Markowski D, Hyland K E, Ginsberg H S, Hu R
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston 02881-0816, USA.
J Parasitol. 1997 Apr;83(2):207-11.
Larval blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, were collected from white-footed mice. Peromyscus leucopus, on Prudence Island (where Microtus pennsylvanicus were not captured) and from meadow voles. M. pennsylvanicus, on Patience Island (where P. leucopus was absent) in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island from June to October 1992. Ixodes scapularis larvae were also collected by flagging in the vicinity of host captures. On both islands, the relative density of larvae changed from July to September in samples from hosts, but not in flagging samples. Consequently, different sampling techniques can give different assessments of tick populations. Larvae were highly aggregated on both of the host species throughout the sampling period. As the mean relative density of larvae increased in the environment (based on flagging samples), larvae on the hosts became more dense and more crowded. Increased densities of larvae in the environment were not correlated with increased patchiness in the distribution of larvae among host animals on either island. Changes in the spatial distribution of larval I. scapularis on each host species had similar trends as larval densities and distributions within the environment. These results suggest that M. pennsylvanicus can serve as an alternative host for immature I. scapularis in a P. leucopus-free environment and have similar distributional characteristics.
1992年6月至10月，在罗德岛纳拉甘西特湾的审慎岛（未捕获宾夕法尼亚田鼠）从白足鼠（白足鼠属）身上采集了肩突硬蜱幼虫，在耐心岛（没有白足鼠）从草原田鼠（宾夕法尼亚田鼠）身上采集了肩突硬蜱幼虫。肩突硬蜱幼虫也通过在宿主捕获地点附近拖旗法进行采集。在两个岛屿上，宿主样本中幼虫的相对密度从7月到9月发生了变化，但拖旗样本中没有变化。因此，不同的采样技术可能会对蜱虫种群给出不同的评估。在整个采样期间，幼虫在两种宿主物种上都高度聚集。随着环境中幼虫平均相对密度的增加（基于拖旗样本），宿主上的幼虫变得更加密集和拥挤。环境中幼虫密度的增加与任一岛屿上宿主动物之间幼虫分布的斑块化增加无关。肩突硬蜱幼虫在每种宿主物种上的空间分布变化与环境中幼虫的密度和分布具有相似的趋势。这些结果表明，在没有白足鼠的环境中，宾夕法尼亚田鼠可以作为未成熟肩突硬蜱的替代宿主，并且具有相似的分布特征。
