Transmission of Babesia odocoilei in White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) by Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) Author(s): K. A. Waldrup, A. A. Kocan, R. W. Barker, and G. G. Wagner Source: Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 26(3):390-391. Published By: Wildlife Disease Association DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-26.3.390 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.7589/0090-3558-26.3.390

BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder.

BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research.

Journal

of Wildlife

26(3),

Diseases,

© Wildlife

Transmission

of Babesia

(Odocoileus College

of Veterinary

of Veterinary

Parasitology,

Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, USA

ABSTRACT:

Laboratory to

of

and

stage

and

transmitted

Key

infections.

Babesia protozoan

odocoilei parasite

the

adult

vector

transtadial

is an intraerythrocytic of white-tailed

distribution eastern et al.,

of Texas 1989a,

this

ex-

et

Ixodes scapularis did not find this odocoilei.

B.

al.

The

on

present

deer

study

To establish a patent tion in a white-tailed collected in sodium ranging white-tailed

smears

in-

Hills

Wildlife

Oklahoma site

has

Refuge, (USA,

been

Cherokee previously

white-tailed

deer.

determined

for

20 days. in stained

postinoculation.

was detected at 16 days postinoculation.

(Ixodes

scapularis)

but

were

reared DepartLaboraStillwamethods

proximately

1,000

describes

housed

from

Ixodes

inside

metal

cage

(2.0

m

x 1.7 m

Each side pans

of a metal pan, and the margins were taped with double-sided

County,

sive ing.

tape The

cage

for

ercise food

and cage and water

as being

libidum. from the

deer 390

floor

supports

was

10

mm

twice

cleaning which

Replete nymphs cage and pans

were

inof the adhe-

from escapfrom the daily

and

the deer expand-

placed

to prevent the ticks animal was removed 5 to

was (1.8

x 1.1 m).

blood was five, freeCookson

of the

I. on

deer which wooden box

a ventilated

m x 1.2 m x 1.0 m). After 12 hr, was removed to a rubber-coated, ed

smears Ap-

laboratory-reared placed directly

scapularis nymphs were the B. odocoilei infected

with

This

a dilu-

and maintained in colony at the ment of Entomology-Livestock tory (Oklahoma State University, ter, Oklahoma 74078, USA) by

blood piroplasms in stained blood and specific antibody to B. odocoilei.

an endemic area for B. odocoilei (Waldrup et a!., 1989a). Blood was pooled and inoculated intravenously into a 6-mo-old captive-born

in-

similar to those of Patrick and Hair (1975). Nymphal and adult ticks were fed on uninfected deer which remained negative for

35#{176}41’N, 94#{176}48’W). This

identified

at 6 days

antibody 1:80 by

Ticks

B. odocoilei infec-

deer whole citrate from deer from

were

Specific tion of

vector

the transmission of Babesia odocoilei deer to deer using laboratory-reared scapularis as a vector.

study

blood

mentioned infected

in this

and geo-

parasite

as a potential tick

used

deer

and Oklahoma b) and the Great

(1985)

of babesial

and at 2 day intervals odocoilei were observed

Swamp in southern Virginia (Perry 1985). Although the vector is unEmerson (1969) and Perry et al. identified the lone star tick (Amblyomma americana) on deer at a time when the deer also were parasitized by B. Perry

free

lation Babesia

Dismal et al., known, (1985)

odocoilei.

to be

to be negative for babesiasis and specific antibody before use. Blood and serum samples were collected on the day of inocu-

transmissurvival,

of Veterinary Microbiology and Texas 77843, USA; 2 Department

determined

all deer Odocoileus

virginia nus) (Emerson 1968, 1970). The known

graphic cludes (Waldrup

and

deer,

odocoilei,

Babesia sea pularis,

perimental

whitebetween

tick,

lxodidae)

of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma

was

Transta-

).

occurred

of the

White-tailed

virginianus,

(Odocoileus Wright,

between

1990

fection by stained blood smear examination and by the lack of specific antibody using the indirect fluorescent antibody test (Waldrup et al., 1989a). By similar criteria,

babesia.

sion,

Ixodes

(Acari:

‘Department College Station,

University,

scapuBabesia

of

janus

babesia

the

words:

Ixodes

Wright

stages

A&M

and Public Health, College of Entomology,

vector

virgin

the

adult

Texas

Department

efficient

(Odocoileus

survival

nymph

USA;

reared

an

Emerson deer

dial

be

Medicine,

Microbiology,

74078,

laris tailed

scapularis

pp. 390-391

Association

Deer

A. A. Kocan,2 R. W. Barker,3 and G. G. Wagner,’

Parasitology,

proved

in White-tailed

by Ixodes

virginianus)

K. A. Waldrup,’

odocoilei

odocoilel

1990,

Disease

for

ex-

to replace provided ad

were daily,

collected placed

in

SHORT

paper midity

cartons and held and 25 C under

hr dark

photophase

at 90 to 95% a 14 hr light

until

they

to adults. Adult I. scapularis, molted fed on the B. odocoilei-infected allowed (WTD

had from

hu: 10

molted

deer

WTD

replete On 1 was

day

adults were collected 14 post-infestation,

treated

with

Replete and placed

2). Blood and lected at 2 day tick

nymphs on another

serum intervals

infestation

and

were deer

weekly

we suspect that the and T. cervi would

antibody,

fluorescent days after 1:80.

as detected

by

antibody test, tick infestation

Piroplasms

were

blood smears tick infestation,

the

seen

in

ginianus)

detected sample

at a dilution collected 22

of 1:80 in the days after tick

tation.

