Tissue‐damaging marking methods do not affect tick burdens on field captured Peromyscus spp.

Abstract

The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is the vector of Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiological agent that causes Lyme disease in North America. Studies investigating host-parasite interactions are valuable in understanding I. scapularis ecology, and, by extension, the transmission of the Lyme disease pathogen. Small mammals are important hosts for I. scapularis, particularly white-footed mice and deer mice from the genus Peromyscus. Peromyscus spp. mice have been used as model organisms in several fields of research and are frequently trapped to evaluate broad ecological concepts. Previous studies have suggested that tissue-damaging marking methods were associated with increased tick burdens, which may have consequences in ecological studies. Our study was designed to evaluate 3 tissue-damaging marking methods including lab tags, round tags, and ear punches alongside a non-tissue damage control (blue dye) to determine if any method affected tick burdens on captured mice. Mice were captured biweekly using Sherman traps from May through September in 2020. The overall tick burden fluctuated between months, but no significant difference in total tick burden was found between captured male and female mice. There were no significant differences in tick burden on captured mice among the tissue damaging marking methods and the control. Therefore, marking method choice for Peromyscus spp. for tick ecology studies should consider personal preferences, cost, ease of use, and durability.