Introduction of the ectoparasite Rhipicephalus pulchellus (Ixodida: Ixodidae) into Connecticut with a human traveler from Tanzania, and a review of its importation records into the United States.

Globalization, increased frequency of travel, and a rise in legal and illegal animal trades can introduce exotic ticks into the United States. We herein report the importation of a male Rhipicephalus pulchellus (Gerstäcker) on a human traveler returning to Connecticut from Tanzania, Africa, and review historical importation records of this species into the United States. This common tick is broadly distributed throughout East Africa, from Eritrea to Tanzania, has a wide host range on domestic animals and wildlife, and has been most frequently introduced into the United States on tick-infested wild animal hosts and animal trophies, but documentation of importation on humans has been rare. Archival records at the United States Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratories show R. pulchellus has been introduced into the United States at least 40 times over the last 62 yr. Rhipicephalus pulchellus has been linked to Rickettsia conorii, the agent of boutonneuse fever in humans, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever orthonairovirus, and Nairobi sheep disease orthonairovirus. Given the potential for this exotic tick to introduce animal or human pathogens, proper surveillance, interception, identification, and reporting of these ticks are vital in protecting human and animal health.

Rhipicephalus capensis (Acari: Ixodidae), A geographically restricted South African tick, returning with a human traveler to the United States.

Accelerated frequency of recreational travel, globalization of business, and legal and illegal plant and animal trades have contributed to enduring introductions of exotic ticks into the United States. We herein report a new incursion of a female Rhipicephalus capensis on a human traveler returning to Connecticut from South Africa. Natural distribution of R. capensis is restricted to the Western Cape Province and southwestern portion of the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, an area called the Fynbos Biome, and adults of this species primarily parasitize large, wild ungulate hosts. Only one previous international introduction of this tick is documented on imported South African plant material into the United States in 1985. The specimen described here was identified initially by morphological means and subsequently, a partial DNA sequence for the mitochondrial ribosomal RNA gene was generated in a PCR assay, which showed 94.86% identity to an R. capensis sequence in GenBank. We also provide information on several other previously unreported or under-reported incursions by South African ticks into the United States in association with imported Fynbos floricultural materials and speckled Cape tortoises, Chersobius signatus. Documentation of these additional exotic tick species incursions highlights ongoing challenges of the international movement of humans, animals, and other goods carrying ticks of human and veterinary importance.

Rapid Discovery and Detection of Haemaphysalis longicornis through the Use of Passive Surveillance and Collaboration: Building a State Tick-Surveillance Network.

Between March 2019 and February 2020, Asian long-horned ticks (Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, 1901) were discovered and collected for the first time in one middle and seven eastern Tennessee counties, facilitated by a newly developed passive and collaborative tick-surveillance network. Network collaborators included federal, state, county, university, and private resource personnel working with companion animals, livestock, and wildlife. Specimens were collected primarily from dogs and cattle, with initial detections of female adult stage ticks by stakeholders associated with parasitology positions (e.g., entomologists and veterinary parasitologists). Initial county tick detections were confirmed with morphological and molecular identifications, and then screened for the presence of animal-associated pathogens (Anaplasma marginale, Babesia species, Ehrlichia species, and Theileria orientalis), for which all tests were negative. Herein, we describe the identification and confirmation of these tick specimens as well as other results of the surveillance collaboration.

Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases of Colorado, Including New State Records for Argas radiatus (Ixodida: Argasidae) and Ixodes brunneus (Ixodida: Ixodidae).

