Rearing &lt;em&gt;Ixodes scapularis,&lt;/em&gt; the Black-legged Tick: Feeding Immature Stages on Mice

Nuss, Andrew B.; Mathew, Manoj G.; Gulia-Nuss, Monika

doi:10.3791/55286

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Larval loss could also be partially explained by the variable attachment ability of larvae related to variation in larval activity during the infestation period and in varying capacity of individual larvae to attach to and feed on mice. Nilsson and Lundqvist [46] reported that ticks that do not find suitable feeding sites can actively leave the host or passively fall off due to host movements and larval attachment rates of less than 50% on mice are not uncommon in the literature [51]. A low rate of larval attachment could be explained by the fact that no device or procedure was used to restrain mouse movements or grooming behavior, potentially decreasing the attachment success of larvae post-anesthesia [52,53].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of fluralaner as an oral acaricide to reduce tick infestation in a wild rodent reservoir of Lyme disease

et al. 2020

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Background: Lyme disease (LD) is an increasing public health threat in temperate zones of the northern hemisphere, yet relatively few methods exist for reducing LD risk in endemic areas. Disrupting the LD transmission cycle in nature is a promising avenue for risk reduction. This experimental study evaluated the efficacy of fluralaner, a recent oral acaricide with a long duration of effect in dogs, for killing Ixodes scapularis ticks in Peromyscus maniculatus mice, a known wildlife reservoir for Borrelia burgdorferi in nature. Methods: We assigned 87 mice to 3 fluralaner treatment groups (50 mg/kg, 12.5 mg/kg and untreated control) administered as a single oral treatment. Mice were then infested with 20 Ixodes scapularis larvae at 2, 28 and 45 days post-treatment and we measured efficacy as the proportion of infesting larvae that died within 48 h. At each infestation, blood from 3 mice in each treatment group was tested to obtain fluralaner plasma concentrations (C p). Results: Treatment with 50 mg/kg and 12.5 mg/kg fluralaner killed 97% and 94% of infesting larvae 2 days post-treatment, but no significant effect of treatment on feeding larvae was observed 28 and 45 days post-treatment. Mouse C p did not differ significantly between the two tested doses. Mean C p decreased from 13,000 ng/ml in the 50 mg/kg group and 4000 ng/ml in the 12.5 mg/kg group at Day 2 to < 100 ng/ml in both groups at Day 45. Conclusions: We provide the first evidence that fluralaner is effective for killing immature ticks in Peromyscus mice, a first step in evaluating its potential for treating wild rodents as a public health intervention to reduce LD risk in endemic areas.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of fluralaner as an oral acaricide to reduce tick infestation in a wild rodent reservoir of Lyme disease

et al. 2020

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“…It was assumed that some larvae attached to feces or other debris in moats and were not found during scans. The difficulties associated with tick feeding have been described in previous studies [26,30,51]. Larvae are particularly challenging to recover because of their small size (≤ 0.8 mm in length).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…The capsules were used to (i) focus larval feeding in an isolated area to allow for direct observation; and (ii) improve larvae recovery by preventing mice from removing them through grooming. Capsules are a preferred method of containing and localizing ticks when facilitating blood-feeding [28][29][30][31]. Approximately 40 larvae were applied to each capsule to increase the probability of successful feeding and larvae recovery.…”

Section: Tick Attachmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Oral acaricides act systemically, causing ticks to expire during blood-feeding and many remain attached to the host. Feeding capsules have become a standard in tick colonies to facilitate bloodfeeding and promote development and oviposition [28][29][30][31] and could provide a useful method for observing and confirming the mortality of attaching ticks. The use of a capsule may also prevent ticks from being removed and damaged during grooming, an issue previously reported by other researchers [26,32].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2020

