Ixodid Ticks Associated with Feral Swine in Texas

Authors

• David M. Sanders, United States Air Force Research Laboratory/USAFSAM
• Anthony L. Schuster, United States Army Medical Component, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences
• P. Wesley McCardle, United States Army Medical Component, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences
• Otto F. Strey, Texas A & M University
• Terry L. Blankenship, Welder Wildlife Foundation
• Pete D. Teel, Texas A & M University

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2013

Citation

Journal of Vector Ecology (2013)

Comments

United States government work

Abstract

Ixodid ticks were collected from feral swine in eight Texas ecoregions from 2008-2011. Sixty-two percent of 806 feral swine were infested with one or more of the following species: Amblyomma americanum, A. cajennense, A. maculatum, Dermacentor albipictus, D. halli, D. variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis. Juvenile and adult feral swine of both sexes were found to serve as host to ixodid ticks. Longitudinal surveys of feral swine at four geographic locations show persistent year-round tick infestations of all gender-age classes for tick species common to their respective geographic locations and ecoregions. Amblyomma americanum, A. cajennense, A. maculatum, and D. variabilis were collected from 66% of feral swine harvested through an abatement program in seven ecoregions from March to October in 2009. These results indicate westward geographic expansion of D. variabilis. Summary results show feral swine are competent hosts for ixodid species responsible for the transmission of pathogens and diminished well-being in livestock, wildlife, and humans.