Feeding and reproductive parameters of adult female Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) and Amblyomma americanum parasitizing white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus).

Abstract

White-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann) (Artiodactyla: Cervidae) are the main host for adult Ixodes scapularis Say (Acari: Ixodidae) (blacklegged tick) and all stages of Amblyomma americanum Linnaeus (Acari: Ixodidae) (lone star tick). However, literature describing the feeding and reproductive parameters of these tick species when feeding on this host is limited. We experimentally infested white-tailed deer with adult pairs of either I. scapularis or A. americanum to improve our understanding of these tick-host relationships. Our study used tick-naïve white-tailed deer and restricted host grooming throughout the infestation. For I. scapularis, the days to repletion (mean ± SE, 6.04 ± 0.07), engorgement weight of replete females (0.20 ± 0.0032 g), duration of oviposition (32 ± 0.45 d), egg mass weight (0.10 ± 0.0027 g), and number of eggs laid per tick (1,803.00 ± 49.00) were recorded. Data from A. americanum were also recorded, including days to repletion (11.00 ± 0.063), engorgement weight of replete females (0.63 ± 0.025 g), duration of oviposition (37.00 ± 1.30 d), egg mass weight (0.34 ± 0.017 g), and number of eggs laid per tick (5,873.00 ± 291.00). These biological parameter data could be used as variables in models (e.g., LYMESIM 2.0) to determine how white-tailed deer influence I. scapularis and A. americanum populations in nature, and to evaluate the protective efficacy of tick-antigen-based antitick vaccines.