Groupe de recherche en epidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 3200 Sicotte, C.P. 5000, Saint-Hyacinthe, J2S 7C6 QC, Canada.
J Med Entomol. 2013 Mar;50(2):384-93. doi: 10.1603/me12093.
Due to recent establishment of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, in southeastern Canada, tick-borne zoonoses (Lyme disease, human granulocytotropic anaplasmosis, and babesiosis) are of growing concern for public health. Using white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) culled in southwestern Quebec during 2007-2008, we investigated whether hunter-killed deer could act as sentinels for early establishing tick populations and for tick-borne pathogens. Accounting for environmental characteristics of culling sites, and age and sex of deer, we investigated whether their tick infestation levels could identify locations of known tick populations detected in active surveillance, presumed tick populations detected by passive surveillance, or both. We also used spatial cluster analyses to identify spatial patterns of tick infestation and occurrence of tick-borne zoonoses infection in ticks collected from the deer. Adult ticks were found on 15% of the 583 deer examined. Adult male deer had the greatest number (approximately 90%) of adult ticks. Overall, 3, 15, and 0% of the ticks collected were polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive for Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia microti, respectively. Our statistical analyses suggest that sex and age of deer, temperature, precipitation, and an index of tick dispersion by migratory birds were significantly associated with tick infestation levels. Cluster analysis identified significant clusters of deer carrying ticks PCR-positive for A. phagocytophilum, and for deer carrying two or more I. scapularis. Our study suggests that hunter-killed deer may be effective as sentinels for emerging areas of tick-borne anaplasmosis. They may have limited use as sentinels for early emerging I. scapularis tick populations and emerging Lyme disease risk.
由于黑腿蜱（Ixodes scapularis Say）最近在加拿大东南部建立，蜱传动物病（莱姆病、人类粒细胞无形体病和巴贝斯虫病）对公共卫生的关注日益增加。本研究使用 2007-2008 年在魁北克省西南部被猎杀的白尾鹿（Odocoileus virginianus），调查被猎人杀死的鹿是否可以作为早期建立的蜱种群和蜱传病原体的哨兵。考虑到猎杀地点的环境特征以及鹿的年龄和性别，我们调查了它们的蜱虫感染水平是否可以识别已知蜱种群的位置，这些蜱种群是在主动监测中检测到的，还是在被动监测中检测到的，或者两者兼而有之。我们还使用空间聚类分析来识别从鹿身上采集的蜱虫的蜱虫感染和蜱传动物病感染的空间模式。在检查的 583 只鹿中，有 15%发现了成年蜱虫。成年公鹿的成年蜱虫数量最多（约 90%）。总的来说，3%、15%和 0%的采集的蜱虫通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测到伯氏疏螺旋体、嗜吞噬细胞无形体和微小巴贝斯虫呈阳性。我们的统计分析表明，鹿的性别和年龄、温度、降水以及候鸟传播的蜱虫扩散指数与蜱虫感染水平显著相关。聚类分析确定了携带嗜吞噬细胞无形体 PCR 阳性的蜱虫和携带两种或更多种黑腿蜱的鹿的显著聚类。本研究表明，被猎杀的鹿可能是新兴的蜱传无形体病地区的有效哨兵。它们作为早期出现的黑腿蜱种群和新兴莱姆病风险的哨兵的用途可能有限。
