Center for Vector Biology, Department of Entomology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.
NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, Endangered and Nongame Species Program, Lebanon, NJ.
J Med Entomol. 2021 Mar 12;58(2):939-942. doi: 10.1093/jme/tjaa189.
The soft tick Carios kelleyi (Cooley and Kohls), a parasite of bats known to occur in at least 29 of the 48 conterminous U.S. states, is here reported from New Jersey for the first time, based on larvae collected from big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus. Although thought to be widespread in North America, the ecology of C. kelleyi is not well understood, despite reports of this species feeding on humans and its consequent potential as a disease vector. The association of C. kelleyi with bat species that regularly roost in human-made structures, such as attics and barns, and recent isolations from this tick of pathogens capable of infecting humans, companion animals, and livestock underscore the need for further studies of these bat ectoparasites.
软蜱 Carios kelleyi（库利和科尔斯）是一种已知在美国 48 个州中的至少 29 个州寄生蝙蝠的寄生虫，这里首次根据从大褐蝙蝠（Eptesicus fuscus）采集的幼虫报告了来自新泽西州的这种寄生虫。尽管被认为在北美的分布很广泛，但由于有关该物种以人类为食及其作为疾病媒介的潜在可能性的报道，因此对 C. kelleyi 的生态学了解甚少。C. kelleyi 与经常在人造结构（如阁楼和谷仓）中栖息的蝙蝠物种有关，并且最近从这种蜱虫中分离出了能够感染人类、伴侣动物和牲畜的病原体，这突出表明需要进一步研究这些蝙蝠外寄生虫。
