Authors: Felz, Michael W.; Durden, Lance A.

Source: Journal of Medical Entomology, Volume 36, Number 3, May 1999 , pp. 361-364(4)

Publisher: Entomological Society of America

Abstract:

From June 1995 through January 1998, 677 tick specimens were submitted by 521 humans from 14 states. Analysis was limited to specimens originating in Georgia and South Carolina, representing 87.3% of total submissions. Attachment sites were specified in 367 specimens (62.3%). The American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis(Say), a vector of the agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, favored the head and neck in 59% of attached specimens. The lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (L.), a strongly implicated vector of the agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis, favored the lower extremities, buttocks, and groin in 54% of specimens. The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, the main eastern vector of the Lyme disease spirochete, had widely distributed attachment sites with no apparent site preference. The Gulf Coast tick, A. maculatumKoch, parasitized humans in too few instances for analysis. In the southeastern United States, prevention of tick bites and tickborne illnesses such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, and Lyme disease may be enhanced by personal practices and public health measures based on knowledge of preferred attachment sites of potentially infectious tick species.

Keywords: Amblyomma americanum; Amblyomma maculatum; Ixodes scapularis; Dermacentor variabilis; tick attachment

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 1999-05-01

More about this publication?

• Journal of Medical Entomology is published bimonthly in January, March, May, July, September, and November. The journal publishes reports on all phases of medical entomology and medical acarology, including the systematics and biology of insects, acarines, and other arthropods of public health and veterinary significance.
  
  The journal is divided into the following sections: Morphology, Systematics, Evolution; Sampling, Distribution, Dispersal; Development, Life History; Population and Community Ecology; Behavior, Chemical Ecology; Population Biology/Genetics; Molecular Biology/Genomics; Neurobiology, Physiology, Biochemistry; Vector Control, Pest Management, Resistance, Repellents; Arthropod/Host Interaction, Immunity; Vector/Pathogen/Host Interaction, Transmission; Vector-Borne Diseases, Surveillance, Prevention; Direct Injury, Myiasis, Forensics; Modeling/GIS, Risk Assessment, Economic Impact. In addition to full-length research articles, the journal publishes interpretive articles in a Forum section, Short Communications, Rapid Communications, and Book Reviews.
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