Center for Vector Biology & Zoonotic Diseases, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, P.O. Box 1106, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT, 06504,USA.
Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, P.O. Box 1106, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT, 06504, USA.
J Med Entomol. 2022 Mar 16;59(2):591-597. doi: 10.1093/jme/tjab200.
Integrated tick management (ITM) is a comprehensive strategy used to reduce presence of ticks and their associated pathogens. Such strategies typically employ a combination of host and non-host targeted treatments which often include fipronil-based, rodent-targeted bait boxes. Bait boxes target small-bodied rodents, specifically white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus Rafinesque) that not only play a crucial role in the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis Say (Ixodida: Ixodidae)) life cycle, but also in the transmission of numerous pathogens, primarily Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae), the causal agent of Lyme disease. This study aimed to determine the effect of bait box deployment configuration on tick burden reduction while also further exploring bait consumption and P. leucopus abundances as measures of bait box usage and effectiveness. Boxes were deployed on nine properties within each of six neighborhoods (n = 54) in two different configurations: grid and perimeter. Multiple factors were analyzed as potential predictors for reduction in tick burdens using a backward stepwise selection procedure. Results confirmed the perimeter configuration was a more effective deployment strategy. In addition, overall P. leucopus abundance was a significant predictor of tick burden reduction while bait consumption was not. These findings not only further support the recommended perimeter deployment configuration but provide insight into effective utilization in areas of high P. leucopus abundance. The identification of this significant relationship, in addition to configuration, can be utilized by vector control professionals and homeowners to make informed decisions on bait box placement to make sustained impacts on the I. scapularis vector and associated pathogens within an ITM framework.
综合蜱管理（ITM）是一种用于减少蜱及其相关病原体存在的综合策略。这种策略通常采用针对宿主和非宿主的联合处理方法，其中包括基于氟虫腈的、针对啮齿动物的诱饵盒。诱饵盒针对的是小型啮齿动物，特别是白足鼠（Peromyscus leucopus Rafinesque），它们不仅在黑腿蜱（Ixodes scapularis Say（Ixodida：Ixodidae））的生命周期中起着至关重要的作用，而且在许多病原体的传播中也起着至关重要的作用，主要是伯氏疏螺旋体（Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson，Schmid，Hyde，Steigerwalt＆Brenner（Spirochaetales：Spirochaetaceae），莱姆病的病原体。本研究旨在确定诱饵盒部署配置对减少蜱虫负担的影响，同时进一步探索诱饵消耗和白足鼠丰度作为诱饵盒使用和有效性的衡量标准。在六个街区的每个街区的九个物业中部署了诱饵盒（n = 54），有两种不同的配置：网格和周边。使用逐步向后选择程序分析了多个因素作为减少蜱虫负担的潜在预测因子。结果证实，周边配置是一种更有效的部署策略。此外，白足鼠的总体丰度是减少蜱虫负担的一个重要预测因子，而诱饵消耗则不是。这些发现不仅进一步支持了推荐的周边部署配置，还提供了有关在白足鼠丰度高的地区有效利用的见解。除了配置之外，这种重要关系的确定可以为虫害控制专业人员和房主提供信息，以便在 ITM 框架内对诱饵盒的放置做出明智的决策，从而对黑腿蜱媒介和相关病原体产生持续的影响。