We report 28 species of ticks (Acari: Ixodida) from Colorado (CO). We include the soft ticks (Argasidae) Argas (Argas) cooleyi Kohls and Hoogstraal, Argas (Persicargas) radiatus Railliet, Carios (Alectorobius) concanensis (Cooley and Kohls), Carios (Alectorobius) kelleyi (Cooley and Kohls), Ornithodoros (Pavlovskyella) hermsi Wheeler et al., Ornithodoros (Pavlovskyella) parkeri Cooley, Ornithodoros (Pavlovskyella) turicata (Dugès), Otobius (Otobius) lagophilus Cooley and Kohls, and Otobius (Otobius) megnini (Dugès). We include the metastriate hard ticks (Ixodidae) Dermacentor (Americentor) albipictus (Packard), Dermacentor (Dermacentor) andersoni Stiles, Dermacentor (Dermacentor) parumapertus Neumann, Dermacentor (Dermacentor) variabilis (Say), Haemaphysalis (Aboimisalis) chordeilis (Packard), Haemaphysalis (Gonixodes) leporispalustris (Packard), and Rhipicephalus (Rhipicephalus) sanguineus Latreille. Prostriate hard ticks include Ixodes (Ixodiopsis) angustus Neumann, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) baergi Cooley and Kohls, Ixodes (Trichotoixodes) brunneus Koch, Ixodes (Scaphixodes) howelli Cooley and Kohls, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) kingi Bishopp, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) marmotae Cooley and Kohls, Ixodes (Ixodiopsis) ochotonae Gregson, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) sculptus Neumann, Ixodes (Ixodiopsis) soricis Gregson, Ixodes (Ixodes) spinipalpis Hadwen and Nuttall, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) texanus Banks, and Ixodes (Ixodiopsis) woodi Bishopp. Argas radiatus and Ixodes brunneus represent new state records. Review of collection reports revealed that inclusion of Ixodes (Multidentatus) auritulus (Neumann), Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) cookei Packard, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) marxi Banks, and Ixodes (Ixodes) pacificus Cooley and Kohls is dubious or unconfirmed and, conversely, that C. concanensis and H. chordeilis have distributions that include CO. We list an additional five species occasionally detected and 13 exotic species intercepted in CO. Tick-host associations, geographical distributions, and medical/veterinary importance are included.

Surveys for ticks on wildlife hosts and in the environment at Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis)-positive sites in Virginia and New Jersey, 2018.

Haemaphysalis longicornis, the Asian longhorned tick (ALT), is native to eastern Asia, but it has become invasive in several countries, including Australia, New Zealand and recently in the eastern United States (US). To identify wild mammal and avian host species in the US, we conducted active wildlife surveillance in two states with known ALT infestations (Virginia and New Jersey). In addition, we conducted environmental surveys in both states. These surveillance efforts resulted in detection of 51 ALT-infested individuals from seven wildlife species, including raccoon (Procyon lotor), Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), woodchuck (Marmota monax), eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We found ALT in the environment in both states and also collected three native tick species (Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variablis and Ixodes scapularis) that are vectors of pathogens of public health and veterinary importance. This study provides important specific information on the wildlife host range of ALT in the US.

Enduring Challenge of Invasive Ticks: Introduction of Amblyomma oblongoguttatum (Acari: Ixodidae) into the United States on a Human Traveler Returning from Central America.

Introduction of exotic tick vectors of bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and filarial parasites into the United States has accelerated in recent years, primarily because of globalization, increased frequency of travel, and a rise in legal and illegal animal trades. We herein report introduction of a live specimen of Amblyomma oblongoguttatum on a human into the United States from Central America, and we review 4 previous similar incidents. This tick species occurs widely in the neotropics, from western and southern Mexico, southwards through Central America, to the northern half of South America. It is a potential vector of bacterial agents of spotted fever group rickettsioses, raising concern that if A. oblongoguttatum ticks become established in this country, they might also be able to carry pathogens of human and veterinary concern. Given the potential for exotic ticks as vectors of numerous pathogens, proper surveillance, interception, and identification of these ticks are vital to protecting human and veterinary health. Rigorous governmental inspections of imported livestock and pet animals at ports of entry and educating human travelers and medical practitioners about the risks should be part of an overall national tick program.

Distribution and Occurrence of Amblyomma maculatum sensu lato (Acari: Ixodidae) and Rickettsia parkeri (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), Arizona and New Mexico, 2017-2019.

Amblyomma maculatum Koch sensu lato (s.l.) ticks are the vector of Rickettsia parkeri in Arizona, where nine cases of R. parkeri rickettsiosis have been identified since the initial case in 2014. The current study sought to better define the geographic ranges of the vector and pathogen and to assess the potential public health risk posed by R. parkeri in this region of the southwestern United States. A total of 275 A. maculatum s.l. ticks were collected from 34 locations in four counties in Arizona and one county in New Mexico and screened for DNA of Rickettsia species. Rickettsia parkeri was detected in 20.4% of the ticks, including one specimen collected from New Mexico, the first report of R. parkeri in A. maculatum s.l. from this state. This work demonstrates a broader distribution of A. maculatum s.l. ticks and R. parkeri in the southwestern United States than appreciated previously to suggest that R. parkeri rickettsiosis is underrecognized in this region.

