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

1996 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 266-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Ostfeld ◽  
M. C. Miller ◽  
K. R. Hazler
Keyword(s):  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Peromyscus Leucopus

scholarly journals Effects of physical impairments on fitness correlates of the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1962) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca I. Rubino ◽  
Kelly Oggenfuss ◽  
Richard S. Ostfeld
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Peromyscus Leucopus ◽  
Mass Movement ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Physical Impairments ◽  
White Footed Mouse

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.

scholarly journals 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

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.

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

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

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

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. D. Walker ◽  
R. G. McLean ◽  
T. W. Smith ◽  
S. M. Paskewitz
Keyword(s):  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Peromyscus Leucopus

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

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1310-1316 ◽  
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

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

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

scholarly journals Experimental Demonstration of Reservoir Competence of the White-Footed Mouse, Peromyscus leucopus (Rodentia: Cricetidae), for the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia mayonii (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae)

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 927-932
Author(s):  
Christina M Parise ◽  
Nicole E Breuner ◽  
Andrias Hojgaard ◽  
Lynn M Osikowicz ◽  
Adam J Replogle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Peromyscus Leucopus ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Experimental Demonstration ◽  
White Footed Mouse ◽  
Time Point

Abstract The white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque), is a reservoir for the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto in the eastern half of the United States, where the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say (Acari: Ixodidae), is the primary vector. In the Midwest, an additional Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia mayonii, was recorded from naturally infected I. scapularis and P. leucopus. However, an experimental demonstration of reservoir competence was lacking for a natural tick host. We therefore experimentally infected P. leucopus with B. mayonii via I. scapularis nymphal bites and then fed uninfected larvae on the mice to demonstrate spirochete acquisition and passage to resulting nymphs. Of 23 mice fed on by B. mayonii-infected nymphs, 21 (91%) developed active infections. The infection prevalence for nymphs fed as larvae on these infected mice 4 wk post-infection ranged from 56 to 98%, and the overall infection prevalence for 842 nymphs across all 21 P. leucopus was 75% (95% confidence interval, 72–77%). To assess duration of infectivity, 10 of the P. leucopus were reinfested with uninfected larval ticks 12 wk after the mice were infected. The overall infection prevalence for 480 nymphs across all 10 P. leucopus at the 12-wk time point was 26% (95% confidence interval, 23–31%), when compared with 76% (95% confidence interval, 71–79%) for 474 nymphs from the same subset of 10 mice at the 4-wk time point. We conclude that P. leucopus is susceptible to infection with B. mayonii via bite by I. scapularis nymphs and an efficient reservoir for this Lyme disease spirochete.

scholarly journals Infection with Agents of Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis, Lyme Disease, and Babesiosis in Wild White-Footed Mice (Peromyscus leucopus) in Connecticut

1999 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 2887-2892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirby C. Stafford ◽  
Robert F. Massung ◽  
Louis A. Magnarelli ◽  
Jacob W. Ijdo ◽  
John F. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Peromyscus Leucopus ◽  
Fluorescent Antibody ◽  
Babesia Microti ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis ◽  
Staining Methods

White-footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus, were captured in southern Connecticut during 1997 and 1998 to determine the prevalence of infections caused by granulocytic Ehrlichiasp., Borrelia burgdorferi, and Babesia microti. Of the 50 mice captured and recaptured, 25 of 47 (53.2%) and 23 of 48 (47.9%) contained antibodies to the BDS or NCH-1 Ehrlichiastrains, respectively, as determined by indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) staining methods. The majority (83.3%) of 48 mice also contained antibodies to B. burgdorferi, as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Moreover, 20 of 26 (76.9%) contained antibodies to B. microti by IFA staining methods. In nested PCR tests using the 16S rRNA gene, the DNA of the human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) agent was detected in 17 of 47 mice (36.2%), but only 4 (23.5%) of these 17 mice were PCR positive at each capture. Antibody-positive reactions to granulocyticEhrlichia sp. organisms were detected in 17 of 23 (73.9%) of the PCR-positive mice. The sequences from PCR products from nine positive blood samples were identical to the HGE agent.Ehrlichia spp. were cultured from three of five mice captured in April 1998, including one that was PCR positive in April 1997. In addition, 2 of 14 larval Ixodes scapularis pools, which were attached to two PCR-positive mice, contained DNA of the HGE agent. A high percentage of white-footed mice are infected or have been infected naturally by the HGE agent with low-level persistent infection or frequent reinfection in some individual mice. However, the changes noted in the presence of DNA and antibodies in repeated blood and serum samples from individual mice over several months of field collection suggests that infection with granulocytic Ehrlichia is transient in most wild P. leucopus.

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