Location: Animal Disease Research
Project Number: 2090-32000-040-051-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2024
End Date: Jul 31, 2026
Objective:
Babesia parasites pose a significant threat to the cattle industry, potentially causing severe disease and high mortality rates. An outbreak could have devastating effects on the United States' agriculture and food security. Cattle that are asymptomatic but persistently infected may have been introduced into the US from endemic regions to the south, potentially serving as reservoirs for tick acquisition and transmission. If cattle fever ticks become re-established in the US, there is a risk of transmission from these asymptomatic infected cattle to native cattle leading to disease outbreaks. Unfortunately, there are currently no vaccines for bovine babesiosis or the tick vector, Rhipicephalus microplus, as preventive measures in the US. The lack of knowledge about cattle fever ticks and bovine babesiosis increases the potential of tick invasion into the US resulting in tick transmission of B. bovis. Closing this knowledge gap is crucial for creating a model to predict bovine babesiosis outbreaks, thereby protecting the US cattle industry. To achieve this, the following objectives will be addressed: 1. Understand how humidity and temperature impact the R. microplus lifecycle. 2. Assess the relative importance of climatic and landscape factors driving the establishment and population dynamics of the insect vector responsible for spreading babesiosis
Approach:
Arthropod-borne Apicomplexan pathogens continue to pose a significant threat to controlling livestock diseases. Current strategies in the United States to prevent Babesia infection are not efficient and safe. Therefore, there is a need to explore new approaches to predict and prevent outbreaks. To aid in this effort, we will be working together with the Department of Entomology at Washington State University. Our joint research aims to provide more accurate information related to the risk of cattle fever ticks and bovine babesiosis spreading in the US.
In collaboration with the Javier Gutierrez lab at Washington State University, our research will focus on studying the risk of cattle fever ticks and bovine babesiosis spreading in the US. Our key research objectives are: 1. Investigating how variations in humidity and temperature affect the lifecycle of R. microplus to predict potential outbreaks. 2. Developing predictive ecological models of the ticks responsible for the spread of bovine babesiosis based on environmental factors.
The ultimate goal of our research is to provide precise information on the risks of babesiosis outbreaks in the US and to evaluate the impact in the most problematic locations.
