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Evaluating the effectiveness of an integrated tick management approach on multiple pathogen infection in Ixodes scapularis questing nymphs and larvae parasitizing white-footed mice

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Abstract

We investigated the effectiveness of integrated tick management (ITM) approaches in reducing the burden of infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, Babesia microti, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Ixodes scapularis. We found a 52% reduction in encountering a questing nymph in the Metarhizium anisopliae (Met52) and fipronil rodent bait box treatment combination as well as a 51% reduction in the combined white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) removal, Met52, and fipronil rodent bait box treatment compared to the control treatment. The Met52 and fipronil rodent bait box treatment combination reduced the encounter potential with a questing nymph infected with any pathogen by 53%. Compared to the control treatment, the odds of collecting a parasitizing I. scapularis infected with any pathogen from a white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) was reduced by 90% in the combined deer removal, Met52, and fipronil rodent bait box treatment and by 93% in the Met52 and fipronil rodent bait box treatment combination. Our study highlights the utility of these ITM measures in reducing both the abundance of juvenile I. scapularis and infection with the aforementioned pathogens.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Redding Town Staff and elected officials, specifically Natalie Ketchum, Julia Pemberton, and Doug Hartline for their support and assistance as well as all the collaborating homeowners in Town for allowing us access to their properties. We thank Michael Short, Heidi Stuber, Elizabeth Alves, Laura Hayes, Saryn Kunajukr, and Alex Diaz of The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station as well as seasonal research assistants Mark Morris, Stephanie Shea, Heather Whiles, Adam Misiorski, Kelsey Schwenk, Jarrod Bridge, Pronoma Srivastava, and Magalí Bazzano for their technical assistance. Met52 was kindly made available by Novozymes Biological, Inc. This research was funded by a Cooperative Agreement between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (Award # 5 U01 CK000182-01). The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA

    Eliza A. H. Little, Kirby C. Stafford III & Megan A. Linske

  2. Center for Vector Biology & Zoonotic Diseases and Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-borne Diseases, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA

    Eliza A. H. Little, Scott C. Williams, Kirby C. Stafford III, Megan A. Linske & Goudarz Molaei

  3. Department of Forestry and Horticulture, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA

    Scott C. Williams

  4. Department of Environmental Sciences, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA

    Goudarz Molaei

  5. Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, P.O. Box 208034, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, 06520-8034, USA

    Goudarz Molaei

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  1. Eliza A. H. Little
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Correspondence to Goudarz Molaei.

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Little, E.A.H., Williams, S.C., Stafford, K.C. et al. Evaluating the effectiveness of an integrated tick management approach on multiple pathogen infection in Ixodes scapularis questing nymphs and larvae parasitizing white-footed mice. Exp Appl Acarol 80, 127–136 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-019-00452-7

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