Development of Long-Lasting Medicated Rodent Bait Formulations to Control Ticks on the White-Footed Mouse and Other Host Species

Goals / Objectives
(1) Develop new rodent bait formulations medicated with a long-lasting systemic acaricide; (2) Establish relationship between rodent serum concentrations of the acaricide and acaricide concentrations in the bait formulation; (3) Evaluate efficacy of medicated rodent bait formulations against ticks using white-footed mice in laboratory; (4) Establish effective acaricide doses and period of protection against ticks; (5) Generate sufficient quality test bait formulation products for field trails; and (6) Prepare / initiate product registration and commercialization processes.

Project Methods
The cooperator (US Biologic) will develop medicated rodent bait formulations for use in field trials to control ticks feeding on white-footed mouse and other vertebrate hosts of the blacklegged tick, lone start tick and other ixodid tick species in environment. The cooperator will work with USDA-ARS scientists to select and acquire several (4-6) systemic acaricides for evaluation. Tick toxicity of the test materials will be evaluated first using in vitro capillary feeding experiments. Rodent bait formulations will be developed by cooperator for rodent acceptance, and medicated bait formulations will be developed by adding acaricide to baits. Mouse acceptance and amount of daily intake will be determined. The cooperator will provide personnel and laboratory spaces for animal trials to establish effective serum concentrations of the acaricide after intake of mediated baits by experimental animals (white-footed mice). Chemical analysis will be performed on mouse blood samples and medicated mouse bait formulations. Effective acaricide concentrations in blood serum and rodent bait formulation will be determined. The ultimate goal is to develop a medicated rodent bait formulation with long-lasting killing effect on ticks that feed on rodents.