A multi-seasonal study investigating the phenology, host and habitat associations, and pathogens of Haemaphysalis longicornis in Virginia, U.S.A

Thompson, Alec T.; White, Seth A.; Shaw, David; Garrett, Kayla B.; Wyckoff, Seth T.; Doub, Emily E.; Ruder, Mark G.; Yabsley, Michael J.

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101773

Cited by 30 publications

(41 citation statements)

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“…A concerning finding is that multiple Haemaphysalis spp. in native and introduced areas can transmit numerous pathogens ( 73 , 74 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The predominant ticks on dogs were R. sanguineus , and several studies have detected A. phagocytophilum in R. sanguineus ( 89 – 91 ). In addition, H. longicornis in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) ( 92 ) and United States ( 74 ) were positive for A. phagocytophilum . There are also several Asian species of Haemaphysalis (e.g., H. megaspinosa, H. douglasii , and H. japonica ) have been PCR positive for A. phagocytophilum ( 72 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Domestic Animals, Wild Pigs, and Off-Host Environmental Sampling in Guam, USA

et al. 2022

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Background: Guam, a United States of America (USA) island territory in the Pacific Ocean, is known to have large populations of ticks; however, it is unclear what the risk is to wildlife and humans living on the island. Dog (Canis familiaris), cat (Felis catus), and wild pig (Sus scrofa) sentinels were examined for ticks, and environmental sampling was conducted to determine the ticks present in Guam and the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in hosts.Methods and Results: From March 2019-November 2020, ticks were collected from environmental sampling, dogs, cats, and wild pigs. Blood samples were also taken from a subset of animals. A total of 99 ticks were collected from 27 environmental samples and all were Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the brown dog tick. Most ticks were collected during the dry season with an overall sampling success rate of 63% (95% CI: 42.4–80.6). 6,614 dogs were examined, and 12.6% (95% CI: 11.8–13.4) were infested with at least one tick. One thousand one hundred twelve cats were examined, and six (0.54%; 95% CI: 0.20–1.1) were found with ticks. Sixty-four wild pigs were examined and 17.2% (95% CI: 9.5–27.8) had ticks. In total, 1,956 ticks were collected and 97.4% of ticks were R. sanguineus. A subset of R. sanguineus were determined to be the tropical lineage. The other tick species found were Rhipicephalus microplus (0.77%), Amblyomma breviscutatum (0.77 %), and a Haemaphysalis sp. (0.51%). Blood samples from 136 dogs, four cats, and 64 wild pigs were tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing methods. Five different tick-borne pathogens with the following prevalences were found in dogs: Anaplasma phagocytophilum 5.9% (95% CI: 2.6–11.3); Anaplasma platys 19.1% (95% CI: 12.9–26.7); Babesia canis vogeli 8.8% (95% CI: 4.6–14.9); Ehrlichia canis 12.5% (95% CI: 7.5–19.3); Hepatozoon canis 14.7% (95% CI: 9.2–28.8). E. canis was detected in one cat, and no tick-borne pathogens were detected in wild pigs. Overall, 43.4% (95% CI: 34.9–52.1) of dogs had at least one tick-borne pathogen. Serological testing for antibodies against Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. showed prevalences of 14.7% (95% CI: 9.2–28.8) and 31.6% (95% CI: 23.9–40), respectively.Conclusion: Four different tick species were found in Guam to include a Haemaphysalis sp., which is a previously unreported genus for Guam. Dogs with ticks have a high prevalence of tick-borne pathogens which makes them useful sentinels.

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“…A concerning finding is that multiple Haemaphysalis spp. in native and introduced areas can transmit numerous pathogens ( 73 , 74 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Domestic Animals, Wild Pigs, and Off-Host Environmental Sampling in Guam, USA

et al. 2022

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“…Haemaphysalis longicornis represents a new and emerging disease threat, and further research in the characterization of the tick’s biology and ecology are warranted. The wide host range including rodents [ 13 ], ungulates, lagomorphs, carnivores, birds, and humans increases the likelihood that this tick will broaden its geographical reach via dispersion on animal hosts [ 1 , 2 , 11 ]. Determination of vector competency is of high importance and should include testing for potential indigenous and exotic pathogens.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Peak H. longicornis densities for larvae, nymphs, and adults were reported to be 286, 20, and 28 times as high as than those of I. scapularis , respectively [ 12 ]. Wildlife and tick sampling in Virginia identified 18 different individual hosts and approximately 60% of environmental ticks as being H. longicornis [ 13 ]. Animal transport, such as infested dogs traveling with their owners, is also of concern.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustained efficacy of collars containing 10% w/w imidacloprid and 4.5% w/w flumethrin (Seresto®) in dogs against laboratory challenge with Haemaphysalis longicornis (Neumann, 1901) ticks

