Ticks of the Southeast The Big Five and Their Management LT Jeff Hertz, MSC, USN PhD Student, Entomology and Nematology Dept., University of Florida What are Ticks? Ticks are MITES.really, really ig mites. No antennae and never have wings Legs: larvae have 3 pair; nymphs and adults have 4. Oligate lood-feeding ectoparasites of verterates Two major families:* Aragasidae = Soft ticks Ixodidae = Hard ticks *actually 3 families, ut the third consists of one species found in Africa Typical Hard Tick Life Cycle Female Eggs Male Nymphs Larvae Feed on verterate hosts etween each molt and prior to mating. 1
Importance Very pestiferous tick worry Importance Cause unique medical conditions Tick Paralysis Red Meat Allergy Importance Transmit a vast diversity of pathogens. Rickettsia Bacteria Other Bacteria Baesia Protozoa Francisella Rickettsia Coxiella Anaplasma Borrelia Heartland Powassan Ehrlichia Spirochetes Bouron Viruses 2
Mosquito- and Tick-orne Human Diseases Reported in the United States, 2012 Spotted fever Baesiosis rickettsiosis Tularemia Q fever Ehrlichiosis/ Powassan virus Anaplasmosis Malaria Mosquito-Borne West Nile virus Dengue virus Lyme disease California serogroup viruses St. Louis encephalitis virus EEE virus The Big Five Blacklegged Tick American Dog Tick Gulf Coast Tick Lone Star Tick Brown Dog Tick Lyme disease Baesiosis Anaplasmosis Powassan disease Tularemia Paralysis Paralysis Ehrlichiosis Tularemia Heartland virus Bouron virus STARI Ehrlichiosis Blacklegged Tick (deer tick) Ixodes scapularis Where found: Widely distriuted throughout the eastern United States, and parts of Canada and Mexico. Adults: fall, winter, and early spring Immatures: spring - summer Adults: deer Immatures: lizards, sm. mammals, irds Note: Northern and southern populations have markedly different feeding ehaviors. This results in different risk profiles for pathogen transmission. 3
American Dog Tick Dermacentor variailis Where found: Widely distriuted throughout the United States, except parts of the Rocky Mountains; also found in parts of Canada and Mexico. Adults: spring - summer Immatures: spring - summer Adults: dogs, med. mammals Immatures: sm. mammals (rodents) Note: People or pets may ring them into the home; However, they will not ecome estalished indoors. Gulf Coast Tick Amlyomma maculatum Where found: Found in coastal areas of the United States along the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico Adults: winter - fall Immatures: winter - fall Adults: deer and other large mammals Immatures: irds and sm. rodents Note: Great interest surrounds the involvement of this tick in the increase in spotted fever rickettsioses over the last few decades Lone Star Tick Amlyomma americanum Where found: Found throughout the southeastern, central, and eastern United States. Adults: spring - summer Immatures: spring fall Adults: deer Immatures: irds, sm. and med. mammals, deer Note: The most aundant human-iting tick in the southeast Multiple concurrent tick ites from this species are common 4
Brown Dog Tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus Where found: The most widely distriuted of all ticks in the world; found throughout North America. Adults: spring - fall Immatures: spring - fall Adults: dogs Immatures: dogs, other mammals Note: Primarily an INDOOR pest. Acaricide resistance can e a prolem. Surveillance Flagging/Dragging Faric affixed to dowel and run along vegetation # of ticks/area sampled (e.g. 3 ticks/meter) Traps Usually CO 2 (e.g. dry ice) attractant Doesn t work for all species NightWatch Verifi ClimUp Bed Bug Beacon J. Med. Entomol. 52(2): 260 268 (2015); DOI: 10.1093/ jme/tju020 5
Ticks (%) 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 a Trap comparison a Captured Attracted Activated (F 3,26 = 10.44, p = (F 3,26 = 12.06, p (F 3,26 = 24.41, p 0.0001) <0.0001) <0.0001) c c a c Bed Bug Beacon Verifi NightWatch ClimUp J. Med. Entomol. 52(2): 260 268 (2015); DOI: 10.1093/ jme/tju020 Control Personal Protection Protective clothing and repellents Check entire ody for ticks Promptly remove attached ticks Biological Control Relatively few natural enemies Proaly have little impact on ticks Pathogenic fungi may e promising Control Landscape Measures: Tick Safe Zones Will not directly eliminate many ticks May e expensive May not reduce disease incidence Chemical Control Host-targeted and Area-wide treatments The most effective way to reduce ticks Easy to apply and relatively inexpensive 6
Resistance Permethrin Fipronil J. Med. Entomol. 1 8 (2015); DOI: 10.1093/jm tjv005 Summary Ticks are important pests that threaten pulic health. Tick iology and ecology varies y species. Targeted IPM strategies reduce the risk posed y ticks and their pathogens. Local Cooperative Extension office Questions? Helpful Tick Resources UF Pest Management University: https://pmu.ifas.ufl.edu/news-info/2012/rown-dog-ticks CDC: www.cdc.gov/ticks/ Univ. of Rhode Island: www.tickencounter.org The Tick App: http://tickapp.tamu.edu Connecticut Tick Management Handook: http://www.ct.gov/caes/li/caes/documents/pulications/ulletins/1010.pdf 7