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 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 A determination of the spatial concordance between Lyme disease incidence and habitat probability of its primary vector Ixodes scapularis (black-legged tick)

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel F. Atkinson ◽  
Sahotra Sarkar ◽  
Aldo Aviña ◽  
Jim A. Schuermann ◽  
Phillip Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Spatial Concordance ◽  
Primary Vector

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.

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