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Title: Preliminary findings of a molecular survey for the presence of B. bovis and B. bigemina in cattle fever ticks and white-tailed deer from south Texas

Author
item SCHUSTER, GRETA - Texas A&M University
item FREEMAN, JEANNE - Former ARS Employee
item HEWITT, DAVID - Texas A&M University
item ORTEGA-SANTOS, ALFONSO - Texas A&M University
item CAMPBELL, TYLER - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS), National Wildlife Center
item BOWERS, ED - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
item Pound, Joe
item Davey, Ronald
item Lohmeyer, Kimberly - Kim
item SOLIZ, LIZA - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS), National Wildlife Center
item CURRIE, CHASE - Texas A&M University
item PERRY, TASHA - Texas A&M University
item Olafson, Pia
item MESSENGER, MATTHEW - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
item Perez De Leon, Adalberto - Beto

Submitted to: Livestock Insect Worker's Conference Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/16/2011
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: White-tailed deer are an alternative host for Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus and R. (B.) annulatus, collectively referred to as cattle fever ticks. Dense white-tailed deer populations in south Texas complicate efforts by the National Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program to keep the U.S. free of cattle fever ticks. White-tailed deer in Texas have been shown to harbor DNA from Babesia bovis and B. bigemina, apicomplexan protozoa that cause bovine babesiosis. Additionally, white-tailed deer in northern Mexico were shown to be seropositive for B. bovis and B. bigemina. Despite these findings, it remains unclear whether ticks can acquire B. bovis or B. bigemina from white-tailed deer and subsequently transmit the parasite to cattle. Molecular detection of B. bovis and B. bigemina was performed on DNA isolated from blood and cattle fever ticks collected from white-tailed deer during three capture and release campaigns conducted near Zapata, TX in 2010. A PCR approach was used to screen tick and blood samples for B. bovis and B. bigemina. Amplicons from the positive PCR reactions were then cloned and sequenced to verify their identity. Results from the survey will be presented and the epidemiological significance of the findings discussed.