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Video Q&A ViewAttendees 4

Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology

10-Minute Paper

MUVE: Tick Ecology and Control On-Demand Presentations

Surveillance and risk assessment for tick-borne pathogens along the US/Mexico border

On-Demand
On-Demand

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Tolulope Morawo

    Entomologist
    United States Navy
    San Diego, California

    • Co-Author(s)

  • RT

    Riley Tedrow

    Entomologist
    United States Navy
    San Diego, California

  • HA

    Hanayo Arimoto

    Entomologist
    United States Navy
    San Diego, California

The status of ticks and tick-borne infection on US military installations is not well known, partly due to restricted access to the public. This information gap gives a misleading perception of tick-borne disease risk and hinders patients' access to prevention education and timely diagnosis. Currently, there is no requirement to conduct active tick surveillance on US military installations, yet forces are faced with a higher risk due to their frequent exposure to field training environments. This study seeks to determine accurate risk levels by targeting US military installations, specifically localities near the international border with Mexico. The main objectives of the study were to: i) conduct tick surveillance on select military installations, ii) identify tick species and screen for pathogens, and iii) create disease risk assessments and advise US forces operating in proximity to the US-Mexico border. The study sites included five installations in California with limited or nonexistent vector surveillance, or sites in which current surveillance focused exclusively on mosquitoes. Ticks were collected using standard tick drags. Preliminary data indicate an abundance of Dermacentor species over other species, including Ixodes. The ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 was amplified and sequenced to determine tick species. Pathogens were screened using the Biomeme FranklinTM Real-Time PCR Thermocycler, with targets including Borrelia sp., Rickettsia sp., Anaplasma sp., Ehrlichia sp., and Coxiella burnetii. Pathogen positive ticks were deep-sequenced using an Illumina MiSeq. We discuss the ecological and health implications of our results and provide recommendations for force health protection.