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ViewAttendees 3

Section Symposium

Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology

Rising to the Grand Challenge: Building Collaborations for Innovative Cattle Fever Tick Research

From field data to simulation models and applications: A collaborative approach to enhance predictive models for the elimination of cattle fever ticks

Wednesday, November 8, 2023
4:35 PM – 4:50 PM ET
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Potomac 1-2
In-Person
The ecological drivers of dispersal and population dynamics of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus infestations are complex interactions of the tick-host-habitat-climate system both temporally and spatially. White-tailed deer and nilgai have expanded the host component of the system and increased challenges for tick eradication. The keys to eliminating ticks from this system lie in understanding the relationships of these complex factors and how tick suppression tactics can be integrated into comprehensive eradication strategies. Real time field studies have been limited due to the regulatory nature of the cattle fever tick (CFT) eradication program. Simulation and predictive modeling efforts have been our only means to assess this system but recently with collaboration from three agencies we were given the opportunity to conduct a field study of a CFT-infested landscape at the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (LANWR). Data collected from this study included: GIS data layers, environmental data of three microhabitats and mesoclimate, and habitat use and habitat preference/selection data of GPS collared steers. These field data permitted model refinements and validations which were incorporated into a spatially-explicit, individual-based model that simulated potential impacts of wildlife hosts on infestation/eradication dynamics. Ongoing development of additional field data layers have been made with establishment of a regional weather station network and the testing of low-cost GPS cattle tags. Future model applications include a priori and post-treatment assessments of site-specific tactics and strategies for CFT suppression.