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dc.contributor.authorGiles, John R.
dc.contributor.authorPeterson, A. Townsend
dc.contributor.authorBusch, Joseph D.
dc.contributor.authorOlafson, Pia U.
dc.contributor.authorScoles, Glen A.
dc.contributor.authorDavey, Ronald B.
dc.contributor.authorPound, J. Mathews
dc.contributor.authorKammlah, Diane M.
dc.contributor.authorLohmeyer, Kimberly H.
dc.contributor.authorWagner, David M.
dc.date.accessioned2014-06-04T16:57:22Z
dc.date.available2014-06-04T16:57:22Z
dc.date.issued2014-04-17
dc.identifier.citationGiles, John R; A Townsend Peterson, Joseph D Busch, Pia U Olafson, Glen A Scoles, Ronald B Davey, J Mathews Pound, Diane M Kammlah, Kimberly H Lohmeyer, David M Wagner. “Invasive potential of cattle fever ticks in the southern United States.” Parasit Vectors. 2014; 7: 189. Published online 2014 April 17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-7-189
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1808/13863
dc.description.abstractBackground

For >100 years cattle production in the southern United States has been threatened by cattle fever. It is caused by an invasive parasite-vector complex that includes the protozoan hemoparasites Babesia bovis and B. bigemina, which are transmitted among domestic cattle via Rhipicephalus tick vectors of the subgenus Boophilus. In 1906 an eradication effort was started and by 1943 Boophilus ticks had been confined to a narrow tick eradication quarantine area (TEQA) along the Texas-Mexico border. However, a dramatic increase in tick infestations in areas outside the TEQA over the last decade suggests these tick vectors may be poised to re-invade the southern United States. We investigated historical and potential future distributions of climatic habitats of cattle fever ticks to assess the potential for a range expansion. Methods

We built robust spatial predictions of habitat suitability for the vector species Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus and R. (B.) annulatus across the southern United States for three time periods: 1906, present day (2012), and 2050. We used analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) to identify persistent tick occurrences and analysis of bias in the climate proximate to these occurrences to identify key environmental parameters associated with the ecology of both species. We then used ecological niche modeling algorithms GARP and Maxent to construct models that related known occurrences of ticks in the TEQA during 2001–2011 with geospatial data layers that summarized important climate parameters at all three time periods. Results

We identified persistent tick infestations and specific climate parameters that appear to be drivers of ecological niches of the two tick species. Spatial models projected onto climate data representative of climate in 1906 reproduced historical pre-eradication tick distributions. Present-day predictions, although constrained to areas near the TEQA, extrapolated well onto climate projections for 2050. Conclusions

Our models indicate the potential for range expansion of climate suitable for survival of R. microplus and R. annulatus in the southern United States by mid-century, which increases the risk of reintroduction of these ticks and cattle tick fever into major cattle producing areas.
dc.description.sponsorshipWe thank USDA-APHIS mounted patrol inspectors for collecting field samples used in this study. This work was supported by USDA-NIFA Grant 2010-65104-20386. Use of trade, product, or firm names does not imply endorsement by the US Government. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
dc.publisherSpringer
dc.rightsThis is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
dc.titleInvasive potential of cattle fever ticks in the southern United States
dc.typeArticle
kusw.kuauthorPeterson, A. Townsend
kusw.kudepartmentEcology and Evolutionary Biology
kusw.oastatusfullparticipation
dc.identifier.doi10.1186/1756-3305-7-189
kusw.oaversionScholarly/refereed, publisher version
kusw.oapolicyThis item meets KU Open Access policy criteria.
dc.rights.accessrightsopenAccess


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This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as: This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.