Abstract
The ornate kangaroo tick, Amblyomma triguttatum triguttatum, is invasive on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. To assess the potential for developing comprehensive management strategies for the species, we mailed 1,000 surveys to Yorke Peninsula residents to investigate community perceptions of ticks, gather information on tick-host ecology, and assess whether or not occupation and length of residence affected whether residents had seen ticks. The response rate was 32%; most respondents (63%) had not seen ticks on Yorke Peninsula. Of those who had (n = 104), 56% had seen ticks on animals, especially lizards (31%) and kangaroos (20%); 50% had seen ticks on humans. Of the 64 respondents who believed places on Yorke Peninsula had many ticks, 56% identified Innes National Park and 75% areas on southern Yorke Peninsula. The likelihood of seeing ticks was not related to occupation. Whether respondents had seen ticks was related to length of residence on Yorke Peninsula (<10 years = 23.6%, 10–30 years = 44.0%, 31–50 years = 47.6%, 51–70 years = 30.9%, 71+ years = 21.4%). The number of respondents who had seen ticks on humans suggests that tick-borne diseases could become a public health issue on Yorke Peninsula. This finding is of particular concern because A. t. triguttatum is implicated in the epidemiology of Q fever in Queensland. Finally, respondents were unaware of the responsibility for tick management, which demonstrates a need for collaboration amongst stakeholders.
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Acknowledgements
We are indebted to the residents of Yorke Peninsula who participated in this survey. Thanks also to our surveyors and people who assisted with preparing survey packages, including Robert Aebi, Barbara Cook, Peter Cotton, Matthew Gill, Sue Jenkin, Michael Jervois, Larissa Lauder, Lyn Naulty, Michael Rosewarne, Annette Scanlon, Fleur Tiver, Ashley Walker, and Hayley West. Thanks also to Barb Koth and Dan Lunney for their advice. Sincere thanks to the Northern and Yorke Region Department for Environment and Heritage staff and Mick Catford from the Yorke District Council. This research was funded by a University of South Australia Competitive Grant to S. Petit, R. Andrews, and B. Dixon, and a Nature Foundation of South Australia Scholarship to H. Waudby. This research was conducted with approval (06/10) from the University of South Australia’s Divisional Ethics Committee.
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Waudby, H.P., Petit, S. & Weber, D. Human perception and awareness of ticks in a South Australian rural community and implications for management of Amblyomma triguttatum triguttatum . Exp Appl Acarol 45, 71–84 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-008-9152-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-008-9152-z