Multistate Infestation with the Exotic Disease-Vector Tick Haemaphysalis longicornis - United States, August 2017-September 2018.

Haemaphysalis longicornis is a tick indigenous to eastern Asia and an important vector of human and animal disease agents, resulting in such outcomes as human hemorrhagic fever and reduction of production in dairy cattle by 25%. H. longicornis was discovered on a sheep in New Jersey in August 2017 (1). This was the first detection in the United States outside of quarantine. In the spring of 2018, the tick was again detected at the index site, and later, in other counties in New Jersey, in seven other states in the eastern United States, and in Arkansas. The hosts included six species of domestic animals, six species of wildlife, and humans. To forestall adverse consequences in humans, pets, livestock, and wildlife, several critical actions are indicated, including expanded surveillance to determine the evolving distribution of H. longicornis, detection of pathogens that H. longicornis currently harbors, determination of the capacity of H. longicornis to serve as a vector for a range of potential pathogens, and evaluation of effective agents and methods for the control of H. longicornis.

Amblyomma auricularium (Ixodida: Ixodidae) in Florida: New Hosts and Distribution Records.

Previous published evidence for the occurrence of an exotic armadillo tick, Amblyomma auricularium (Conil), in Florida is scant, but we found it is fully established and integrated into the state's tick fauna. We collected 11,192 specimens of this tick from naturalized nine-banded armadillos, Dasypus novemcinctus L., and 14 other species of wild native mammals and birds in Florida, while sampling statewide during 2004 through 2007. In all, we document its specific presence only in 14 contiguous South Florida counties. Moreover, we report the first collections of A. auricularium from the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana Kerr), common raccoon [Procyon lotor (L.)], cotton deermouse [Peromyscus gossypinus (Le Conte)], gray fox [Urocyon cinereoargenteus (Schreber)], eastern spotted skunk [Spilogale putorius (L.)], and white-tailed deer [Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmerman)]. For the first time on birds, we report the collection of this tick from the broad-winged hawk [Buteo platypterus (Vieillot)], northern cardinal [Cardinalis cardinalis (L.)], Carolina wren [Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham)], gray catbird [Dumetella carolinensis (L.)], and yellow-rumped warbler [Setophaga coronata (L.)]. In addition, we report unattached A. auricularium collected from humans for the first time, and additional new collections from domestic dogs, Canis lupus familiaris L.

First report of exotic ticks (Amblyomma rotundatum) parasitizing invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina) on the Island of Hawai'i.

Our surveys of 1401 invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina) from the Hawaiian islands of Hawai'i, O'ahu, and Maui revealed the presence of an exotic tick, Amblyomma rotundatum. Immature and adult female ticks infested three wild adult toads at a single site in the vicinity of a zoo south of Hilo, Island of Hawai'i, Hawai'i, USA. We found no tick-infested toads on O'ahu or Maui. This tick infests cane toads in their native Neotropical range, but it was excluded from Hawai'i when the original founder toads were introduced over 80 years ago. The circumstances of our discovery suggest that A. rotundatum was independently and belatedly introduced to Hawai'i with imported zoo animals, and Hawai'i now joins Florida as the second U.S. state where this tick is established.

Exotic pediculosis and hair-loss syndrome in deer (Odocoileus hemionus) populations in California.

Infestation with nonnative, "exotic" lice was first noted in Washington black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) in 1994 and has since then spread throughout the western United States. In California, infestation with the exotic louse Damalinia (Cervicola) sp. was first detected in black-tailed deer from northern California in 2004, and, in 2009, the exotic louse species Bovicola tibialis and Linognathus africanus were identified on mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus californicus) in central Sierra Nevada in association with a mortality event. Exotic lice have since been detected in various locations throughout the state. We describe the geographic distribution of these exotic lice within California, using data from 520 live-captured and 9 postmortem-sampled, free-ranging mule deer examined between 2009 and 2014. Data from live-captured deer were used to assess possible associations between louse infestation and host age, host sex, migratory behavior, season, and blood selenium and serum copper concentrations. Damalinia (Cervicola) sp. and B. tibialis lice were distinctively distributed geographically, with D. (Cervicola) sp. infesting herds in northern and central coastal California, B. tibialis occurring in the central coastal mountains and the Sierra Nevada, and L. africanus occurring only sporadically. Younger age classes and low selenium concentrations were significantly associated with exotic louse infestation, whereas no significant relationship was detected with serum copper levels. Our results show that exotic lice are widespread in California, and younger age classes with low blood selenium concentrations are more likely to be infested with lice than older deer.

