Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, MSC 218, Kingsville, Texas 78363, USA.
Department of Agriculture, Agribusiness, and Environmental Science, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, MSC 218, Kingsville, Texas 78363, USA.
J Wildl Dis. 2020 Jul;56(3):588-596. doi: 10.7589/2015-11-304. Epub 2020 Feb 17.
White-tailed deer () serve as a host for cattle fever ticks ( [] and [] ; CFTs); therefore, deer are a concern for CFT control programs in southern Texas, US. Systemic (oral delivery of ivermectin) and topical (permethrin on pelage) treatment devices have been developed for white-tailed deer; however, the efficacy of these treatment options has not been determined for CFTs in southern Texas. Our objectives were to evaluate the effectiveness of CFT treatment strategies by 1) measuring exposure rates of deer to the acaricides permethrin and ivermectin, 2) determining the relationship between CFTs on deer and exposure to the acaricides, and 3) determining if photos from remote cameras at medicated bait sites can be used as a measure of acaricide treatment. We captured 327 deer at four sites in southern Texas. Deer visitation to medicated bait sites was monitored using remote cameras from March 2010 to February 2012. There was no relationship between the presence of permethrin and the probability of being infested with CFTs (≥0.336). The probability of infestation with CFTs decreased as serum ivermectin levels increased for male (=18, =0.098) and female (=33, <0.001) deer. Our results indicate ivermectin may be more effective in treating CFTs than permethrin; thus it would be worthwhile to develop topical acaricides other than permethrin for treating white-tailed deer in southern Texas.
白尾鹿（）是牛热蜱（[]和[]；CFTs）的宿主；因此，在美国德克萨斯州南部，鹿是 CFT 控制计划的关注点。已经开发出用于白尾鹿的全身性（口服伊维菌素）和局部性（在被毛上使用氯菊酯）治疗装置；然而，这些治疗选择对德克萨斯州南部的 CFT 尚未确定其疗效。我们的目标是通过以下方法评估 CFT 治疗策略的有效性：1）测量鹿对拟除虫菊酯氯菊酯和伊维菌素的暴露率，2）确定鹿身上的 CFT 与接触拟除虫菊酯之间的关系，以及 3）确定远程摄像机拍摄的照片是否可作为衡量杀螨剂治疗效果的指标。我们在德克萨斯州南部的四个地点捕获了 327 只鹿。使用远程摄像机从 2010 年 3 月至 2012 年 2 月监测了鹿对加药诱饵点的访问情况。氯菊酯的存在与 CFT 感染的可能性（≥0.336）之间没有关系。雄性（=18，=0.098）和雌性（=33，<0.001）鹿的 CFT 感染率随着伊维菌素血清水平的升高而降低。我们的结果表明，伊维菌素可能比氯菊酯更有效地治疗 CFT；因此，值得开发其他局部用杀螨剂来替代德克萨斯州南部的氯菊酯治疗白尾鹿。
