Development of a rapid and reliable surveillance method for Ornithodoros turicata americanus in gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows in the southeastern United States
Nicholas Canino, Carson Torhorst, Sebastian Botero‐Cañola, Lorenza Beati, Kathleen C. O'Hara, Angela James, Samantha M. Wisely
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The soft tick Ornithodoros turicata Duges (Acari: Argasidae) is a potential vector of African swine fever virus (ASFV). We evaluated the efficacy of two methods to collect soft ticks rapidly and efficiently from gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows, which are ubiquitous throughout large regions of the southeastern United States and their burrows are a known microhabitat of O. turicata. Burrow vacuuming was an effective and efficient tick collection method; no tick was captured employing CO2 trapping. Using an occupancy modelling framework, we estimated that the probability of detecting ticks from an infested burrow each time a sample was taken with this method was 58% and increased with the average relative humidity. With the occupancy model, we estimated that 70% of the burrows in the study area were infested with O. turicata. Manual sifting of the burrow material yielded more ticks (6.6 individuals/sample) than using a set of three sieves (2.9 individuals/sample), yet the probability of detecting the species was not different between the two methods (Pval = 0.7). These methods can inform the development of ASF vector surveillance and outbreak response plans in areas of high risk for ASFV introduction in the region.
期刊介绍:
Medical and Veterinary Entomology is the leading periodical in its field. The Journal covers the biology and control of insects, ticks, mites and other arthropods of medical and veterinary importance. The main strengths of the Journal lie in the fields of:
-epidemiology and transmission of vector-borne pathogens
changes in vector distribution that have impact on the pathogen transmission-
arthropod behaviour and ecology-
novel, field evaluated, approaches to biological and chemical control methods-
host arthropod interactions.
Please note that we do not consider submissions in forensic entomology.