Rickettsia parkeri Rickettsiosis, Arizona, USA.

In the United States, all previously reported cases of Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis have been linked to transmission by the Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum). Here we describe 1 confirmed and 1 probable case of R. parkeri rickettsiosis acquired in a mountainous region of southern Arizona, well beyond the recognized geographic range of A. maculatum ticks. The likely vector for these 2 infections was identified as the Amblyomma triste tick, a Neotropical species only recently recognized in the United States. Identification of R. parkeri rickettsiosis in southern Arizona demonstrates a need for local ecologic and epidemiologic assessments to better understand geographic distribution and define public health risk. Education and outreach aimed at persons recreating or working in this region of southern Arizona would improve awareness and promote prevention of tickborne rickettsioses.

Acarine Hypopi (Sarcoptiformes: Acaridae) on Ixodes scapularis (Ixodida: Ixodidae) in Central North America.

Phoretic deutonymphs (hypopi) of Schwiebea sp. mites were detected during examinations of questing adult and nymphal blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis Say, from vegetation at two woodland sites in northeastern Wisconsin, USA, during May and June, 2014. Collection sites were in Marinette and Oconto Counties, respectively. These hypopi are evidently the first reported from ticks in the Western Hemisphere, and they seem to be most similar morphologically to the putatively Holarctic species Schwiebea nova (Oudemans).

Key to Species of the Genus Neocheyletiella (Acariformes: Cheyletidae), With Description of a New Species.

A new species of the genus Neocheyletiella Baker, 1949 (Acariformes: Cheyletidae) is described from the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata (Viellot, 1817) (Passeriformes: Estrildidae), from a laboratory colony at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. The setal additions in the ontogeny of the new species, Neocheyletiella parvisetosa Mertins & Bochkov, and the main differential characters of all 17 known species of the genus Neocheyletiella are provided in tabular format. Keys to females and males of Neocheyletiella spp. also are given.

Phylogeography and demographic history of Amblyomma variegatum (Fabricius) (Acari: Ixodidae), the tropical bont tick.

The genetic diversity of Amblyomma variegatum (Fabricius) from four Caribbean islands and five African countries was compared by analyzing the sequences of three gene fragments, two mitochondrial (12SrDNA and D-Loop-DL), and one nuclear (intergenic transcribed spacer 2 [ITS2]). Genetic variability of the ITS2 DNA fragment consisted of only uninformative single nucleotide mutations, and therefore this gene was excluded from further analyses. Mitochondrial gene divergences among African populations and between Caribbean and African populations were very low. Nevertheless, the data suggest that A. variegatum is divided into distinct East and West African groups, the western group including all Caribbean samples. Phylogenetic analyses of the 12SrDNA and DL gene sequences showed that the West African A. variegatum clustered in a well-supported monophyletic clade, distinct from eastern paraphyletic lineages. Sequences of A. variegatum from the Caribbean were embedded in the West African clade, which supports the known West African historical origin for these ticks.

Chiggers recently infesting Spea spp. in Texas, USA, were Eutrombicula alfreddugesi, not Hannemania sp.

Upon re-examination of preserved larval chiggers collected from spadefoot toads (Spea bombifrons and Spea multiplicata) in the Southern High Plains of Texas, USA, and identified previously as Hannemania sp., we found them to be Eutrombicula alfreddugesi. A review of previous reports of Eutrombicula spp. chiggers on amphibian hosts provides context for current findings. All members of the genus Hannemania are specialized larval parasites of amphibians, whereas larval E. alfreddugesi are generalist parasites of a wide variety of terrestrial vertebrate hosts that infrequently includes amphibians. Spadefoot toads are previously undocumented hosts for E. alfreddugesi, and observed infestations were unusually prevalent and intense for this chigger on an amphibian host.

