Lars Eisen
Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2023 Mar;14(2):102119, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102119
Condensed abstract: In the United States, rodents serve as important hosts of medically important Ixodes ticks, including Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus, as well as reservoirs for human pathogens, including Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.), and Babesia microti. Over the last four decades, different methods to disrupt enzootic transmission of these pathogens between tick vectors and rodent reservoirs have been developed and evaluated. These techniques include the application of topical acaricides, antibiotics, or a vaccine against Bo. burgdorferi s.s., delivered orally via rodent food baits. This review outlines the general benefits and drawbacks of rodent-targeted tick and pathogen control methods, and then describes the empirical evidence for different approaches to impact enzootic pathogen transmission and acarological risk of human exposure to pathogen-infected Ixodes ticks. Note: This review paper describes various rodent-targeted tick management techniques, summarizing results of experiments and compiling the benefits and drawbacks.