Camus E, Barré N
IFMVT-CIRAD, INRA Duclos, Petit Bourg, Guadeloupe F.W.I.
Parassitologia. 1990 Apr;32(1):185-93.
Amblyomma variegatum, introduced into Guadelopue 150 years ago, has recently spread in the Lesser Antilles and threatens North America. Two important diseases are associated with the tick: heartwater and dermatophilosis. Heartwater occurs in Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante and Antigua; acute dermatophilosis exists almost everywhere the tick is present. Both are very pathogenic for upgraded or newly-infested cattle. After 15 years of A. variegatum control in Guadeloupe, a balance is established between a tick population maintained at a low level by spraying acaricides and an animal population either completely resistant to heartwater and dermatophilosis (creole cattle) or regularly treated against ticks (upgraded cattle). An eradication campaign against A. variegatum in Guadeloupe, to avoid the spread of the associated diseases, appears technically difficult but possible, economically profitable, but socially completely utopian. We suggest for Guadeloupe a reinforced control of the tick with a persistent acaricide, hoping that a general decrease of the tick infestation rate on cattle will eliminate heartwater and acute dermatophilosis.
150 年前传入瓜德罗普岛的变异革蜱，最近在小安的列斯群岛扩散，并对北美构成威胁。这种蜱与两种重要疾病有关：心水病和皮肤真菌病。心水病在瓜德罗普岛、玛丽 - 加朗特岛和安提瓜岛出现；急性皮肤真菌病几乎在有这种蜱的所有地方都存在。这两种疾病对改良牛或新感染的牛都极具致病性。在瓜德罗普岛对变异革蜱进行了 15 年的防治后，通过喷洒杀螨剂将蜱虫数量维持在低水平，与对心水病和皮肤真菌病完全有抗性的动物群体（克里奥尔牛）或定期进行蜱虫防治的动物群体（改良牛）之间建立了平衡。在瓜德罗普岛开展一场根除变异革蜱的运动，以避免相关疾病的传播，从技术上讲似乎困难但可行，在经济上有利可图，但在社会层面完全是乌托邦式的。我们建议在瓜德罗普岛使用长效杀螨剂加强对蜱虫的控制，希望牛群蜱虫感染率的普遍下降能消除心水病和急性皮肤真菌病。
