PREVALENCE OF DEER TICKS (IXODES SCAPULARIS) ON WHITE-FOOTED MICE (PEROMYSCUS LEUCOPUS) IN FOREST FRAGMENTS

Physical impairments are widely assumed to reduce the viability of individual animals, but their impacts on individuals within natural populations of vertebrates are rarely quantified. By monitoring wild populations of white-footed mice over 26 years, we assessed whether missing or deformed limbs, tail or eyes influenced the survival, body mass, movement and ectoparasite burden of their bearers. Of the 27 244 individuals monitored, 543 (2%) had visible physical impairments. Persistence times (survival) were similar between mice with and without impairments. Mice with eye and tail impairments had 5% and 6% greater mass, respectively, than unimpaired mice. Mice with tail impairments had larger home ranges than did unimpaired mice. Burdens of black-legged ticks ( Ixodes scapularis ) were higher among mice with tail and limb impairments while burdens of bot fly larvae ( Cuterebra ) were higher among mice with cataracts compared to mice without impairments. Our findings do not support the presupposition that physical impairments reduce viability in their bearers and are inconsistent with the devaluation of impaired individuals that pervaded early thinking in evolutionary biology.

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Signatures of rapid evolution in urban and rural transcriptomes of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) in the New York metropolitan area

10.7287/peerj.preprints.13v2 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Stephen E Harris ◽

Jason Munshi-South ◽

Craig Obergfell ◽

Rachel O'Neill

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Candidate Genes ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Peromyscus Leucopus ◽

Rapid Evolution ◽

Urban Ecosystems ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Protein Coding ◽

Biological Phenomena

Urbanization is a major cause of ecological degradation around the world, and human settlement in large cities is accelerating. New York City (NYC) is one of the oldest and most urbanized cities in North America, but still maintains 20% vegetation cover and substantial populations of some native wildlife. The white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, is a common resident of NYC’s forest fragments and an emerging model system for examining the evolutionary consequences of urbanization. In this study, we developed transcriptomic resources for urban P. leucopus to examine evolutionary changes in protein-coding regions for an exemplar ‘urban adapter’. We used Roche 454 GS FLX+ high throughput sequencing to derive transcriptomes from multiple tissues from individuals across both urban and rural populations. From these data, we identified 31,015 SNPs and several candidate genes potentially experiencing positive selection in urban populations of P. leucopus. These candidate genes are involved in xenobiotic metabolism, innate immune response, demethylation activity, and other important biological phenomena in novel urban environments. This study is one of the first to report candidate genes exhibiting signatures of directional selection in divergent urban ecosystems.

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Integrated Tick Management in Guilford, CT: Fipronil-Based Rodent-Targeted Bait Box Deployment Configuration and Peromyscus leucopus (Rodentia: Cricetidae) Abundance Drive Reduction in Tick Burdens

Journal of Medical Entomology ◽

10.1093/jme/tjab200 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Megan A Linske ◽

Scott C Williams ◽

Kirby C Stafford ◽

Andrew Y Li

Keyword(s):

