Progress 07/01/09 to 07/13/12
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): Investigate the native range of the southern cattle tick R. (Boophilus) microplus in order to find new solutions for its control. Specifically, the following sub-objectives will be addressed: 1) identify acaricidal extracts from natural sources in Kenya; 2) test effectiveness of known isolates of acaripathogenic fungi against African strains of R. microplus; and 3) acaricidal extracts prepared in Kenya will be tested against R. microplus in Texas. Approach (from AD-416): The proposed work is based on ICIPE's successful program that discovered native plants containing naturally occurring acaricidal compounds. ICIPE scientists also have isolated fungi that specifically attack ticks. ICIPE is currently working on tick vectors of bovine diseases foreign to the U. S. (East Coast fever transmitted by R. appendiculatus and heartwater fever transmitted by Amblyomma variegatum). Thus, the USDA-ARS plans to collaborate with ICIPE to expand those efforts to include R. microplus. Goats were infested with field isolates of R. microplus at ICIPE. Further field trips are planned to get more ticks for rearing.
Impacts
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Publications
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Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) Investigate the native range of the southern cattle tick R. (Boophilus) microplus in order to find new solutions for its control. Specifically, the following sub-objectives will be addressed: 1) identify acaricidal extracts from natural sources in Kenya; 2) test effectiveness of known isolates of acaripathogenic fungi against African strains of R. microplus; and 3) acaricidal extracts prepared in Kenya will be tested against R. microplus in Texas. Approach (from AD-416) The proposed work is based on ICIPE's successful program that discovered native plants containing naturally occurring acaricidal compounds. ICIPE scientists also have isolated fungi that specifically attack ticks. ICIPE is currently working on tick vectors of bovine diseases foreign to the U. S. (East Coast fever transmitted by R. appendiculatus and heartwater fever transmitted by Amblyomma variegatum). Thus, the USDA-ARS plans to collaborate with ICIPE to expand those efforts to include R. microplus. In addition to collections made along the coastal areas of Kenya last year, another survey of farms was undertaken this year to obtain lives samples of R. microplus. Ticks infesting cattle were collected in the border with Tanzania and brought to the laboratory to establish a laboratory colony at ICIPE. The ADODR monitored progress of the project primarily through teleconferences and exchanges of electronic mail with the SCA cooperator.
Impacts
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Publications
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Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) Investigate the native range of the southern cattle tick R. (Boophilus) microplus in order to find new solutions for its control. Specifically, the following sub-objectives will be addressed: 1) identify acaricidal extracts from natural sources in Kenya; 2) test effectiveness of known isolates of acaripathogenic fungi against African strains of R. microplus; and 3) acaricidal extracts prepared in Kenya will be tested against R. microplus in Texas. Approach (from AD-416) The proposed work is based on ICIPE's successful program that discovered native plants containing naturally occurring acaricidal compounds. ICIPE scientists also have isolated fungi that specifically attack ticks. ICIPE is currently working on tick vectors of bovine diseases foreign to the U. S. (East Coast fever transmitted by R. appendiculatus and heartwater fever transmitted by Amblyomma variegatum). Thus, the USDA-ARS plans to collaborate with ICIPE to expand those efforts to include R. microplus. The cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus transmits Babesia bigemina and B. bovis, which are one-celled organisms that can infect and kill cattle. This malaria-like infection, also known as bovine babesiosis, was eradicated from the U.S. by completely eliminating cattle ticks. Since 1943, the U.S. has remained tick-free except for a permanent quarantine zone in South Texas along the border with Mexico. The evolution of resistance to the chemicals used to kill ticks is a threat to the Cattle Tick Eradication Program. New methods of tick control are needed in order to keep the U.S. free of bovine babesiosis in a sustainable manner. The International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology has access to ethnobotanical materials and entomopathogenic fungi that remain to be tested for activity against cattle ticks. Cattle in five different locations (Mariakani, Tzangatzini, Bamba, Mwaluvanga, and Majimboni) in Kilifi and Kwale Districts in the coastal areas of Kenya were inspected for infestation with Rhipicephalus ticks. The offspring of field specimens identified as R. microplus are being used to establish a laboratory colony at the International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology in Nairobi, Kenya (ICIPE). Eradication efforts depend on the use of chemicals to kill ticks. These chemicals are generically known as acaricides. There are environmental and health risks associated with the continuous use of synthetic acaricides. Those risks could be mitigated by using acaricides from natural sources. Research on natural acaricides is required to discover and develop novel and sustainable control strategies for cattle ticks. The ADODR monitored progress of the project primarily through teleconferences and exchanges of e-mail with the SCA cooperator.
Impacts
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Publications
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