National Tick Surveillance Program 
Calendar Year 1987 
During calendar year 1987, the collection and submission of 
ticks from native and imported animals, plus plant and 
animal material, was 30.63 percent greater than in 1986. 
There were 10,214 collections in 1987, 7,819 collections in 
1986, 5,037 in 1985, and 7,213 in 1984. 
Antigua Pilot Tropical Bont Tick Eradication Project 
During 1987 considerable progress was made in the organi- 
zation of a Caribbean-wide program to eradicate Amblyomma 
variegatum, the tropical bont tick, and its associated 
diseases (heartwater and acute dermatophilosis) from the 
area. In March 1987, the feasibility proposal written by 
experts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and 
the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture 
(IICA), with the input of consultants from a number of inter- 
national organizations, was finished and widely distributed. 
It was discussed at a workshop held in Barbados, West 
Indies, in March, where representatives from many Caribbean 
Islands, USDA, U.S. Agency for International Development 
(USAID), IICA, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAQ), 
and other public and private organizations reviewed the 
document. The proposal described the present situation with 
the tick and diseases in the Caribbean. The group passed 
four resolutions: (1) establish an Amblyomma Program 
Council under the purview of the English-speaking Caribbean 
Community (CARICOM); (2) establish a pilot project to 
demonstate tick eradication techniques on an island; 
(3) convene a donor’s conference; and (4) seek emergency 
support for current tropical bont tick control activities on 
infested islands. 
In September 1987, the $2 million that Congress appropriated 
to USAID for a tropical bont tick program in the Caribbean 
was transferred to USDA in order to carry out a demonstra- 
tion tick eradication program on Antigua. This demonstration 
project has three main facets: (1) an eradication component 
to be carried out by the Office of International Cooperation 
and Development (OICD) and USDA; (2) a research, infor- 
mation, and evaluation component to be carried out by 
OICD-USDA; and (3) a policy and strategy component to be 
carried out by USAID. Some of the funds given to OICD- 
USDA will be transferred to ARS-USDA for research on the 
biology and control of the tropical bont tick in the Caribbean. 
Other research will be on the economic aspects of eradica- 
tion and the effects of the acaricides on wildlife. 
The eradication component consists of four phases: (1) 
Planning Phase; (2) Preoperation Phase of 6 months, which 
includes education, training, surveillance, construction, and 
procurement; (3) Eradication Phase, which consists of appli- 
cation of acaricides (amitraz or permethrin) to all cattle, 
sheep, goats, and horses every 2 weeks for 2 years; and (4) 
Posteradication Phase, which consists of a followup surveil- 
lance for 6 months to determine if the ticks have been 
eliminated from the island. The eradication component is 
proposed to begin in 1988. 
In November 1987, at a meeting in Rome, the Standing 
Committee of the Ministries of Agriculture of CARICOM 
established an Amblyomma Steering Committee. This 
committee will provide a focus for implementing a coordi- 
nated Amblyomma eradication program throughout the 
Caribbean. 
Updated on Boophilus microplus Eradication 
in Puerto Rico 
The USDA and Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture con- 
tinued their cooperative efforts to eradicate Boophilus 
microplus from the island. The program maintained an 
average of 9,000 premises under treatment (average number 
of animals per premise was 11). In excess of 2.5 million 
individual animal treatments were administered during the 
year. 
The computerized field data system is in operation in two of 
the three eradication zones. The third system will be estab- 
lished by mid-1988. The system maintains such data as the 
location of the premises, number and type of animals, status 
in the treatment cycle, and changes in animal numbers or in 
the infestation status. The system permits program man- 
agers to rapidly assess the status of a premise, region, or 
the entire island. This allows more effective planning, 
budgeting, and execution of the eradication program. 
The new eradication zone established last year is in full 
operation. Additionally, program success has allowed the 
Arecibo Region to move some resources forward into new 
areas toward the east. The other two regions (Guanica and 
Juncos) are expected to expand toward the center of the 
island in 1988. Approximately 7,000 premises were declared 
free during 1987. 
Funding for the Boophilus eradication program, as in recent 
years, came from three sources: a Food and Nutrition Service 
(USDA-FNS) block grant, $8.6 million; Veterinary Services 
(USDA-APHIS-VS), $1.5 million; and the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture (PRDA), $1.0 million. 
This cooperative funding permitted major purchases for the 
necessary program expansion and to retain the flexibility to 
meet day-to-day demands. 
Status of Amblyomma variegatum in Puerto Rico 
The main island of Puerto Rico is considered free of A. 
variegatum. A Commonwealth imposed quarantine is in 
effect for the smaller island of Culebra, where Amblyomma 
variegatum is known to be present. Treatment of livestock 
on Culebra is mandatory and performed on a routine basis, 
but rugged terrain has hampered the gathering of animals 
and slowed eradication efforts. Movement of animals off the 
island is permitted only when the shipment is going directly 
to slaughter and only following inspection to ensure tick-free 
status and application of a pesticide treatment. 