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Background: Lyme disease is the most prevalent vector-borne disease in the USA with cases continuing to increase. Current control measures have not been shown to be impactful, and therefore alternatives are needed. Treating pathogen reservoirs with low dose systemic acaricides in endemic areas may provide a useful tool for disrupting the cycle of the vector and pathogen. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a 0.005% fipronil bait, presented orally to white-footed mice, in controlling blacklegged tick larvae (larvae). Methods: Sixty mice were assigned to 3 treatment groups and three untreated control groups. All individually housed mice in treatment groups were exposed to 0.005% fipronil bait for 48 hours. Larvae were manually applied to mice within feeding capsules at one of three timepoints: Day 1, Day 9 and Day 15 post-exposure. For 4-days posttick attachment, replete larvae were collected from water moats underneath each cage and attached larvae were observed by microscopy. Plasma from 4 treated mice at Day-1, Day 13 and Day 19, and 4 control mice (n = 16) was collected to obtain fipronil plasma concentrations (CP). Results: Fipronil bait did not appear to produce neophobia in mice, as the amount of bait eaten at 24-and 48-hours exposure did not differ significantly. The 48-hour fipronil bait exposure prevented 100% of larvae from feeding to repletion at Day 1, Day 9 and Day 15 post-treatment. Within the treatment groups, all larvae observable within the capsules expired and were prevented from detaching by Day 4. In contrast, within the control groups a total of 502 replete larvae were collected from moats and 348 larvae observable within the capsules successfully detached. CP averaged 948.9, 101.2 and 79.4 ng/ml for mice euthanized at Day 1, Day 9 and Day 15, respectively. No fipronil was detected in control mice. Conclusions: We provide early indication that low dose fipronil bait, orally presented to white-footed mice, can effectively control blacklegged tick larvae. Future research should modify the exposure duration and post-exposure tick attachment timepoints to simulate various field scenarios under which successful efficacy might be obtained. Low dose fipronil bait could provide a cost-effective, practical means of controlling blacklegged ticks and other arthropod vectors.

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“…Larvae and nymphs were fed on mice at the University of Nevada, Reno [12]. Both stages were allowed to detach naturally PBM.…”

Section: Tick Feeding and Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blood Digestion by Trypsin-Like Serine Proteases in the Replete Lyme Disease Vector Tick, Ixodes scapularis

Reyes

Ayala-Chavez

Sharma

et al. 2020

Insects

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Ixodes scapularis is the major vector of Lyme disease in the Eastern United States. Each active life stage (larva, nymph, and adult) takes a blood meal either for developing and molting to the next stage (larvae and nymphs) or for oviposition (adult females). This protein-rich blood meal is the only food taken by Ixodes ticks and therefore efficient blood digestion is critical for survival. Studies in partially engorged ticks have shown that the initial stages of digestion are carried out by cathepsin proteases within acidic digestive cells. In this study, we investigated the potential role of serine proteases in blood digestion in replete ticks. RNA interference was used for functional analysis and a trypsin-benzoyl-D, L-arginine 4-nitoanilide assay was used to measure active trypsin levels. Hemoglobinolytic activity was determined in vitro, with or without a serine protease inhibitor. Our data suggest that trypsin levels increase significantly after repletion. Knockdown of serine proteases negatively impacted blood feeding, survival, fecundity, levels of active trypsin in the midgut, and resulted in lower hemoglobin degradation. Incubation of midgut extract with a trypsin inhibitor resulted in 65% lower hemoglobin degradation. We provide evidence of the serine proteases as digestive enzymes in fully engorged, replete females. Understanding the digestive profile of trypsin during blood meal digestion in I. scapularis improves our understanding of the basic biology of ticks and may lead to new methods for tick control.

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Rearing <em>Ixodes scapularis,</em> the Black-legged Tick: Feeding Immature Stages on Mice

Cited by 11 publications

References 6 publications

Evaluation of fluralaner as an oral acaricide to reduce tick infestation in a wild rodent reservoir of Lyme disease

Evaluation of fluralaner as an oral acaricide to reduce tick infestation in a wild rodent reservoir of Lyme disease

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

Blood Digestion by Trypsin-Like Serine Proteases in the Replete Lyme Disease Vector Tick, Ixodes scapularis

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