Progress 09/01/04 to 08/31/07
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Progress with the project was compromised when CARDI, our Caribbean collaborator in Trinidad, finally admitted in 2006 that it was not able to supply us with adequate numbers of the tick Amblyomma cajennense and that the A. cajennense tick challenge on Trinidad was insufficient for field trials of pheromone-based decoys. Consequently, we approached the TSTAR Manager at UF regarding a collaborator to replace CARDI in a country where the tick A. cajennense was a problem and where tick expertise was available. He agreed that we could approach INTA in Argentina who agreed to collaborate. However, the tick season in Argentina is seasonal and trials there could only be started in late 2007 after termination of the project. Thus a search for another collaborator was initiated and ISCA Technologies was chosen since it was willing to conduct field trials for us in Brazil. Tick extracts were sent to Brazil in April 2007, but results are still awaited. Due to the problems experienced
with the collaborators in Trinidad and Latin America, initiation of the project was severely delayed and completion of even the initial objectives was compromised to the extent that there were no outputs available by the termination date of 08/31/07. Efforts are underway to secure funding to complete the objectives of the project in collaboration with ISCA Technologies in Brazil.
PARTICIPANTS: The chemical studies were conducted by Dr. Daniel E. Sonenshine, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. The decoy field trials were to have been supervised by Dr. Michael J. Burridge, a professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases & Pathology at the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. The studies in Trinidad were supervised by Mr. Norman Gibson, Manager of Research & Development at the Caribbean Agricultural Research & Development Institute (CARDI), St. Augustine, Trinidad. The studies in Brazil are supervised by Dr. Agenor Mafra-Neto, CEO & President of ISCA Technologies, Riverside, California.
TARGET AUDIENCES: Initial target audiences would be commercial companies specializing in the use of pheromonal approaches to the control of ticks. Such a company is ISCA Technologies of Riverside, California, with which were are now collaborating on this project.
PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: There were no major changes in approach. The major changes to the project were related to the inability of the original collaborator, CARDI of Trinidad, to provide ticks for the project, and these changes have already been described under "Outputs".
Impacts
Due to the lack of collaboration from CARDI of Trinidad, we were forced to establish our own colony of A. cajennense ticks at Old Dominion University so that work on the project could proceed. Chemical studies with these laboratory-reared ticks were disappointing. No evidence of aggregations or clustering behavior were observed with either unfed female or male ticks exposed to tick extracts on rabbits. Chemical analysis of the tick extracts showed evidence of benzaldehyde in fed males but not in fed females or cattle skin. No evidence of o-nitrophenol, methyl salicylate or 2,6-dichlorophenol was observed. However, several male- or female-specific peaks were found and these are being tested in Brazil. These preliminary results showed the importance of using field-collected ticks in such studies and it is hoped that this can be accomplished through future collaboration in Brazil.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/05 to 09/30/06
Outputs
Progress has continued to be very slow because of lack of responses from CARDI, our Caribbean collaborator in Trinidad. After several attempts, CARDI admitted that it was not able to supply us with adequate numbers of Amblyomma cajennense ticks and that the A. cajennense tick challenge on Trinidad was insufficient for field pheromone/decoy trials. Consequently, we approached the TSTAR Manager at UF regarding a collaborator to replace CARDI in a country where the tick A. cajennense was a problem and where tick expertise was available. He agreed that we could approach INTA in Argentina, and negotiations with this institute are now underway.
Impacts
Work on development of a pheromone-based method for control of the Cayenne tick Amblyomma cajennense is very significant because this tick species is a pest of humans and many domestic animals (especially cattle and horses) in the Americas from southern Texas in the north to Argentina in the south. Additionally, A. cajennense is a vector of several diseases of public health and agricultural importance including human spotted fever and tick paralysis in domestic ruminants. Furthermore, A. cajennense is an experimental vector of heartwater, a lethal tickborne disease of cattle, sheep, goats and deer.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/04 to 09/30/05
Outputs
Progress has been very slow because of difficulties experienced by CARDI, our Caribbean collaborators in Trinidad, in collection of Amblyomma cajennense ticks for pheromone identification. Recently we received our first batch of ticks from Trinidad and these ticks are now being examined by Dr. Sonenshine for pheromones.
Impacts
Work on development of a pheromone-based method for control of the Cayenne tick Amblyomma cajennense is very significant because this tick is a pest of humans and many domestic animals (especially cattle and horses) in the Americas from Texas in the north to Argentina in the south. Additionally, Amblyomma cajennense is a vector of several diseases of public health and agricultural importance including human spotted fever and tick paralysis in domestic ruminants.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/03 to 09/30/04
Outputs
The project has only recently received funding. Supplies for tick collections in Trinidad have been purchased and will be shipped to Trinidad soon so that the research can commence.
Impacts
The work on development of a pheromone-based method for control of the Cayenne tick Amblyomma cajennense is very significant because this tick is a major pest of humans and many domestic animals (especially cattle and horses) in the Americas from Texas in the north to Argentina in the south. Additionally, Amblyomma cajennense is a vector of several diseases of public health and agricultural importance including human spotted fever and tick paralysis in domestic ruminants.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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