Prevalence and species of ticks on horses in central Oklahoma.
Abstract: Ticks are common on horses, but there is a dearth of contemporary data on infestation prevalence, predominant species, and tick-borne disease agents important in this host. To determine the species of ticks most common on horses and the prevalence of equine exposure to and infection with tick-borne disease agents, ticks and blood samples were collected from 73 horses during May, June, and July of 2010. Adult ticks were identified to species, and antibodies to Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., and Borrelia burgdorferi were identified using indirect fluorescence antibody assay, a commercial point-of-care enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, or both. In total, 1,721 ticks were recovered at the majority (85%) of equid examinations. Amblyomma americanum (L.) was the most common tick collected (1,598 out of 1,721; 92.9%) followed by Dermacentor variabilis (Say, 1821) (85 out of 1,721; 4.9%) and Amblyomma maculatum Koch, 1844 (36 out of 1,721; 2.1%); single specimens of Ixodes scapularis Say, 1821 and Dermacentor albipictus (Packard, 1869) were also identified. Antibodies reactive to Ehrlichia spp. were found in 18 out of 73 (24.7%) of horses tested, and were more commonly identified in horses with moderate or high tick infestations than those with low tick infestations (P < 0.001). These data support A. americanum as the most common tick species infesting horses in central Oklahoma from May through July and suggest horses are also commonly exposed to an Ehrlichia sp.
Publication Date: 2014-05-23 PubMed ID: 24843940DOI: 10.1603/me13117Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- N.I.H.
- Extramural
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article is about a study conducted on the prevalence and types of ticks on horses, and the tick-borne diseases in horses in central Oklahoma.
Objective and Methodology of the Study
- The research aimed to find out the most common species of ticks on horses, the prevalence of these ticks, and how often horses are exposed to and infected by tick-borne diseases.
- The data for this study was collected by examining ticks and blood samples from 73 horses during May, June, and July of 2010.
- The ticks were identified down to the species level, and antibodies to tick-borne diseases were identified using an indirect fluorescence antibody assay or a commercial point-of-care enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results of the Study
- A total of 1,721 ticks were recovered from the majority (85%) of the horses examined.
- The most common tick species found was Amblyomma americanum (1,598 out of 1,721; 92.9%) followed by Dermacentor variabilis (85 out of 1,721; 4.9%) and Amblyomma maculatum (36 out of 1,721; 2.1%). Single specimens of Ixodes scapularis and Dermacentor albipictus were also identified.
- Antibodies reactive to Ehrlichia spp. were found in 18 out of 73 (24.7%) of the horses tested. The presence of these antibodies suggests exposure to Ehrlichia spp., a species of bacteria transmitted by ticks.
- The study found a notable relationship between the level of tick infestations on a horse and the likelihood of finding antibodies reactive to Ehrlichia spp. Horses with moderate or high tick infestations were more likely to show these antibodies when compared to those with low tick infestations.
Conclusion
- The research clarified that Amblyomma americanum is the most common tick species found on horses in central Oklahoma during the months of May through July. Also, it suggested that horses in this area are commonly exposed to a tick-borne bacteria species known as Ehrlichia.
Cite This Article
APA
Duell JR, Carmichael R, Herrin BH, Holbrook TC, Talley J, Little SE.
(2014).
Prevalence and species of ticks on horses in central Oklahoma.
J Med Entomol, 50(6), 1330-1333.
https://doi.org/10.1603/me13117 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Ehrlichia / isolation & purification
- Ehrlichiosis / epidemiology
- Ehrlichiosis / microbiology
- Ehrlichiosis / veterinary
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / veterinary
- Female
- Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horses
- Ixodidae / physiology
- Male
- Oklahoma / epidemiology
- Prevalence
- Tick Infestations / epidemiology
- Tick Infestations / parasitology
- Tick Infestations / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Seo HJ, Truong AT, Kim KH, Lim JY, Min S, Kim HC, Yoo MS, Yoon SS, Klein TA, Cho YS. Molecular Detection and Phylogenetic Analysis of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks Collected from Horses in the Republic of Korea. Pathogens 2021 Aug 24;10(9).
- Sundstrom KD, Lineberry MW, Grant AN, Duncan KT, Ientile MM, Little SE. Equine attachment site preferences and seasonality of common North American ticks: Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor albipictus, and Ixodes scapularis. Parasit Vectors 2021 Aug 14;14(1):404.
- Muraro LS, Souza AO, Leite TNS, Cândido SL, Melo ALT, Toma HS, Carvalho MB, Dutra V, Nakazato L, Cabezas-Cruz A, Aguiar DM. First Evidence of Ehrlichia minasensis Infection in Horses from Brazil. Pathogens 2021 Feb 25;10(3).
- Onyiche TE, Suganuma K, Igarashi I, Yokoyama N, Xuan X, Thekisoe O. A Review on Equine Piroplasmosis: Epidemiology, Vector Ecology, Risk Factors, Host Immunity, Diagnosis and Control. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 May 16;16(10).
- Tirosh-Levy S, Gottlieb Y, Apanaskevich DA, Mumcuoglu KY, Steinman A. Species distribution and seasonal dynamics of equine tick infestation in two Mediterranean climate niches in Israel. Parasit Vectors 2018 Oct 16;11(1):546.
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- Bullard RL, Williams J, Karim S. Temporal Gene Expression Analysis and RNA Silencing of Single and Multiple Members of Gene Family in the Lone Star Tick Amblyomma americanum. PLoS One 2016;11(2):e0147966.
- Hegarty BC, Qurollo BA, Thomas B, Park K, Chandrashekar R, Beall MJ, Thatcher B, Breitschwerdt EB. Serological and molecular analysis of feline vector-borne anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis using species-specific peptides and PCR. Parasit Vectors 2015 Jun 12;8:320.
- O'Nion VL, Montilla HJ, Qurollo BA, Maggi RG, Hegarty BC, Tornquist SJ, Breitschwerdt EB. Potentially novel Ehrlichia species in horses, Nicaragua. Emerg Infect Dis 2015 Feb;21(2):335-8.
- Kargbo A, Osman AM, Jawo E, Fatty LKM, Collere FCM, André MR, Hassan-Kadle AA, Vieira TSWJ, Machado RZ, Vieira RFC. Ticks and tick-borne bacterial pathogens found on hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) on cattle in the Central River region of The Gambia. Med Vet Entomol 2026 Mar;40(1):91-100.
- da Gama BC, Martins TF, Labruna MB, Vieira RFDC, de Almeida JC. First report of Amblyomma sculptum (Amblyomma cajennense complex) in a Brazilian state classified as a silent area for human rickettsiosis. Vet World 2023 Nov;16(11):2200-2204.
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