Activity of the Sheep Tick

Hendrick, James; Moore, W. Robert; Morison, Guy D.

doi:10.1038/141648a0

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Other studies conducted on upland sites with similar long cold winters and short summers have also found unimodal seasonal patterns in tick questing activity (e.g. Hendrick et al . 1938 ; Steele & Randolph, 1985).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 78%

Role of small mammals in the persistence of Louping‐ill virus: field survey and tick co‐feeding studies

Gilbert

Jones²,

Hudson

et al. 2000

Medical Vet Entomology

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Louping-ill (LI) is a tick-borne viral disease of red grouse, Lagopus lagopus scoticus Lath. (Tetraonidae: Galliformes), and sheep, Ovis aries L. (Bovidae: Artiodactyla), that causes economic loss to upland farms and sporting estates. Unvaccinated sheep, grouse and mountain hares, Lepus timidus L. (Leporidae: Lagomorpha), are known to transmit LI virus, whereas red deer, Cenrus elaphus L. (Cervidae: Artiodactyla), and rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus L. (Leporidae: Lagomorpha), do not. However, the role of small mammals is unknown. Here, we determine the role of small mammals, in particular field voles, Microtus agrestis L. (Muridae: Rodentia), in the persistence of LI virus on upland farms and sporting estates in Scotland, using field sampling and non-viraemic transmission trials. Small mammals were not abundant on the upland sites studied, few ticks were found per animal and none of the caught animals tested seropositive to LI virus. Laboratory trials provided no evidence that small mammals (field voles, bank voles, Clethrionomys glareolus L. (Muridae: Rodentia), and wood mice, Apodemus sylvaticus L. (Muridae: Rodentia), can transmit LI virus between cofeeding ticks and, in the field, LI virus was prevalent only in areas with known LI virus competent hosts (grouse, mountain hares or unvaccinated sheep) and absent elsewhere. In contrast to the case of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus in Europe, it is concluded that small mammals seem to be relatively unimportant in LI virus persistence.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 78%

Role of small mammals in the persistence of Louping‐ill virus: field survey and tick co‐feeding studies

Gilbert

Jones²,

Hudson

et al. 2000

Medical Vet Entomology

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“…Concerning t h e single annual peak, in summer, a t the Hill o'Fare in Aberdeenshire (Hendrick, Moore & Morison, 1938), MacLeod (1939) (Moore, 1938(Moore, , 1939. As a whole the data show (Fig.…”

Section: (Iii) Observations I N N O R T H E R N Scotlandmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ecology of the sheep tick,Ixodes ricinusL. The seasonal activity in Britain with particular reference to Northern England

Milne

1945

Parasitology

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A survey of tick activity curve data for Britain shows:There are usually two peaks of female activity per annum, one peak in ‘spring’ and a lesser one in ‘autumn’, the date limits of the ‘seasons’ being slightly elastic. For a greater or lesser period in summer female-tick activity is low or practically absent, while in winter it is practically absent.There are exceptions to the biannual type of female activity. In three areas, only one annual peak occurs. At Hethpool, north-eastern Northumberland, and in Ettrick Valley, southern Scotland, this single peak is in April–May; in the Hill o'Fare area, north-eastern Scotland, it is in July.The theory of temperature control of activity (the limits being the range 45–60° F. average weekly maximum shade temperature, i.e. corresponding to spring and autumn conditions in Britain) does not stand up to the following facts: At Hethpool, following a spring female activity confined to the range 45–60° F., there was no autumn recrudescence when temperatures again passed through the same range. About half the annual female activity at Crag, south-western Cumberland, and practically all in the Hill o'Fare area occurred at temperatures of 60–70° F. and 60–65° F. respectively.Solar radiation, evaporativity and humidity, as well as temperatures, of the macro-climate were investigated in relation to female activity. The tentative conclusion is that the duration of humidity level during daylight, in conjunction with temperature, may partly decide the amount and extent of activity in summer.In spring, where spring activity obtains, males and females appear in small numbers a few weeks before nymphs. The bulk of male, female and nymphal spring activity, however, is concurrent, the curves having peaks at approximately the same date.Again, where spring activity obtains, spring larval activity commences later than that of males, females and nymphs, the peak being about 1 month later.Theories of seasonal activity are discussed.

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“…In an experiment on tick control Moore (1938aMoore ( , b, 1939Moore ( , 1942) gave a little attention to the infestations of some of the wild fauna species, with a view to exterminating important hosts as a supplement to aearicidal treatment of sheep. The remaining data comprise scattered and generally more or less weak records from the following authors: Williams (1883), Carmichael (1884), Shipley (1911), Nuttall & Warburton (1911), Nuttall (1916), MacLeod (1932MacLeod ( , 1938MacLeod ( , 1939, Thompson (1934Thompson ( , 1936Thompson ( , 1937, Elton (1937), Hendrick, Moore & Morison (1938), Cameron (1939) and Prof. J. Heslop Harrison, F.R.S.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ecology of the sheep tick,Ixodes ricinusL. Host relationships of the tick: Part 1. Review of previous work in Britain

Milne

1949

Parasitology

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On the whole published data on the host relationships of Ixodes ricinus L. in Britain are rather inadequate, but the following points emerge:The tick (stages unspecified) has been found on twenty-three mammal, twenty-one bird and one reptile species. These include both wild and domestic animals. There are no records of non-hosts. The host list is incomplete. Its length and variety suggest, however, that the tick will feed on practically any mammal or bird it may meet.Tick stages found on fifteen mammal, twenty-one bird and one reptile species have been recorded. For a number of reasons (see text) ‘recorded’ absence of any tick stage from an animal is not necessarily reliable. This, together with the incompleteness of the host list, detracts a little from the assertion of several authors, namely, that in general larvae and nymphs occur on both mammals and birds, but adult ticks on mammals only.No precise host-potentials for any wild species relative to sheep (or other important farm stock) have been published in Britain. But, in one area, Scottish mountain hare, red deer and roe deer have been slaughtered on a large scale because of their alleged importance as hosts. Very inadequate data from two authors seem to suggest that as normally stocked populations (a) grouse are negligible compared with sheep as hosts to female ticks, and (b) mountain hare and red deer may play quite an important part in maintaining female ticks. Suggestion (b) at least should not be taken seriously until comprehensively investigated.One author shows that an ‘appreciable’ tick population was maintained on a hill grazing by a reduced wild fauna in the absence of sheep.Another author shows that the tick population of a grazing was considerably reduced by acaricidal treatment of sheep, together with almost complete extermination of a section of the wild fauna. Unfortunately, the two factors cannot be disentangled.We would like to thank Mr Charles Elton, Director, Bureau of Animal Population, Oxford, and Dr J. MacLeod of the Cooper Technical Bureau, Berkhamsted, for criticism of the MS.; Mr F. Wallace for information on red deer stocking; and Dr V. B. Wigglesworth, F.R.S.,. Director, Agricultural Research Council Unit of Insect Physiology, Cambridge, within whose organization the work was done.

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Activity of the Sheep Tick

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

Role of small mammals in the persistence of Louping‐ill virus: field survey and tick co‐feeding studies

Role of small mammals in the persistence of Louping‐ill virus: field survey and tick co‐feeding studies

The ecology of the sheep tick,Ixodes ricinusL. The seasonal activity in Britain with particular reference to Northern England

The ecology of the sheep tick,Ixodes ricinusL. Host relationships of the tick: Part 1. Review of previous work in Britain

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