Abstract
AbstractSeveral tick species, in what is now known as the subgenus Boophilus in the genus Rhipicephalus, are economically important ectoparasites of livestock and other ungulates; as vectors of pathogens that kill cattle, they remain among the most studied ticks in the world. Researchers have developed quantitative computer models of Rhipicephalus ticks since the early 1970s to study complex biological and ecological relationships that influence management or eradication of ticks and tick‐borne diseases. We review the 45‐yr history of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) models, which were developed and applied first in Australia, 10 yr later in North and South America, then soon after in Africa. Models progressed from analytical models of a portion of tick life cycles, to simulation models of complete life cycles or ecoclimatic indices, to the current emphasis on GIS‐based bioclimatic envelope models estimated from remotely sensed data and tick presence records. Earlier models were used primarily to predict effects of management techniques, such as use of sterile hybrid ticks, pasture rotation, acaricides, vaccines, and resistant cattle, while more recent models have been used to predict the potential for range expansion, especially due to global climate change and wildlife hosts, as well as in the face of competition with other tick species. We summarize characteristics of these models and compare those of population dynamics and bioclimatic envelope models. We discuss the past and present utility of these models and provide a perspective on future Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) modeling efforts.
Highlights
The subgenus Boophilus, genus Rhipicephalus (Acari: Ixodidae), contains six currently recognized species of ticks that primarily parasitize ungulates (Guglielmone et al 2014): Rhipicephalus annulatus, R. australis, R. decoloratus, R. geigyi, R. kohlsi, and R. microplus
R. annulatus (Say) inhabits arid and temperate climates of the Mediterranean region to southern Russia, central Africa, parts of the Middle East, India, and Mexico (Estrada-Pen~a et al 2006a, Kolonin 2009), and prior to 1943, it inhabited most of the southern United States (USA; Graham and Hourrigan 1977)
Settlers, and soldiers of the 16th–20th centuries expanded the distributions of R. microplus, R. australis, and R. annulatus by moving infested cattle (Estrada-Pen~a and Salman 2013)
Summary
The subgenus Boophilus, genus Rhipicephalus (Acari: Ixodidae), contains six currently recognized species of ticks that primarily parasitize ungulates (Guglielmone et al 2014): Rhipicephalus annulatus, R. australis, R. decoloratus, R. geigyi, R. kohlsi, and R. microplus. For cattle within the range of R. annulatus, R. microplus, or R. australis populations, the main tick-borne pathogens are Babesia bigemina (Smith and Kilborne) and Babesia bovis (Babes), causal agents of bovine babesiosis, and Anaplasma marginale (Theiler), causal agent of anaplasmosis, each with significant economic impacts on cattle production (Estrada-Pen~a et al 2006a) These species have received much research attention in regions where they coincide with high cattle production, primarily Australia and the Americas. In the late 1970s, they produced a Leslie matrix model of R. australis population dynamics (MATIX) to simulate integrated tick-management strategies (Sutherst et al 1979a), including those for crossbred cattle (Sutherst et al 1980a, b) They combined MATIX with models of population genetics to evaluate development of acaricide resistance (Sutherst and Comins 1979) and with decision-analysis models (Elder et al 1983, Norton et al 1983, 1984, Elder and Morris 1986) to predict effects of management strategies. CLIMEX was used to predict distributions of R. australis in southern Australia and R. microplus in southern Africa (Sutherst 1987b); to analyze climate-change effects on tick distribution (Maywald and Sutherst 1989); and, when integrated into an expert system, to help agricultural advisors recommend tick-management strategies (Sutherst and Bottomley 1989)
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