Bovicola tibialis (Phthiraptera:Trichodectidae): occurrence of an exotic chewing louse on cervids in North America.

Through a recent (2003-2007) survey of ectoparasites on hoofed mammals in western North America, a literature review, and examination of archived museum specimens, we found that the exotic deer-chewing louse, Bovicola tibialis (Piaget), is a long-term, widespread resident in the region. The earliest known collection was from Salt Spring Island, Canada, in 1941. We found these lice on the typical host, that is, introduced European fallow deer (Dama dama L.), and on Asian chital (Axis axis [Erxleben] ), native Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus [Richardson] ), and Rocky Mountain mule deer (O. h. hemionus [Rafinesque]) x black-tailed deer hybrids. Chital and the hybrid deer are new host records. All identified hosts were known to be or probably were exposed to fallow deer. Geographic records include southwestern British Columbia, Canada; Marin and Mendocino Counties, California; Deschutes, Lincoln, and Linn Counties, Oregon; Yakima and Kittitas Counties, Washington; Curry County, New Mexico; and circumstantially, at least, Kerr County, Texas. All but the Canadian and Mendocino County records are new. Bovicola tibialis displays a number of noteworthy similarities to another exotic deer-chewing louse already established in the region, that is, Damalinia (Cervicola) sp., which is associated with a severe hair-loss syndrome in black-tailed deer. We discuss longstanding problems with proper identification of B. tibialis, the probability that it occurs even more widely in the United States, and the prospects for it to cause health problems for North American deer. Additional information gathered since our active survey establishes further new distribution and host records for B. tibialis.

First reports of ectoparasites collected from wild-caught exotic reptiles in Florida.

We collected ectoparasites from 27 of 51 wild-caught, free-ranging exotic reptiles examined in Florida from 2003 to 2008. Sampled animals represented eight species, five of which yielded ectoparasites. Reported new parasite distribution records for the United States include the following: the first collection of the African tick Amblyomma latum (Koch) from a wild-caught animal [ball python, Python regius (Shaw)] in the United States; the first collection of the lizard scale mite Hirstiella stamii (Jack) from any wild-caught animal [green iguana, Iguana iguana (L.)]; and the first collection of the lizard scale mite Geckobia hemidactyli (Lawrence) in the continental United States from a wild-caught tropical house gecko, Hemidactylus mabouia (Moreau de Jonnès). We also report the first collections of the Neotropical ticks Amblyomma rotundatum (Koch) and Amblyomma dissimile (Koch) from wild-caught Burmese pythons, Python molurus bivittatus (Kuhl); the first collections of A. dissimile from a wild-caught African savannah monitor, Varanus exanthematicus (Bosc); and from wild-caught green iguanas in the United States; and the first collections of the native chiggers Eutrombicula splendens (Ewing) and Eutrombicula cinnabaris (Ewing) from wild-caught Burmese pythons. These reports may only suggest the diversity of reptile ectoparasites introduced and established in Florida and the new host-parasite relationships that have developed among exotic and native ectoparasites and established exotic reptiles.

Mite-filled cyst on a Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) in Florida, USA.

A large, partly pedunculated mass on the scapular area of a wild-caught captive Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) consisted of a multiloculated keratin cyst inhabited by a new species of harpirhynchid mite (Harpirhynchus quasimodo). The mass did not interfere with flight or behavior. This is the first record of such an infestation of cowbirds in Florida.

Generalized demodecosis in three sibling, juvenile rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis).

One female and two male 4-mo-old, sibling rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis) presented with severe generalized dermatitis characterized by nonpruritic, nonalopecic, mildly encrusted, focally, ulcerated pustular nodules. The dorsum, limbs, and dorsal cranium were most severely affected. Skin scrapings, histopathology, and scanning electron microscopy revealed the presence of various life stages of a novel Demodex sp. As a result of the generalized nature of infestation, treatment began with ivermectin and then changed to doramectin, at a dose of 0.6 mg/kg s.c. every 7 days. Weekly skin scrapings and intermittent blood work, including serum protein electrophoresis, were used to evaluate treatment response. Complete resolution, as determined by two consecutive negative skin scrapings, was noted in all three hyraxes within 10-14 wk.