White-Tailed Deer as Hosts of Cattle Fever-Ticks

Abstract

A penned study for obtaining definitive information on the status of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) as a host for cattle feverticks (Boophilus microplus) was conducted on St. Croix of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Four generations of fever-ticks were propagated on one deer during a six month period. Nine wild white-tailed deer also were collected from four insular estates to evaluate the carrier status of these animals on an island where cattle fever-ticks are indigenous. Two deer were infested with B. microplus where contact with domestic livestock had not occurred for 20 years; five deer were free of B. microplus where a vigorous cattle dipping program had been practiced for three years; and, two deer were infested with B. microplus where contact with fever-tick infested cattle occurred at irregular intervals. It was concluded that white-tailed deer constitute a host species for B. microplus and must be considered in future fever tick eradication endeavors. This study also suggested that, through routine dipping of cattle, fever ticks may be eradicated from an area where cattle and deer cohabit the same premises.

Surveys for Ectoparasites on Wildlife Associated WithAmblyomma variegatum(Acari: Ixodidae)-Infested Livestock in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

“…The presence of R. microplus and A. nitens on surveyed white-tailed deer has more veterinary signiÞ-cance, and both have been found previously on deer in St. Croix (Beatty 1944, Hourrigan et al 1969, Kistner and Hayes 1970. Kistner and Hayes (1970) thought tick-infested deer were a factor in a failed early R. microplus eradication attempt, but their later experiments with small numbers of penned white-tailed deer and cattle demonstrated that routine dipping of cattle, under the given numbers of animals and ratios of cattle to deer, alone could eradicate R. microplus from areas shared by both hosts.…”

“…Kistner and Hayes (1970) thought tick-infested deer were a factor in a failed early R. microplus eradication attempt, but their later experiments with small numbers of penned white-tailed deer and cattle demonstrated that routine dipping of cattle, under the given numbers of animals and ratios of cattle to deer, alone could eradicate R. microplus from areas shared by both hosts. We found high prevalences and intensities of both R. microplus and A. nitens on surveyed white-tailed deer and very abundant R. microplus on feral cattle (Tables 5 and 6), suggesting that these hosts still may represent a complicating factor in control programs for any livestock tick species in the Caribbean Region.…”

Current Limitations in the Control and Spread of Ticks that Affect Livestock: A Review

“…Robust simulations have provided adequate data to understand the dynamics of the tick in pastures and how management strategies may affect such phenology [51,52]. However, problems in insuring that the U.S. cattle industry remains protected against fever ticks and babesiosis also include the presence of acaricide-resistant R. microplus in Mexico, changes in plant communities that improve tick habitat, and an abundance of alternative hosts [53,54]. Information regarding the historical problems of wildlife in the US tick eradication program has been thoroughly reviewed [55].…”

Comparison of natural and artificial odor lures for nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in South Texas: Developing treatment for cattle fever tick eradication

“…To prevent reintroduction, a quarantine “buffer” zone between Texas and Mexico was established (Perez de Leon et al., 2012, Perez de Leon et al., 2014, Giles et al., 2014). Challenges to CFT incursion in the permanent quarantine zone along the Rio Grande River are more frequent (Giles et al., 2014) due to the increased prevalence of CFT host species such as nilgai (Cardenas-Canales et al., 2011), white-tailed deer (Kistner and Hayes, 1970), stray cattle ( Bos spp. ),other livestock and from interactions between CFT and exotic weeds along the trans-boundary region with Mexico which form a pathogenic landscape that facilitates the invasion and survival of CFTs (Racelis et al., 2012, Esteve-Gassent et al., 2014).…”