A pictorial key to the adult and larval nasal mites (Halarachnidae) of marine mammals.

Mites in the family Halarachnidae are common endoparasites infesting the nasal tissues of a variety of marine mammals. These mites are easily transmissible and compromise the health of their hosts, especially in captive environments. While these mites are noted by marine mammal caretakers, they may easily be misidentified due to repeated revisions to halarachnid mite taxonomy and reclassification of misidentified specimens.

The microbiota of Amblyomma americanum reflects known westward expansion.

Amblyomma americanum, a known vector of multiple tick-borne pathogens, has expanded its geographic distribution across the United States in the past decades. Tick microbiomes may play a role shaping their host's life history and vectorial capacity. Bacterial communities associated with A.

Aggressive interactions among white-tailed deer (Artiodactyla: Cervidae) at 4-poster devices for host-targeted tick control.

White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann (Artiodactyla: Cervidae), are the primary wildlife host for adult stages of blacklegged ticks (Acari: Ixodidae: Ixodes scapularis Say) and an important host for lone star ticks (Acari: Ixodidae: Amblyomma americanum Linnaeus), both of which are vectors of numerous tick-borne pathogens. The 4-poster passive deer treatment device is a topical, host-targeted method to control free-living tick populations and has been proven to successfully reduce tick abundance in several states. Aggressive behavior of white-tailed deer at concentrated feeding stations is hypothesized to interfere with the effective use of 4-poster devices and deer contact with acaricide applicators.

Refining Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) distribution models: a comparison of current methods to an established protocol.

Blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis Say) pose an enormous public health risk in eastern North America as the vector responsible for transmitting 7 human pathogens, including those causing the most common vector-borne disease in the United States, Lyme disease. Species distribution modeling is an increasingly popular method for predicting the potential distribution and subsequent risk of blacklegged ticks, however, the development of such models thus far is highly variable and would benefit from the use of standardized protocols. To identify where standardized protocols would most benefit current distribution models, we completed the "Overview, Data, Model, Assessment, and Prediction" (ODMAP) distribution modeling protocol for 21 publications reporting 22 blacklegged tick distribution models.

Phenology and habitat associations of the invasive Asian longhorned tick from Ohio, USA.

Geographically expanding and invading ticks are a global concern. The Asian longhorned tick (ALT, Haemaphysalis longicornis) was introduced to the mid-Atlantic US between 2010 and 2017 and recently invaded Ohio, an inland state. To date, ALTs in the US have been associated with livestock exsanguination and transmission of the agent of bovine theileriosis.

Describing the experience of livestock producers from Ohio, USA with ticks and associated diseases.

Background: As tick ranges expand across North America, the risk of tick bites and tick-borne diseases (TBDs, i.e. diseases or syndromes associated with ticks) rises for humans and animals, making prevention critical.

An integrative framework for tick management: the need to connect wildlife science, One Health, and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Vector-borne diseases pose a significant threat to human and animal health worldwide. Their emergence is influenced by various factors such as environmental changes, host characteristics, and human behavior. The One Health approach is necessary to thoroughly investigate tick-borne diseases and understand the complex interactions between environmental, animal, and human health.

Lack of SARS-CoV-2 Viral RNA Detection among a Convenience Sampling of Ohio Wildlife, Companion, and Agricultural Animals, 2020-2021.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in humans in late 2019 and spread rapidly, becoming a global pandemic. A zoonotic spillover event from animal to human was identified as the presumed origin. Subsequently, reports began emerging regarding spillback events resulting in SARS-CoV-2 infections in multiple animal species.

An established population of Asian longhorned ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in Ohio, USA.

We describe the first known established Asian longhorned tick (ALT) (Acari: Ixodidae: Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann) population in Ohio, USA. In mid-summer 2021, we collected ALTs from an infested pasture in response to an alert that grazing cattle had been infested with ticks, and 3 of them had died. No ALTs were reported following pesticide treatment of the pasture in fall 2021.

A survey of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of veterinary professionals regarding ticks and tick-borne diseases: Insights from Ohio, USA.

Globally, ticks are becoming more problematic as agricultural pests and vectors of tick-borne diseases (TBDs), many of which are shared between animals and people. Veterinary professionals, including veterinarians and non-veterinarians, are considered a vulnerable group through occupational exposure. To inform educational interventions at the intrapersonal level, a common approach is to first assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of target populations.

Phylogeography of the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) throughout the USA identifies candidate loci for differences in vectorial capacity.