Ixodes Scapularis ◽

Peromyscus Leucopus ◽

Selection Procedure ◽

Comprehensive Strategy ◽

Effective Utilization ◽

Deployment Strategy ◽

Targeted Treatments ◽

Integrated Tick Management ◽

Insight Into ◽

Tick Burden

Abstract Integrated tick management (ITM) is a comprehensive strategy used to reduce presence of ticks and their associated pathogens. Such strategies typically employ a combination of host and non-host targeted treatments which often include fipronil-based, rodent-targeted bait boxes. Bait boxes target small-bodied rodents, specifically white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus Rafinesque) that not only play a crucial role in the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis Say (Ixodida: Ixodidae)) life cycle, but also in the transmission of numerous pathogens, primarily Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae), the causal agent of Lyme disease. This study aimed to determine the effect of bait box deployment configuration on tick burden reduction while also further exploring bait consumption and P. leucopus abundances as measures of bait box usage and effectiveness. Boxes were deployed on nine properties within each of six neighborhoods (n = 54) in two different configurations: grid and perimeter. Multiple factors were analyzed as potential predictors for reduction in tick burdens using a backward stepwise selection procedure. Results confirmed the perimeter configuration was a more effective deployment strategy. In addition, overall P. leucopus abundance was a significant predictor of tick burden reduction while bait consumption was not. These findings not only further support the recommended perimeter deployment configuration but provide insight into effective utilization in areas of high P. leucopus abundance. The identification of this significant relationship, in addition to configuration, can be utilized by vector control professionals and homeowners to make informed decisions on bait box placement to make sustained impacts on the I. scapularis vector and associated pathogens within an ITM framework.

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Signatures of rapid evolution in urban and rural transcriptomes of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) in the New York metropolitan area

10.7287/peerj.preprints.13v1 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Stephen E Harris ◽

Jason Munshi-South ◽

Craig Obergfell ◽

Rachel O'Neill

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Candidate Genes ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Peromyscus Leucopus ◽

Rapid Evolution ◽

Urban Ecosystems ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Protein Coding ◽

Biological Phenomena

Urbanization is a major cause of ecological degradation around the world, and human settlement in large cities is accelerating. New York City (NYC) is one of the oldest and most urbanized cities in North America, but still maintains 20% vegetation cover and substantial populations of some native wildlife. The white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, is a common resident of NYC’s forest fragments and an emerging model system for examining the evolutionary consequences of urbanization. In this study, we developed transcriptomic resources for urban P. leucopus to examine evolutionary changes in protein-coding regions for an exemplar ‘urban adapter’. We used Roche 454 GS FLX+ high throughput sequencing to derive transcriptomes from multiple tissues from individuals across both urban and rural populations. From these data, we identified 31,015 SNPs and several candidate genes potentially experiencing positive selection in urban populations of P. leucopus. These candidate genes are involved in xenobiotic metabolism, innate immune response, demethylation activity, and other important biological phenomena in novel urban environments. This study is the first to report candidate genes exhibiting signatures of directional selection in divergent urban ecosystems.

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Efficacy of a low dose fipronil bait against blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) larvae feeding on white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) under laboratory conditions

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-020-04258-0 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

David M. Poché ◽

Gregory Franckowiak ◽

Tyler Clarke ◽

Batchimeg Tseveenjav ◽

Larisa Polyakova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Dose ◽

Ixodes Scapularis ◽

Peromyscus Leucopus ◽

Blacklegged Tick ◽

Laboratory Conditions

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Causes and Consequences of Tick (Ixodes scapularis) Burdens on White-Footed Mice (Peromyscus leucopus)

Journal of Mammalogy ◽

10.2307/1382727 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 77 (1) ◽

pp. 266-273 ◽

Cited By ~ 60

Author(s):

R. S. Ostfeld ◽

M. C. Miller ◽

K. R. Hazler

Keyword(s):

Ixodes Scapularis ◽

Peromyscus Leucopus

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Borrelia burgdorferi-lnfected Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) and Peromyscus leucopus in Northeastern Wisconsin

Journal of Medical Entomology ◽

10.1093/jmedent/33.1.165 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. 165-168 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

E. D. Walker ◽

R. G. McLean ◽

T. W. Smith ◽

S. M. Paskewitz

Keyword(s):

Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽

Ixodes Scapularis ◽

Peromyscus Leucopus

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Integrated control of juvenile Ixodes scapularis parasitizing Peromyscus leucopus in residential settings in Connecticut, United States

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases ◽

10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.05.014 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 1310-1316 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Scott C. Williams ◽

Eliza A.H. Little ◽

Kirby C. Stafford ◽

Goudarz Molaei ◽

Megan A. Linske

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Ixodes Scapularis ◽

Integrated Control ◽

Peromyscus Leucopus ◽

Residential Settings

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Signatures of rapid evolution in urban and rural transcriptomes of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) in the New York metropolitan area

