Community-based control of the brown dog tick in a region with high rates of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, 2012-2013

PLoS One. 2014 Dec 5;9(12):e112368. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112368. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) transmitted by the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato) has emerged as a significant public health risk on American Indian reservations in eastern Arizona. During 2003-2012, more than 250 RMSF cases and 19 deaths were documented among Arizona's American Indian population. The high case fatality rate makes community-level interventions aimed at rapid and sustained reduction of ticks urgent. Beginning in 2012, a two year pilot integrated tick prevention campaign called the RMSF Rodeo was launched in a ∼ 600-home tribal community with high rates of RMSF. During year one, long-acting tick collars were placed on all dogs in the community, environmental acaricides were applied to yards monthly, and animal care practices such as spay and neuter and proper tethering procedures were encouraged. Tick levels, indicated by visible inspection of dogs, tick traps and homeowner reports were used to monitor tick presence and evaluate the efficacy of interventions throughout the project. By the end of year one, <1% of dogs in the RMSF Rodeo community had visible tick infestations five months after the project was started, compared to 64% of dogs in Non-Rodeo communities, and environmental tick levels were reduced below detectable levels. The second year of the project focused on use of the long-acting collar alone and achieved sustained tick control with fewer than 3% of dogs in the RMSF Rodeo community with visible tick infestations by the end of the second year. Homeowner reports of tick activity in the domestic and peridomestic setting showed similar decreases in tick activity compared to the non-project communities. Expansion of this successful project to other areas with Rhipicephalus-transmitted RMSF has the potential to reduce brown dog tick infestations and save human lives.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arachnid Vectors / pathogenicity
  • Arizona
  • Dogs
  • Humans
  • Indians, North American
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Rhipicephalus sanguineus / genetics
  • Rhipicephalus sanguineus / parasitology*
  • Rickettsia rickettsii / isolation & purification
  • Rickettsia rickettsii / pathogenicity
  • Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / epidemiology*
  • Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / transmission
  • Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / virology
  • Tick Infestations / epidemiology*

Grants and funding

Parts of this project were funded with CDC Emerging Infections funds. Spay and neuter services were partially provided through a grant from PetSmart Charities (http://www.petsmartcharities.org/pro/grants/spay-neuter) managed by the CDC Foundation. Bayer Healthcare donated Seresto collars and Bayer Advanced acaricidal spray that were used during the project. Funding provided by Indian Health Service and Housing and Urban Development permitted purchase of collars and product and spay-neuter services in 2013. Additionally, financial and personnel contributions have been provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Arizona Department of Health Services, Intertribal Council of Arizona Inc., U.S. Department of Agriculture, Indian Health Service, and Tribe B. Students and staff at North Carolina State University and the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine donated their time in 2012 to help provide free spay and neuter capabilities to the tribe. Grantors had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.