PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Established tick control strategies often involve methods that can be damaging to existing environmental conditions or natural host ecology. To find more environmentally friendly methods, biological controls, like predators of ticks, have been suggested. There are natural predators of ticks, but most are generalists and not expected to control tick populations. Helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris (L.) (Galliformes: Numididae)) have been suggested to be biological controls of ticks, and therefore, tick-borne pathogens, but their potential role as hosts for ticks complicates the relationship. A study was conducted to assess whether guinea fowl reduces the abundance of lone star ticks, Amblyomma americanum (L.) (Acari: Ixodidae), or whether they are hosts of ticks. Using mark-recapture techniques, painted lone star ticks were placed into 3 different treatments: penned, excluded, and free range. The recapture rates of painted ticks were compared. There was a significant difference between excluded and free-range treatments, but not between excluded and penned or between free range and penned. To investigate the role of guinea fowl as hosts of ticks, coop floors were examined for engorged ticks. Engorged lone star nymphs that had fed on guinea fowl were found. Lastly, ticks collected were tested to identify the potential reduction in risk of tick-borne pathogens. This study found no evidence that guinea fowl are an effective biological control of lone star ticks or tick-borne pathogens, but they are hosts of lone star nymphs. Future studies are needed to assess the complex ecology of a biological control of ticks that is also a host.
摘要：
已建立的蜱控制策略通常涉及可能破坏现有环境条件或自然宿主生态的方法。为了找到更环保的方法，生物控制，就像蜱虫的捕食者，有人建议。有蜱虫的天敌，但大多数是通才，预计不会控制蜱种群。Helmeted豚鼠（Numidameleagris（L.)(Galliformes:Numididae))被认为是蜱的生物控制，因此,蜱传病原体，但是他们作为蜱虫宿主的潜在角色使这种关系变得复杂。进行了一项研究，以评估珍珠鸡是否减少了孤星蜱的丰度，americanum(L.)(Acari:Ixodidae)，或者它们是否是蜱虫的宿主。使用标记重新捕获技术，画的孤独的星蜱被放置在3种不同的处理:penned,排除，和自由范围。比较了涂漆蜱的再捕获率。排除治疗和自由放养治疗之间存在显着差异，但不是在排除和书写之间，也不是在自由范围和书写之间。为了研究豚鼠作为蜱宿主的作用，检查了鸡舍地板上是否充满了蜱虫。发现了以珍珠鸡为食的孤星若虫。最后,对收集的蜱进行了测试，以确定蜱传播病原体风险的潜在降低。这项研究没有发现证据表明珍珠鸡是一种有效的生物防治孤星蜱或蜱传病原体，但它们是孤星若虫的寄主.需要未来的研究来评估也是宿主的蜱的生物控制的复杂生态学。