10.7287/peerj.preprints.13 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Stephen E Harris ◽

Jason Munshi-South ◽

Craig Obergfell ◽

Rachel O'Neill

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Candidate Genes ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Peromyscus Leucopus ◽

Rapid Evolution ◽

Urban Ecosystems ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Protein Coding ◽

Biological Phenomena

Urbanization is a major cause of ecological degradation around the world, and human settlement in large cities is accelerating. New York City (NYC) is one of the oldest and most urbanized cities in North America, but still maintains 20% vegetation cover and substantial populations of some native wildlife. The white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, is a common resident of NYC’s forest fragments and an emerging model system for examining the evolutionary consequences of urbanization. In this study, we developed transcriptomic resources for urban P. leucopus to examine evolutionary changes in protein-coding regions for an exemplar ‘urban adapter’. We used Roche 454 GS FLX+ high throughput sequencing to derive transcriptomes from multiple tissues from individuals across both urban and rural populations. From these data, we identified 31,015 SNPs and several candidate genes potentially experiencing positive selection in urban populations of P. leucopus. These candidate genes are involved in xenobiotic metabolism, innate immune response, demethylation activity, and other important biological phenomena in novel urban environments. This study is one of the first to report candidate genes exhibiting signatures of directional selection in divergent urban ecosystems.

Download Full-text

Efficacy of low-dose fipronil bait against blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) larvae feeding on white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) under simulated field conditions

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-021-04930-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

David M. Poché ◽

Kelsey Dawson ◽

Batchimeg Tseveenjav ◽

Richard M. Poché

Keyword(s):

Low Dose ◽

Ixodes Scapularis ◽

Peromyscus Leucopus ◽

Effective Means ◽

Plasma Concentrations ◽

The United States ◽

Human Infection ◽

Field Conditions ◽

Alternative Diet ◽

Simulated Field

Abstract Background Lyme disease, caused primarily by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, is the most prevalent vector-borne disease in the United States. Treatment of rodent pathogen reservoirs with an oral acaricide may suppress the production of infected host-seeking ticks posing a risk for human infection. A previous study showed that an oral fipronil bait effectively controlled larval Ixodes scapularis ticks on white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) up to 15 days post-bait exposure. The present study expands upon this finding by exposing group-housed white-footed mice to fipronil bait under simulated field conditions prior to tick infestation. Methods Mice (n = 80) were housed in groups of 10 within large enclosures and offered a choice between fipronil bait within a commercial bait station and an alternative diet. The mice were assigned to two treatment groups and two control groups to undergo bait exposure durations of either 24 h (reduced) or 168 h (extended). Groups were further differentiated by the time point post-bait exposure when larval ticks were applied to mice within feeding capsules (reduced day 1, day 15; extended day 21, day 35). For 4 days post-tick introduction, attached larvae were observed by microscopy and replete larvae were recovered. Replete larvae were monitored for molting success. Plasma was collected from all treatment group mice to obtain fipronil plasma concentrations (CP). Results The fipronil bait (0.005% fipronil) was palatable and controlled larval ticks on white-footed mice when presented under simulated field conditions. Efficacy in preventing attached larvae from feeding to repletion was 100% (day 1), 89.0% (day 15), 85.8% (day 21), and 75.2% (day 35). When also considering molting success, the fipronil bait prevented 100% (day 1), 91.1% (day 15), 91.7% (day 21), and 82.5% (day 35) of larvae attaching to mice from molting. The mean CP per mouse was 191.5 ng/ml (day 1), 29.4 ng/ml (day 15), 10.6 ng/ml (day 21), and 1.0 ng/ml (day 35). Conclusions The results suggest that fipronil bait will be consumed by white-footed mice in the presence of an alternative diet, and effectively control larval ticks on treated mice. A field trial is needed to confirm the results of this study. Low-dose fipronil bait may provide a cost-effective means of controlling blacklegged ticks to be integrated into tick management programs. Graphical Abstract

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