Ecology of Ixodes Scapularis and Tick-borne Diseases in Wisconsin

Ecology of Ixodes Scapularis and Tick-borne Diseases in Wisconsin
Author: Scott Larson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2017
Genre:
ISBN:

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Ticks and tick-borne diseases are a major concern in the US. Ixodes scapularis (Say) is the vector of multiple bacteria, protists, and viruses that cause human illness, including Lyme disease. While the ecological dynamics of the Lyme disease system have been well-studied in eastern oak forests, much less is known about the drivers and stability of patterns in other forest types and other regions of the United States. Wisconsin is a hotspot for Lyme disease and many emerging tick-borne pathogens. Eighty-eight sites in five maple-dominated forests were characterized by measuring the abundance of ticks and the prevalence of two common pathogens, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, in tick and small mammal hosts over three consecutive years. To identify biotic and abiotic factors that influenced the abundance of ticks and pathogens at both the forest and microgeographic scales, I collected data on the density of host-seeking ticks, the average number of ticks attached to small mammals, the abundance and types of small mammals, and the prevalence of infection at each site. In addition, remotely sensed and field-gathered data were collected, including: soil characteristics, vascular plant community characteristics, camera-trap records of medium and large mammals, earthworm activity, light intensity, and landscape parameters. Questing and on-host tick abundance varied considerably by year and forest. However, relative tick abundance was remarkably consistent across these northern Wisconsin forests. Two species of mice are common to northern Wisconsin forests, Peromyscus leucopus and P. maniculatus. Nearly all prior studies have focused on P. leucopus. I found that these two species play important yet different roles in the transmission and maintenance of tick-borne pathogens. The prevalence of B. burgdorferi was higher in P. leucopus than in P. maniculatus, whereas P. maniculatus was more commonly infected with the pathogen that causes human anaplasmosis. Interestingly, P. leucopus was always found to host more immature I. scapularis ticks than P. maniculatus regardless of forest or year. In summary, my research suggests that mouse species identity and microhabitat characteristics strongly influence the abundance of I. scapularis nymphs, pathogen prevalence, and human risk for tick-borne diseases in northern Wisconsin forests.

Ecological Dynamics of Tick-borne Zoonoses

Ecological Dynamics of Tick-borne Zoonoses
Author: Daniel E. Sonenshine
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 464
Release: 1994
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0195073134

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The ecological relationships found to exist between tick vectors and pathogens in their zootic cycle can profoundly influence patterns of transmission and disease for humans and domestic animals. This book examines the ecological parameters affecting the conservation and regulation of tick-borne zoonoses as well as the geographic and seasonal distributions of those infections. Written by an eminent authority on the subject, the book will be sought after by students and researchers in ecology, invertebrate zoology, parasitology, entomology, public health, and epidemiology.

Infection Prevalence in a Novel Ixodes Scapularis Population in Northern Wisconsin

Infection Prevalence in a Novel Ixodes Scapularis Population in Northern Wisconsin
Author: Mary Lynn Westwood
Publisher:
Total Pages: 35
Release: 2017
Genre: Anaplasma
ISBN:

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Ixodes scapularis (i.e. the blacklegged or deer tick) is an important vector of emerging human pathogens. Over the past few decades, the incidence of blacklegged tick-associated zoonotic diseases have increased in accordance with an expansion of the blacklegged tick geographic range. Data concerning the infection prevalence of blacklegged ticks in this region is highly variable and fragmentary. Using a novel population of these ticks, constituting part of the invasion front in Vilas County, Wisconsin, I examined infection prevalence and vector aspects of their ecology. During the summer of 2016, I collected 461 blacklegged ticks and screened them using a standard polymerase chain reaction assay designed to identify three emerging zoonotic pathogens: Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia microti. The overall infection probability was 30%, 25%, and 14% respectively. The probability of co-infection ranged from 2-6% and the conditional probability of co-infection was not significant, indicating that there are yet to be detectable relationships between co-infecting pathogens. Blacklegged ticks were found in two main vegetation types: Oak and Northern Hardwood. These vegetation types are typical blacklegged tick habitat since they provide an adequate layer of leaf litter which is necessary to prevent desiccation. Overall, my work suggests that blacklegged ticks in this region may be an important source of pathogen pressure. This study aids in a better understanding of the geographic range increase of blacklegged ticks in North America and the entomologic risk posed by these novel populations.

Biology of Ticks Volume 2

Biology of Ticks Volume 2
Author: Daniel E. Sonenshine
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 504
Release: 2013-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0199744068

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Spanning two volumes, this is the most comprehensive work on tick biology and tick-borne diseases

Critical Needs and Gaps in Understanding Prevention, Amelioration, and Resolution of Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases

Critical Needs and Gaps in Understanding Prevention, Amelioration, and Resolution of Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 560
Release: 2011-07-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309211093

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A single tick bite can have debilitating consequences. Lyme disease is the most common disease carried by ticks in the United States, and the number of those afflicted is growing steadily. If left untreated, the diseases carried by ticks-known as tick-borne diseases-can cause severe pain, fatigue, neurological problems, and other serious health problems. The Institute of Medicine held a workshop October 11-12, 2010, to examine the state of the science in Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.

