Suppression of Host-Seeking Ixodes scapularis Abundances and Interruption of Pathogen Transmission Through Orally Delivered Systemic Acaricide Treatment of White-tailed Deer and Peromyscus spp.

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1 Project Summary-Williams 2 RFA-CK-22-004 3 4 The proposed research will orally deliver existing commercially available acaricide formulations to 5 systemically treat the major Ixodes scapularis reproductive host (white-tailed deer) and major pathogen 6 reservoir (small rodents with a focus on Peromyscus spp.) both singly and in combination. We will use 7 Cydectin® (moxidectin), which has a 0-day withdrawal period for human consumption, to coat whole corn to 8 dose deer and will use Kaput® (0.005% fipronil) to dose small rodents at three different locations with varying 9 known diversities of alternative terrestrial mammalian hosts. Specific aims include: 1) Evaluation of the 10 efficacy and reproducibility of this strategy in the suppression of Borrelia burgdorferi-infected host-seeking I. 11 scapularis nymphs in multiple high-risk settings. 2) Optimization and standardization of the implementation of 12 systemic acaricide treatment of white-tailed deer and Peromyscus spp. to reduce the abundance of host-seeking 13 I. scapularis nymphs infected with human pathogens. 3) Development of standard operating procedures for 14 systemic acaricidal host treatment to be used by homeowners or vector control professionals within 15 communities at risk for exposure to Lyme disease spirochetes and other I. scapularis-borne pathogens. 16 The objective of this work is to investigate the effectiveness of systemic acaricidal host-targeted 17 treatment as an integrated tick management strategy that can be implemented on a town-wide scale, similar to 18 mosquito control efforts. Logistically, procuring access to numerous private properties for tick management will 19 prove challenging. However, white-tailed deer home ranges often contain numerous private properties and they 20 readily traverse human-derived property boundaries. Vector control professionals or homeowners would then 21 only need to establish feeding stations at a few locations to dose deer with moxidectin during the spring and fall 22 adult I. scapularis activity peaks to effectively interrupt the tick life cycle. Fipronil-laced bait could be 23 distributed on willing private properties or by vector control professionals or the homeowners themselves to 24 target juvenile I. scapularis on small rodents, further suppressing abundances and reducing pathogen infection 25 in both vector and reservoir. Additionally, through modeling efforts based on results from the proposed, this 26 strategy will be expanded to provide information to stakeholders in different ecological and climatic regions on 27 the optimum combination of interventions that can synergistically contribute to the short- to long-term, cost- 28 effective and sustainable control of tick-borne pathogens in an integrated vector management approach. Also, a 29 publicly accessible document containing standard operating procedures for use of this strategy will be published 30 and made available online that will be geared toward homeowners and vector control professionals. This 31 combined strategy of systemic treatment of both the major reproductive host and major pathogen reservoir has 32 significant potential to be highly effective in suppression of host-seeking abundances of pathogen-infected I. 33 scapularis over larger areas such as at a town-wide scale.