Nilgai Antelope in Northern Mexico as a Possible Carrier for Cattle Fever Ticks and Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina

Cárdenas-Canales, Elsa M.; Ortega-Santos, J. Alfonso; Campbell, Tyler A.; García-Vázquez, Zeferino; Cantú-Covarrubias, Antonio; Millán, Julio Vicente Figueroa; DeYoung, Randall W.; Hewitt, David G.; Bryant, Fred C.

doi:10.7589/0090-3558-47.3.777

Cited by 29 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…One of these, nilgai, Boselaphus tragocamelus, is an exotic species belonging to the Bovidae family native to India that was successfully introduced to south Texas between 1930 and1941 (Moczygemba 2010;Sheffield 1983). Nilgai have become involved in CFT infestations in the transboundary region at the mouth of the Rio Grande, and in the Rio Grande valley of south Texas (Cardenas-Canales et al 2011). Unchecked, the spread of CFT will increase economic and animal health burdens to producers, landowners, local communities and regulatory agencies (Anderson et al 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulated interactions of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), climate variation and habitat heterogeneity on southern cattle tick (Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus) eradication methods in south Texas, USA

Wang

Teel

Grant

et al. 2016

Ecological Modelling

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White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are a host for cattle fever ticks (Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) sp.), which are vectors of the pathogens causing bovine babesiosis and anaplasmosis in cattle. Tick eradication efforts focused on cattle along the U.S.-Mexico border are high priority and the potential role of white-tailed deer in compromising these efforts is of great concern. We developed a spatially-explicit,

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulated interactions of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), climate variation and habitat heterogeneity on southern cattle tick (Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus) eradication methods in south Texas, USA

Wang

Teel

Grant

et al. 2016

Ecological Modelling

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“…This introduced wildlife species has been shown to be compatible host for R. microplus together with other tick species of the genus Amblyomma [ 30 ]. This coupled with other studies regarding the movement of nilgai in southern Texas [ 69 , 70 ] highlight the impact of wildlife in the dispersal, control, and eradication of CFT and bovine babesiosis in the U.S. and the transboundary region with Mexico [ 71 ].…”

Section: Epidemiology and Diagnostic Tools For The Detection And Cmentioning

confidence: 67%

Research on Integrated Management for Cattle Fever Ticks and Bovine Babesiosis in the United States and Mexico: Current Status and Opportunities for Binational Coordination

et al. 2020

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Bovine babesiosis is a reportable transboundary animal disease caused by Babesia bovis and Babesiabigemina in the Americas where these apicomplexan protozoa are transmitted by the invasive cattle fever ticks Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus and Rhipicephalus(Boophilus) annulatus. In countries like Mexico where cattle fever ticks remain endemic, bovine babesiosis is detrimental to cattle health and results in a significant economic cost to the livestock industry. These cattle disease vectors continue to threaten the U.S. cattle industry despite their elimination through efforts of the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program. Mexico and the U.S. share a common interest in managing cattle fever ticks through their economically important binational cattle trade. Here, we report the outcomes of a meeting where stakeholders from Mexico and the U.S. representing the livestock and pharmaceutical industry, regulatory agencies, and research institutions gathered to discuss research and knowledge gaps requiring attention to advance progressive management strategies for bovine babesiosis and cattle fever ticks. Research recommendations and other actionable activities reflect commitment among meeting participants to seize opportunities for collaborative efforts. Addressing these research gaps is expected to yield scientific knowledge benefitting the interdependent livestock industries of Mexico and the U.S. through its translation into enhanced biosecurity against the economic and animal health impacts of bovine babesiosis and cattle fever ticks.

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“…Recent field studies have incriminated nilgai, Boselaphus tragocamelus , as an alternate host species for SCFT in the Texas-Mexico transboundary border region, which poses a risk for the re-emergence of CFT-borne diseases in the USA [ 18 – 20 ]. Nilgai, an exotic antelope species belonging to the family Bovidae and native to India, were successfully introduced to south Texas in 1941 [ 21 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nilgai were found to be infested with either R. annulatus or R. microplus (SCFT), as identified by the USDA, APHIS, National Veterinary Services Laboratory [ 10 ]. Blood from free-ranging nilgai in northern Mexico tested PCR-positive for both B. bigemina and B. bovis , although no SCFT were found on the nilgai from which the blood was sampled [ 18 ]. It remains unknown whether either bovine Babesia species can establish an infection in nilgai [ 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced biosurveillance of high-consequence invasive pests: southern cattle fever ticks, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, on livestock and wildlife

Wang

Grant

Teel³

et al. 2020

Parasites Vectors

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Background Some tick species are invasive and of high consequence to public and veterinary health. Socioeconomic development of rural parts of the USA was enabled partly through the eradication by 1943 of cattle fever ticks (CFT, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus and R. (B.) microplus). The southern cattle fever ticks (SCFT, R. (B.) microplus) remain a real and present threat to the USA animal agriculture because they are established in Mexico. Livestock-wildlife interactions in the Permanent Quarantine Zone (PQZ) established by the century-old Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Programme (CFTEP) in south Texas endanger its operations. Methods We describe a spatially-explicit, individual-based model that simulates interactions between cattle, white-tailed deer (WTD, Odocoileus virginianus), and nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) to assess the risk for SCFT infestations across the pathogenic landscape in the PQZ and beyond. We also investigate the potential role of nilgai in sustaining SCFT populations by simulating various hypothetical infestation and eradication scenarios. Results All infestation scenarios resulted in a phase transition from a relatively small proportion of the ranch infested to almost the entire ranch infested coinciding with the typical period of autumn increases in off-host tick larvae. Results of eradication scenarios suggest that elimination of all on-host ticks on cattle, WTD, or nilgai would have virtually no effect on the proportion of the ranch infested or on the proportions of different tick habitat types infested; the entire ranch would remain infested. If all on-host ticks were eliminated on cattle and WTD, WTD and nilgai, or cattle and nilgai, the proportions of the ranch infested occasionally would drop to 0.6, 0.6 and 0.2, respectively. Differences in proportions of the ranch infested from year to year were due to primarily to differences in winter weather conditions, whereas infestation differences among tick habitat types were due primarily to habitat use preferences of hosts. Conclusions Infestations in nilgai augment SCFT refugia enabled by WTD and promote pest persistence across the landscape and cattle parasitism. Our study documented the utility of enhanced biosurveillance using simulation tools to mitigate risk and enhance operations of area-wide tick management programmes like the CFTEP through integrated tactics for SCFT suppression.

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Nilgai Antelope in Northern Mexico as a Possible Carrier for Cattle Fever Ticks and Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina

Cited by 29 publications

References 9 publications

Simulated interactions of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), climate variation and habitat heterogeneity on southern cattle tick (Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus) eradication methods in south Texas, USA

Simulated interactions of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), climate variation and habitat heterogeneity on southern cattle tick (Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus) eradication methods in south Texas, USA

Research on Integrated Management for Cattle Fever Ticks and Bovine Babesiosis in the United States and Mexico: Current Status and Opportunities for Binational Coordination

Enhanced biosurveillance of high-consequence invasive pests: southern cattle fever ticks, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, on livestock and wildlife

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