Ixodes Scapularis

Ixodes Scapularis
Author: Matthew J. Wolf
Publisher:
Total Pages: 68
Release: 2015
Genre: Ixodes scapularis
ISBN:

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The deer tick, Ixode scapularis, is now recognized as the deadliest tick vector in the United States. The upper Midwest, particularly Wisconsin and Minnesota, are endemic to a diversity of deer tick-transmitted infectious diseases. Although Borrelia burgdorfi, the agent of Lyme disease, still accounts for the majority of diagnosed infections, I. scapularis is known to transmit other bacterial, viral, and parasitic agents. Diagnosis of co-infection from tick-borne zoonosis in humans has increased over the last two decades. The increased risk of I. scapularis to transmit multiple pathogens is clinically important because different diagnostic testing and treatment strategies may need to be implemented for a patient with I. scapularis-borne infection(s). This review will concentrate on I. scapularis-transmitted diseases affecting the upper Midwest, and will explore the ecology of the I. scapularis vector and its role in pathogen transmission. Disease manifestations, diagnostic workflows, and treatments of clinically significant pathogens will also be discussed to aid in the appropriate differentiation and treatment of the pathogens carried by the deer tick vector.

The biology and ecology of ticks shape the potential for the transmission of zoonotic pathogens.

The biology and ecology of ticks shape the potential for the transmission of zoonotic pathogens.
Author: Agustín Estrada-Peña
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2015-02-24
Genre: Infectious and parasitic diseases
ISBN: 288919406X

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Ticks are noticeable by the high diversity of pathogens they can transmit, most of them with implications in human and animal health. Ticks are arachnids, meaning that they do not share the biological and ecological features of the mosquitoes and other parasitic Diptera. The natural foci of tick-borne pathogens may be as large as a continent, or be restricted to small portions of a country, without apparently too many similar features. The life cycle of the ticks involved three developing instars. The precise relationships of ticks and their hosts, the specific seasonal pattern of activity of ticks, and the still poorly known molecular relationships between ticks and the pathogens they can transmit, make these vectors a specially fecund field of research. Importantly, extensive studies on the biological and ecological relationships of ticks and abiotic (climate and vegetation) conditions have revealed the fine-tuning of the ticks and the pathogens they transmit, together with the biological effects of host and the driving features by the climate. The studies on tick-transmitted pathogens have been on the rise in the last years. There is a growing interest in understand the somewhat complex relationships between the landscape, the climate, the vectors and the pathogens, because the concerns of spread, probably driven by subtle changes in climate and man made alterations of the landscape. Studies on Lyme borreliosis are addressing the interesting issue of the relationships between the climate, the tick activity patterns, and the selection of strains according to the reservoir availability. Furthermore, the expanding field of habitat suitability modeling has been applied with different degrees of success to evaluate and quantify the risk of disease transmission. In such exponentially growing field, revisionary books are clearly welcome additions to the bibliographical tools of researchers. It is however necessary the compilation of works devoted to explore the tip of the iceberg in the field of research. In this Research Topic, we wish to summarize and review the studies on ecology, molecular biology, and tick-host-pathogens interactions, provided to resolve the important issues of ticks and pathogens. We want not only the results obtained by newly developed molecular tools, but rigorous reviews of the most recent advances in these issues. This Topic will cover aspects of both human and animal health, with special interest on zoonoses. Aspects of the biology of the ticks, as affecting the transmission of pathogens, are of special interest in this Topic. Studies on ticks of the poorly known family Argasidae, as related to their involvement on pathogen transmission, are especially welcome. We also wish to describe the perspective of the field in the future. Finally, the presentation of ongoing original works is greatly encouraged.

Ecology and Disease Potential of the Black-legged Deer Tick, Ixodes Scapularis Say, in Mississippi

Ecology and Disease Potential of the Black-legged Deer Tick, Ixodes Scapularis Say, in Mississippi
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2012
Genre: Ixodes scapularis
ISBN:

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To assess the seasonality and disease potential of Ixodes scapularis Say in north Mississippi, ixodid ticks were collected by drag cloth method at two sites in north Mississippi weekly from August 1, 2010 through July 31, 2011 and tested for molecular evidence of disease agents via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. In addition, environmental data were observed and recorded for each collection date. I. scapularis nymphs (n=6) were collected in August, September, March, and May, perhaps reflecting a seasonally bimodal distribution, while adults (n=256) were found October through May with a peak in March. No statistically significant relationship between environmental data and number of I. scapularis was found. No I. scapularis were PCR positive for Borrelia burgdorferi or Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and four were positive for Babesia odocoilei, a cervid babesiosis.