Artificial mouse nest boxes as a host targeted strategy for surveillance of zoonotic tick-borne pathogens

Ticks transmit several zoonotic pathogens including those that cause Lyme disease. Mice play a critical epidemiological role as hosts for the ticks and reservoirs for pathogens. Methods for assessing prevalence and incidence of infections in mice are time and labor intensive. We developed an artificial mouse nest for monitoring mice and the ticks they harbor. The boxes have an easily accessible nesting chamber for observation, collection and sampling of mice, and an adhesive trap under the chamber to collect ticks that drop. The artificial mouse nest box simplifies mouse sampling to assess prevalence and seasonal incidence of infections in mice. We placed 46 nest boxes spaced in a 15 meter grid pattern throughout an isolated 1 hectare woodlot and observed activity weekly. Ticks were collected from the sticky traps inside the boxes and by drag sampling in the surrounding area, and mice in the boxes were sampled and ear tagged bi-weekly. Here we present preliminary observations from this study.