The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis (Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1821, 2, 59)) is a vector of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) (International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, 1984, 34, 496), the causative bacterial agent of Lyme disease, part of a slow-moving epidemic of Lyme borreliosis spreading across the northern hemisphere.

Molecular prevalence of Anaplasma marginale and associated risk factors in beef cattle herds from Ohio: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of Anaplasma marginale, the causative agent of bovine anaplasmosis, in beef herds from Ohio; evaluate farm identity and animal age as risk factors; and examine serologic cross-reactivity with Anaplasma phagocytophilum, an emerging disease agent.

Animals: 4 beef cattle herds (n = 327) sampled between December 2020 and December 2021.

Procedures: To address the broader investigation of characterizing Anaplasma spp and genotypes in Ohio, herds with a history of clinical anaplasmosis were targeted.

Nasopulmonary mites (Acari: Halarachnidae) as potential vectors of bacterial pathogens, including Streptococcus phocae, in marine mammals.

Nasopulmonary mites (NPMs) of the family Halarachnidae are obligate endoparasites that colonize the respiratory tracts of mammals. NPMs damage surface epithelium resulting in mucosal irritation, respiratory illness, and secondary infection, yet the role of NPMs in facilitating pathogen invasion or dissemination between hosts remains unclear. Using 16S rRNA massively parallel amplicon sequencing of six hypervariable regions (or "16S profiling"), we characterized the bacterial community of NPMs from 4 southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis).

Host species and environment drivers of ectoparasite community of rodents in a Mojave Desert wetlands.

Drivers of patterns of ectoparasitism in rodents in patchy Mojave Desert wetlands were investigated. A total of 1,571 ectoparasites in Mesostigmata, Trombidiformes, Siphonaptera and Ixodida were collected from 341 rodents (Microtus californicus scirpensis, Mus musculus, Reithrodontomys megalotis, Peromyscus eremicus, and Neotoma lepida) at eleven marshes. Trombiculids accounted for 82.

Detection of , , sp., Sensu Lato, and in Ticks Collected in Eastern Canada.

Tick-borne pathogens cause infectious diseases that inflict much societal and financial hardship worldwide. Blacklegged ticks, , are primary vectors of several epizootic and zoonotic pathogens. The aim was to find varius pathogens of and to determine their prevalence.

Nasopulmonary mites (Halarachnidae) of coastal Californian pinnipeds: Identity, prevalence, and molecular characterization.

Mites from the family Halarachnidae Oudemans 1906 are obligate endoparasites that colonize the respiratory tracts of free-living and captive marine mammals. Infestations can range from mild to severe and result in respiratory tract irritation or impairment. Nasopulmonary acariasis was determined to be a contributing cause of death among several southern sea otters Merriam 1904 in a longitudinal study of otter mortality, and proximity to Pacific harbor seals Gray 1864 was a significant risk factor for sea otter infestation.

Demodectic mange in threatened southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis).

Background: Southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) rely on intact pelage for thermoregulation, and thus clinically significant demodicosis and associated alopecia can cause morbidity and death.

Hypothesis/objectives: This study aimed to describe lesions associated with follicular Demodex sp. infestation, estimate the prevalence and intensity of infestation, describe mite distribution across key anatomical regions, and assess mite presence or absence in relation to lesions and host risk factors.

Diet composition analysis provides new management insights for a highly specialized endangered small mammal.

The critically endangered Amargosa vole (Microtus californicus scirpensis) is found only in rare marsh habitat near Tecopa, California in a plant community dominated by three-square bulrush (Schoenoplectus americanus). Since the earliest research on the Amargosa vole, the existing paradigm has been that these voles are obligatorily dependent on bulrush as their only food source and for the three-dimensional canopy and litter structure it provides for predator avoidance. However, no prior research has confirmed the diet of the Amargosa vole.

DISEASE AND PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF AN ENDANGERED RODENT, , IN A CAPTIVE-REARING FACILITY AND IN THE WILD.

Causes of morbidity and mortality and a survey of infectious disease agents were collated from wild and colony-raised endangered Amargosa voles (). Six voles from the wild and 295 voles in the captive-breeding colony were included in the study upon identification of an infectious agent during screening, identification of clinical signs of disease, or finding a pathological condition or infectious agent on necropsy. Findings included 28 significant or incidental pathological conditions of seven organ systems and 19 parasitic, viral, bacterial, or fungal agents.