Feeding and reproductive parameters of adult female blacklegged ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and lone star ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) parasitizing white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann)

Authors: BAKER, ALEC - Texas A&M Agrilife; PERSINGER, KELLY - Texas A&M Agrilife; Olafson, Pia; MULENGA, ALBERT - Texas A&M University; JOHNSON, TAMMI - Texas A&M Agrilife

Submitted to: Journal of Medical Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/11/2023
Publication Date: 10/28/2023
Citation: Baker, A.S., Persinger, K.A., Olafson, P.U., Mulenga, A.O., Johnson, T.L. 2023. Feeding and reproductive parameters of adult female blacklegged ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and lone star ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) parasitizing white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann). Journal of Medical Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjad144.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjad144

Interpretive Summary: White-tailed deer are a main host for adult blacklegged ticks and lone star ticks. However, literature describing the feeding and reproductive parameters of these tick species when feeding on this host are limited. We experimentally infested white-tailed deer with adult pairs of either blacklegged ticks or lone star ticks to improve our understanding of these tick-host relationships. Our study used tick naïve white-tailed deer and restricted host grooming throughout the infestation. The number of days for females to become to engorged, the weight of engorged females, the length of time to deposit an egg mass, the weight of the egg mass, and the number of eggs laid per tick were recorded for both species. These biological parameter data will ultimately be used as variables in dynamic computational models to determine how white-tailed deer influence blacklegged and lone star tick populations in nature.

Technical Abstract: White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann) are a main host for adult blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis Say) and lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum Linnaeus). However, literature describing the feeding and reproductive parameters of these tick species when feeding on this host are limited. We experimentally infested white-tailed deer with adult pairs of either I. scapularis or A. americanum to improve our understanding of these tick-host relationships. Our study used tick naïve white-tailed deer and restricted host grooming throughout the infestation. For I. scapularis, the days to repletion (x = 6.04 ±0.07), engorgement weight of replete females (x = 0.20 ±0.0032 g), duration of oviposition (x = 32 ±0.45 days), egg mass weight (x = 0.10 ±0.0027 g) and number of eggs laid per tick (x = 1803.00 ±49.00) were recorded. Data from A. americanum were also recorded, including days to repletion (x = 11.00 ±0.063), engorgement weight of replete females (x = 0.63± 0.025 g), duration of oviposition (x = 37.00±1.30 d), egg mass weight (x = 0.34± 0.017 g), and number of eggs laid per tick (x = 5,873.00± 291.00). These biological parameter data could be used as variables in statistical models to determine how white-tailed deer influence blacklegged and lone star tick populations in nature.