Reid R. Gerhardt

Borrelia burgdorferi Not Detected in Widespread Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) Collected From White-Tailed Deer in Tennessee

ABSTRACT Lyme disease (LD), caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted in the eastern United States by blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis Say, is classified as nonendemic in Tennessee and surrounding states in the Southeast. Low incidence of LD in these states has been attributed, in part, to vector ticks being scarce or absent; however, tick survey data for many counties are incomplete or out of date. To improve our knowledge of the distribution, abundance, and Borrelia spp. prevalence of I. scapularis, we collected ticks from 1,018 hunter-harvested white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmerman)) from 71 of 95 Tennessee counties in fall 2007 and 2008. In total, 160 deer (15.7%) from 35 counties were infested with adult I. scapularis; 30 of these counties were new distributional records for this tick. The mean number of I. scapularis collected per infested deer was 5.4 ±0.6 SE. Of the 883 I. scapularis we removed from deer, none were positive for B. burgdorferi and one tested positive for B. miyamotoi. Deer are not reservoir hosts for B. burgdorferi; nevertheless, past surveys in northern LD-endemic states have readily detected B. burgdoreferi in ticks collected from deer. We conclude that I. scapularis is far more widespread in Tennessee than previously reported. The absence of detectable B. burgdorferi infection among these ticks suggests that the LD risk posed by I. scapularis in the surveyed areas of Tennessee is much lower than in LD-endemic areas of the Northeast and upper Midwest.

FIRST COLLECTION OF OCHLEROTATUS JAPONICUS JAPONICUS IN THE STATE OF TENNESSEE

ABSTRACT This is the 1st report of Ochlerotatus japonicus japonicus in the state of Tennessee, USA. Adults were collected at 5 sites in northwestern Knox County from June 9 through November 3, 2003, and from 1 site in both 2003 and 2004.

Field Use of Isoflurane for Safe Squirrel and Woodrat Anesthesia

Abstract We evaluated a chamber and nose cone method of isoflurane delivery for anesthetizing eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis; summer n = 43, winter n = 48) and Allegheny woodrats (Neotoma magister; summer n = 24, winter n = 13) for use when pain or stress was possible from sampling procedures. Mean induction time for squirrels (from beginning of isoflurane administration to safe removal from trap), was 4.63 ± 0.58 minutes. Squirrels awoke more quickly in summer (1.40 ± 0.15 min) than in winter (3.62 ± 0.24 min) after removal of the nose cone. We manually restrained woodrats and administered the nose cone for 0.5 minutes to each animal. Woodrats awoke after 4.76 ± 0.58 minutes following the final dose of isoflurane for both seasons. These methods are useful for working with small mammals in the field and provide an appropriate anesthetic when there may be more than slight pain or distress.

Description of the egg of Ochlerotatus japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) using variable pressure scanning electron microscopy.

ABSTRACT The egg of Ochlerotatus japonicus japonicus (Theobald) is described with the aid of variable pressure scanning electron micrographs. The egg is black, cigar shaped, and tapers ventrally. The length is ≈591 µm and the width is ≈172 µm. The outer chorionic cells are irregular in shape, either hexagonal or pentagonal, and decrease in size toward the anterior and posterior poles. Ventral tubercles typically range from three to six and contact the chorionic reticulum. Dorsal tubercles contain two large tubercles with small oval-shaped tubercles grouped around them. A large thread-shaped tubercle extends from this grouping either as a single tubercle or as a series of connected tubercles. The micropylar collar is low and discontinuous and is seldom complete. This description will aid researchers in the identification of this invasive vector species.

External Parasites of Neotoma magister Baird (Allegheny Woodrat) in the Cumberland Mountains and Plateau, Tennessee

Abstract We examined external parasites of Neotoma magister (Allegheny Woodrat) from the Royal Blue Wildlife Management Area in the Cumberland Mountains and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area on the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee from November 2003 to August 2005. Typically associated with rocky habitats such as clifflines and cave entrances, the Allegheny Woodrat is considered a species of concern in Tennessee. We found external parasites on 26 out of 40 Allegheny Woodrats (prevalence = 65%), including 2 Epitedia cavernicola Traub (woodrat fleas—from 2 separate woodrats; prevalence = 5%), 63 Orchopeas pennsylvanicus Baker (woodrat fleas—collected on all 26; prevalence = 65%, intensity = 2.4/woodrat), and 5 Ixodes woodi Bishopp (Woodrat Ticks—collected from 1 woodrat; prevalence = 2.5%). Our collection represents a state record for Woodrat Ticks in Tennessee. The external parasites collected from Allegheny Woodrats in east Tennessee were considered woodrat-specific parasites and exhibited low species diversity.