Piroplasms

were

stained blood smears >12 mo. These experiments that B. odocoilei can deer to deer using I.

of

WTD

2 for

transmission and the adult the organism.

Further work is needed to delineate the epidemiology of B. odocoilei. Amblyomma americanum is a vector of the cervid blood parasite, Theileria cervi (Kuttler et a!., 1967), and deer apparently are infected with both B. odocoilei and T. cervi in

Texas

the (Robinson

et al., 1989a, cervi extends

entire

range et a!.,

b). However, more westward

of B. odocoilei 1968; Wa!drup the

range of T. than that of

east

Association

K.

L.,

1967.

Tick

tailed

deer.

sociation

Bulletin

5:

137-139.

The

isolation

deer. Bulletin 4: 142-143.

1970.

Correction.

of the

Journal

of

6: 519.

R.

NI. ROBINSON,

transmission

R.

AND

R.

of theileriasis

Bulletin

of

the

BEI.L.

in a white-

Wildlife

Disease

As-

3: 182-183. C. D.,

J.

ANI)

A.

procedures

ticks B.

12:

D.,

D.

for

Journal

multi-host of

Medical

389-390. NICHoLs,

K.

Babesia

Laboratory

equipment

Ixodidae).

Entomology 1985.

1975.

HAIR.

and

(Acarina:

in

white-tailed

anus,

in

Virginia.

E.

AN!)

odocoilei

1970,

S. Cuu.osi. and

Emerson

deer,

Wright,

Odocoileus

Journal

of

virgini-

Wildlife

Diseases

149-152.

R.

NI.,

L. P. JONES,

K.

L.

KUTTLER,

in Texas

deer.

Wildlife 33:

(;ER.

Natural

TIIONIAS,

Journal

of

EMERSON,

1968.

Blood

of the

North

Resources 11. C.

.ANI)

in

Theileriasis

The

R.

Transactions

arid

359-364. J. W.

1967.

H.

R. C. M.ARBURGER.

AND

parasites

deer.

vir-

Texas.

1968.

WRIGhT.

.

ference

have demonstrated be transmitted from scapularis. Babesia

Disease T.

parasitic

(Odocoileus

and

Diseases

KUTTLER,

of

deer

central

AND

American

odocoilei survives transtadial in the tick (nymph to adult), stage of the tick can transmit

throughout

W.

Wildlife

21:

in

deer

Wildlife

AND

ROBINSON,

detectable

A comparison

of a Babesia in white-tailed Wildlife Disease Association

PERRY,

serum infes-

1969.

from

of the

26 of after was

of

ranges of overlap

CITED

of white-tailed

rearing

peripheral

from WTD 2 10 days and specific antibody

R.

infestations

PATRICK,

indirect

was present at a dilution

H.

EMERSON,

,

6 mo.

If A.

vector

was supported by the Texas Experiment Station, Project The authors thank Scott Laird assistance. LITERATURE

Piroplasms were noted in peripheral blood smears from the first recipient deer (WTD 1) 6 days after tick infestation. Specific

important

completely.

This work Agricultural no. H-6261. for technical

molted (WTD

for

an

391

1967).

B. odocoilei, B. odocoilei

samples were colfor 2 wk following then

et al.,

were

an acaricide.

On day 25 after acaricide treatment, 1,000 nymphal I. scapularis from the colony were placed on WTD 1 as previously described. to adults

(Robinson

americanum

more

nymphs deer, were

to feed on a second 6-mo-old deer 1) following the procedure just de-

scribed. The and discarded.

B. odocoilei

COMMUNICATIONS

Texas

‘Wildlife

ConMAR13UR-

white-tailed

Management

31:

455-459. K.

WAI.DRUP,

A.,

A.

A.

Serological odocoilei virginianus) Wildlife

prevalence among

C.

erythrocytic selected Veterinary Received

for

and

pathogens Medicine publication

of

Babesia

(Odocoileus

and Oklahoma. 194-201.

Journal

S. E.

C. K. WIN

BENTSEN,

1989b. arid in deer

in

Texas.

7: 49-58. 26

July

1989.

of

KLER,

Prevalence

serologic

S.

1989a.

deer

WAGNER.

protozoa

D.

QURESI-II,

WAGNER.

isolation

white-tailed

in Texas Diseases 25: C.

T.

C. C.

AND

E. CoLLissox, ANI)

Koc.AN,

D. B.AGGETT,

D.xvis,

reactivity Preventive

of to