesis that M. rubra has divergent effects across I. scapularis life stages, and we discuss possible ecological mechanisms, including optimal microclimate and predation, that could promote density of nymphs while inhibiting density of larvae.

scholarly journals Monitoring the patterns of submission and presence of tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes scapularis collected from humans and companion animals in Ontario, Canada (2011–2017)

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark P. Nelder ◽  
Curtis B. Russell ◽  
Antonia Dibernardo ◽  
Katie M. Clow ◽  
Steven Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Companion Animal ◽  
Babesia Microti ◽  
Blacklegged Tick ◽  
Host Type ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Pathogen Prevalence

Abstract Background The universal nature of the human–companion animal relationship and their shared ticks and tick-borne pathogens offers an opportunity for improving public and veterinary health surveillance. With this in mind, we describe the spatiotemporal trends for blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) submissions from humans and companion animals in Ontario, along with pathogen prevalence. Methods We tested tick samples submitted through passive surveillance (2011–2017) from humans and companion animals for Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia miyamotoi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti. We describe pathogen prevalence in ticks from humans and from companion animals and constructed univariable Poisson and negative binomial regression models to explore the spatiotemporal relationship between the rates of tick submissions by host type. Results During the study, there were 17,230 blacklegged tick samples submitted from humans and 4375 from companion animals. Tick submission rates from companion animals were higher than expected in several public health units (PHUs) lacking established tick populations, potentially indicating newly emerging populations. Pathogen prevalence in ticks was higher in PHUs where established blacklegged tick populations exist. Borrelia burgdorferi prevalence was higher in ticks collected from humans (maximum likelihood estimate, MLE = 17.5%; 95% confidence interval, CI 16.97–18.09%) than from companion animals (9.9%, 95% CI 9.15–10.78%). There was no difference in pathogen prevalence in ticks by host type for the remaining pathogens, which were found in less than 1% of tested ticks. The most common co-infection B. burgdorferi + B. miyamotoi occurred in 0.11% of blacklegged ticks from humans and animals combined. Borrelia burgdorferi prevalence was higher in unengorged (21.9%, 95% CI 21.12–22.65%) than engorged ticks (10.0%, 95% CI 9.45–10.56%). There were no consistent and significant spatiotemporal relationships detected via regression models between the annual rates of submission of each host type. Conclusions While B. burgdorferi has been present in blacklegged ticks in Ontario for several decades, other tick-borne pathogens are also present at low prevalence. Blacklegged tick and pathogen surveillance data can be used to monitor risk in human and companion animal populations, and efforts are under consideration to unite surveillance efforts for the different target populations. Graphic Abstract

scholarly journals Human pathogens associated with the blacklegged tick Ixodes scapularis: a systematic review

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark P. Nelder ◽  
Curtis B. Russell ◽  
Nina Jain Sheehan ◽  
Beate Sander ◽  
Stephen Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Blacklegged Tick
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