study was prepared and will be presented to the members of 

 the Caribbean Economic Community. 



United States-Mexico Tick Technical Meeting 



A joint meeting of tick research and eradication personnel 

 from the United States and Mexico was held in McAllen, 

 Texas, April 8 and 9, 1986. The meeting was hosted by the 

 United States, and the participants included leading research 

 and eradication officials from the two countries. The purpose 

 of the meeting, latest in a series with Mexico, was to exchange 

 information on research and eradication activities with regard 

 to Boophilus annulatus and B. microplus in the United States 

 and Mexico. 



Some of the important topics discussed by U.S. personnel 

 included: 



1. The status of tick eradication in the United States. 



2. Report on an experimental system for degrading 

 coumaphos in the dip vat. 



3. A discussion of new and promising tickicides by industry 

 representatives. 



4. The current status of Boophilus research by the ARS, 

 including coumaphos resistant strains of B. microplus, effects 

 of flumethrin pour-on against B. annulatus, genetic studies on 

 Boophilus ticks, a study of biological and behavioral 

 comparability between wild and hybrid Boophilus males, and 

 the relationship between white-tailed deer and Boophilus 

 ticks. 



5. Investigations on the status of babesiosis in south Texas. 



6. The survival of Boophilus on south Texas rangelands. 



Topics discussed by the Mexican officials and researchers 

 included: 



1. Policies of tick eradication in Mexico. 



2. Tick resistance in Mexico. 



3. Diagnosis of blood parasites. 



4. Evaluation of new acaricides. 



5. The current status of tick eradication in Mexico. 



Following the formal meeting, the participants toured the new 

 USDA, ARS, Cattle Fever Tick Research Laboratory in 

 Mission, Texas. 



Boophilus T\ck Eradication in Texas 



Tick eradication activities for 1986 were successful and 

 relatively uneventful. Range conditions were very favorable 

 following generous rainfall during the fall and winter months. 

 All of the premises quarantined in the 22 additional counties in 

 Texas, as the result of the Cameron County outbreak in 

 December 1985, have been released. However, the Temporary 

 Preventative Quarantine in Cameron County remains in effect 



In 1986, Veterinary Services Tick Eradication personnel 

 apprehended 74 head of livestock from Mexico along the 

 Texas-Mexico border from Brownsville to Del Rio. This 

 compares to 105 head apprehended in 1985. Thirty of the 

 1986 apprehensions were cattle of which four were infested 

 with Boophilus ticks. Thirty-four apprehensions were horses 

 of which two were tick infested. 



Boophilus Microplus Eradication in Puerto Rico 



Efforts to eradicate Boophilus from Puerto Rico continued 

 under the cooperative program between the USDA and the 

 Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture. During 1986 an 

 additional eradication zone was established in the 

 Southwestern part of the island with headquarters in Guanica. 

 This brings the number of eradication zones to three, other 

 headquarters being located in Arecibo and Juncos. 



Due to the extensive activity in the eradication program, 

 manual data processing has been very'difficult. The field data 

 is now being computerized, based on information obtained 

 from a complete inspection ("scratching") of the livestock in 

 the three eradication zones. The "scratch" provided data on 

 the: (1) incidence and distribution of S. microplus and (2) an 

 accurate census of livestock, owners, and premises. The 

 computerized records greatly assist in rapidly determining the 

 status of all livestock operations in the eradication zones. This 

 computerized data allows for more accurate planning, 

 budgeting, and execution for the eradication program. 



Funding for the Boophilus eradication program comes 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. Funding this 

 year permitted the acquisition of vehicles and equipment to 

 permit the expansion mentioned above. 



Amblyomma Variegatum in Puerto Rico 



The main island of Puerto Rico is essentially free of A. 

 variegatum. Those herds that have not completed the 2-year 

 treatment-inspection cycle are now within the Boophilus 

 eradication schedule; rather than being scratched every 30 

 days, they are treated every 21 days. The last A. variegatum 



