National Tick Surveillance Program 

 Calendar Year 1982 



During calendar year 1982, the collection and 

 submission of ticks from native and imported animals 

 plus plant and animal material was 3 percent less than 

 in 1981. There were 9,086 collections in 1982, 

 compared to 9,381 in 1 981 , 7,763 in 1 980, 1 1 ,553 in 

 1979, and 12,242 in 1978. 



Heartwater Survey in the Caribbean 



In 1982 there was continued concern regarding 

 heartwater in the West Indies. Heartwater was reported 

 from the French island of Guadeloupe in the West 

 Indies- in 1980.^ Heartwater is a tick-borne disease of 

 cattle, sheep, and goats caused by the rickettsial agent 

 Cowdria ruminantium. The disease is transmitted by 

 ticks of the genus Amblyomma. In Africa, where the 

 disease originated, the principal vectors are 

 Amblyomma hebraeum and A. variegatum, although 

 other African ticks such as A. pomposum and A. 

 gemma are involved in the natural transmission of 

 heartwater. 



There is a particular concern about the report of 

 heartwater in the West Indies since one of the principal 

 vectors, A. variegatum, is now established in Puerto 

 Rico, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Antigua, and St. Kitts. 

 There have been no reports of heartwater in Puerto 

 Rico. 



The clinical signs of heartwater may vary greatly 

 depending on the virulence of the strain of Cowdria 

 ruminantium and the susceptibility of the host. In acute 

 heartwater there may be high fever, nervous signs, 

 diarrhea, depression, a stiff gait, high stepping, 

 exaggerated chewing movements and blinking of the 

 eyes, convulsions, prostration, and death. Mortality in 

 susceptible livestock may range from 30 to 60 percent 

 or higher. Some wild African ruminants (blesbok, 

 springbok, and black wildebeest) may develop 

 inapparent infections and serve as reservoirs of C. 

 ruminantium. 



Footnotes 



1. Perreau, P.; Morel, P. 0.; Barre, N. et al: Existence 

 de la cowdriose (heartwater) a Cowdria ruminantium 

 Chez les ruminants de Antilles francaises (La 

 Guadeloupe) et des Mascareignes (La Reunion et He 

 Maurice). Rev. Elev. Med. Vet. Pays Trop. 33:21-22. 

 1980. 



2. Uilenberg, G. Experimental transmission of Cowdria 

 ruminantium by the Gulf Coast tick Amblyomma 

 maculatum: Danger of introducing heartwater and 

 benign African theileriasis onto the American mainland. 

 Am. J. Vet. Res. Vol. 43 (7):1 279-1 282. 1982 



Recent studies have also shown that at least one North 

 American Amblyomma species, A. maculatum, is an 

 experimental vector of C. ruminantium.^ This is an 

 alarming finding since A. maculatum is established in 

 all or part of at least 10 States on the U.S. mainland. A. 

 maculatum is commonly found from the coastal area of 

 Texas, up into northeastern Oklahoma and 

 southeastern Kansas, and eastward from Texas 

 through the Gulf Coast States into Florida, Georgia, and 

 South Carolina. 



In 1982 the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent a team 

 of foreign animal specialists to conduct a survey of six 

 islands in the West Indies. Although evidence of 

 heartwater was not found on Antigua, Dominica, St. 

 Kitts, St. Lucia, Nevis, or St. Vincent, one of the vectors 

 of heartwater, A. variegatum, was found on four of the 

 islands. 



Additional surveillance studies are planned for 1983. A 

 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the 

 University of Florida will support further studies in the 

 West Indies. The University of Florida research team 

 will cooperate with the French veterinarians at the 

 Instit National de las Recherche Agronomique at 

 Gardel, Grande Terre, Guadeloupe. They will study the 

 virulence of the West Indian strain of heartwater, the 

 distribution of the disease, and how to prevent the 

 spread of heartwater and A. variegatum. 



Amblyomma variegatum Eradication 

 in Puerto Rico 



Since May 1981, all known Amblyomma variegatum 

 premises have been placed under quarantine and 

 systematic treatment. Municipalities known to have 

 infested herds in 1982 include: Cabo Rojo in the 

 southwest; Ponce in the south central; and Cidra, 

 Aibonito, Aguas Buenas, Comerio, Cayey, and Naranjito 

 in the east central part of the island. Also, in 1982, 

 infestations continued to be reported on Vieques, an 

 island off the east coast of Puerto Rico. The National 

 Veterinary Services Laboratories, Pathobiology 

 Laboratory, Ames Iowa, confirmed 50 collections of A. 

 variegatum in calendar year 1982 as compared to 87 

 confirmed collections in calendar year 1981. 



Boophilus microplus Eradication in 

 Puerto Rico 



The Boophilus tick eradication program continued to 

 make progress on two fronts, one in the northwest and 

 the other in the southeast regions of the main lands of 

 Puerto Rico. The northwestern araa includes the 

 municipalities of Aguadialla, Moca, Isabela, San 

 Sebastian, and Quebradiallas. The southeastern area 

 includes the municipalities of Guardo, Juncos, San 



