Wild pigs as sentinels for hard ticks: A case study from south-central Florida

Abstract

As a result of shifts in the habitable range of ticks due to climate change and the ongoing threat of exotic tick species introductions, efficient surveillance tools for these pests and disease vectors are needed. Wild pigs are habitat generalists, distributed throughout most of the United States, and often hunted recreationally or removed as part of management programs, making them potentially useful sentinel hosts for ticks. We compared ticks collected from captured wild pigs and standard tick dragging methods on a south-central Florida cattle ranch from May 2015–August 2017. Three hundred and sixteen wild pigs were surveyed, and 84 km spanning three habitat types (seminative pasture, improved pasture, and hammock) were dragged. In total, 1023 adults of four species (Amblyomma auricularium, Amblyomma maculatum, Dermacentor variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis) were collected from wild pigs, while 39 adults of three species (A. auricularium, A. maculatum, and I. scapularis) were collected from drags. Only one immature specimen, a nymph, was collected from a pig, while dragging collected 2808 larvae and 150 nymphs. Amblyomma maculatum comprised 96% of adults collected from pigs, while A. maculatum, I. scapularis, and A. auricularium comprised 38%, 33%, and 28% of adults collected from drags, respectively. Adults of all tick species found on drags were found on pigs, and wild pig surveillance detected adults of an additional species not found on drags. Dragging was far superior for collection of immatures but not for adults of most species found in this study. These findings suggest wild pigs could be used as a sentinel for the detection of tick species. When combined with ongoing wild pig research, hunting, or management, wild pig surveillance can provide an effective method to survey for adult tick presence of some species of interest and may assist in tracking the range expansion of some tick species.

Bacterial community profiling highlights complex diversity and novel organisms in wildlife ticks

“…The complex interplay between pathogen, vector, host(s) and the environment make VBDs particularly challenging to understand. In addition, factors such as climate change (Ostfeld and Brunner, 2015), land use (Ferrell and Brinkerhoff, 2018), feral animal populations (Merrill et al, 2018) and the microclimate within a landscape (Dobson et al, 2011) can further influence the prevalence and distribution of VBDs.…”

Ticks and serosurvey of anti-Rickettsia spp. antibodies in wild boars (Sus scrofa), hunting dogs and hunters of Brazil

“…Wild boars may be carrying and spreading capybara ticks from their original habitats to other ecosystems. In Florida, USA, wild boars have been found over long distances and different ecosystem, increasing contact to multiple tick species in their preferential microhabitat [12]. Besides higher-energy requirements obtained in long distance incursions, adult wild pigs have also larger body area [57] than capybaras, which might be an important characteristic of wild boars in spreading ticks in Brazil.…”

“…Wild boars ( Sus scrofa ) have been classified by Brazilian laws as exotic invasive species originated by Eurasian wild boars and their hybrids, with nationwide hunting officially permitted (Normative Instruction 03/2013) as a strategy for population control and eradication [11]. Wild boars may invade natural and anthropic areas, not only competing for resources with native wildlife and livestock species, but also sustaining life cycle of ticks and tick-borne diseases [12]. As large-bodied, non-native and the most invasive mammal species, wild boars have been considered as potential hosts of A .…”

Bacterial community profiling highlights complex diversity and novel organisms in wildlife ticks

“…The complex interplay between pathogen, vector, host(s) and the environment make VBDs particularly challenging to understand. In addition, factors such as climate change (Ostfeld and Brunner, 2015), land use (Ferrell and Brinkerhoff, 2018), feral animal populations (Merrill et al, 2018) and the microclimate within a landscape (Dobson et al, 2011) can further influence the prevalence and distribution of VBDs. Ticks (Acari: Ixodida) comprise a group of haematophagous (blood feeding) arthropods with almost 900 species described globally (Guglielmone et al, 2010).…”