et al. 2022

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Background Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks are reported on dogs from an increasing geographic range. This study aimed to determine the sustained efficacy of Seresto® collars (imidacloprid/flumethrin) against experimental infestations of H. longicornis in dogs. Methods Twenty-four Beagle dogs previously assessed for their suitability to harbor ticks were included in the study and randomized into three groups of eight dogs each. Two of the groups were treated with collars at different time points: at the first tick infestation, dogs in group 1 had already worn collars for 92 days, while dogs in group 2 had received collars only on the previous day, thus allowing evaluation of two different treatment durations at the same point in time. Infestation of the treated groups was conducted at 1, 7, 28, and 56 days (group 2) and 92, 119, 147, 168, 196, 227, and 238 days (group 1) after collar placement. Group 3 served as untreated control and was infested whenever the dogs of the other two groups were infested. Infestations were conducted using 50 viable, adult, unfed female ticks of a US isolate of H. longicornis per dog. Ticks were removed and counted 48 h after each infestation. Health and body weight of the dogs were monitored throughout the study. The efficacy against ticks was calculated for groups 1 and 2 based on arithmetic mean values at each assessment day according to Abbott’s formula. The mean post-treatment H. longicornis tick counts were compared statistically between treatments, using an analysis of variance with a treatment effect untransformed tick count. Results Dogs in the control group were adequately infested at all tick counts. Efficacy was 88.2% on day 3, however well above 90% (i.e., 98.3 to 100%) at all other time points up to day 240. Statistical analysis confirmed significantly different live tick counts (P < 0.001) between the treated groups and the control group at all time points. Conclusions The 8-month sustained acaricidal efficacy demonstrated by the Seresto® collar (imidacloprid/flumethrin) provides a reliable strategy against H. longicornis infestations in dogs. Graphical Abstract

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“…Recent laboratory infection trials have indicated H. longicornis as a competent vector for Rickettsia rickettsii, the causative agent for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Heartland virus, but experimentally was not a suitable vector for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu strico or Anaplasma phagocytophilum Ap-Ha, the causative agents for Lyme Disease and Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis, respectively [29][30][31][32]. However, despite the experimental transmission studies, several medically important pathogens have been detected in environmentally collected host-seeking H. longicornis including B. burgdorferi, A. phagocytophilum Ap-Ha (both detected in populations from Pennsylvania [33,34]), and Rickettsia felis and Bourbon virus (detected in populations from Virginia [35,36]). Of veterinary importance, native genotypes of the white-tailed deer variant of Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap-1) and a Hepatozoon sp.…”

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confidence: 99%

The wild life of ticks: using passive surveillance to determine the distribution and wildlife host range of ticks and the exoticHaemaphysalis longicornis, 2010-2021

Thompson

White

Doub

et al. 2022

Preprint

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BackgroundWe conducted a large-scale, passive regional survey of ticks associated with wildlife of the eastern U.S. Our primary goals were to better assess the current geographic distribution of exotic H. longicornis and to identify potential wild mammalian and avian host species. However, this large-scale survey also provided valuable information regarding the distribution and host associations for many other important tick species that utilize wildlife as hosts.MethodsTicks were opportunistically collected by cooperating state and federal wildlife agencies. All ticks were placed in the supplied vials and host information was recorded, including host species, age, sex, examination date, location (at least county and state), and estimated tick burden were recorded. All ticks were identified to species using morphology, suspect H. longicornis were confirmed through molecular techniques.ResultsIn total, 1,940 hosts were examined from across 369 counties from 23 states in the eastern U.S. From these submissions, 20,626 ticks were collected and identified belonging to 11 different species. Our passive surveillance efforts detected exotic H. longicornis from nine host species from eight states. Notably, some of the earliest detections of H. longicornis in the U.S. were collected from wildlife through this passive surveillance network. In addition, numerous new county reports were generated for Amblyomma americanum, A. maculatum, Dermacentor albipictus, D. variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis.ConclusionsThis study provided data on ticks collected from animals from 23 different states in the eastern U.S. between 2010 – 2021 with the primary goal of better characterizing the distribution and host-associations of the exotic tick H. longicornis; however new distribution data on tick species of veterinary or medical importance was also obtained. Collectively, our passive surveillance has detected numerous new county reports for H. longicornis as well as I. scapularis. Our study utilizing passive wildlife surveillance for ticks across the eastern U.S. is an effective method for surveying a diversity of wildlife host species allowing us to better collect widespread data on current tick distributions relevant to human and animal health.

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A multi-seasonal study investigating the phenology, host and habitat associations, and pathogens of Haemaphysalis longicornis in Virginia, U.S.A

Cited by 30 publications

References 54 publications

Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Domestic Animals, Wild Pigs, and Off-Host Environmental Sampling in Guam, USA

Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Domestic Animals, Wild Pigs, and Off-Host Environmental Sampling in Guam, USA

Sustained efficacy of collars containing 10% w/w imidacloprid and 4.5% w/w flumethrin (Seresto®) in dogs against laboratory challenge with Haemaphysalis longicornis (Neumann, 1901) ticks

The wild life of ticks: using passive surveillance to determine the distribution and wildlife host range of ticks and the exoticHaemaphysalis longicornis, 2010-2021

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