Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) spread by the international trade in reptiles andtheir potential roles in dissemination of diseases

Abstract

The international trade in live reptiles has grown dramatically in the last decade. Since many of these reptiles are infested with ticks, the number of ticks introduced to new exotic locations has also increased. This is causing concern in importing countries such as the United States because some of the reptilian ticks are known to be vectors of diseases of veterinary and economic importance, such as heartwater. Rational measures to control these tick species and to eradicate new introductions have been slow to develop due in part to the scattered and often obscure sources of available data on the exotic ticks. This review is an attempt to collate information on the geographical distribution, host range, life cycle and associations with diseases for four Amblyomma species, A. marmoreum Koch, A. nuttalli Dönitz, A. sabanerae Stoll and A. sparsum Neumann, and for four Aponommaspecies, A. exornatum (Koch), A. flavomaculatum (Lucas), A. latum(Koch) and A. varanensis (Supino), that have recently been introduced into Florida, USA on imported reptiles.

Molecular screening of Amblyomma species (Acari: Ixodidae) imported from African countries to Egypt, with the first report of Amblyomma latum from the ball python, Python regius (Squamata: Pythonidae)

“…The trade in live reptiles has increased in recent years worldwide, which threatens wildlife conservation and public health (Franke and Telecky 2001 ). International trade in exotic reptiles increases the chance of ectoparasites and their pathogens to be introduced into new geographical locations (Burridge 2001 ). Tick species are the most reported parasites on internationally traded exotic reptiles (Mihalca 2015 ) and investigated infectious agents in imported reptiles and ectoparasitic ticks are a public health concern (Takano et al 2010 ).…”

“…The number of ticks introduced to new exotic locations has increased and caused problems even in developed countries (Burridge 2001 ). The importation of exotic ticks into a new geographic area via reptiles has been reported in several countries worldwide.…”

Forensic parasitology: a new frontier in criminalistics

“…[ 22 ] only one had a tick infestation. Despite their rarity in captivity, ticks (such as Amblyomma helvolum ( Figure 2B )) are relatively common on imported reptiles originating from wild populations [ 23 , 24 ]. Brianti et al.…”