1. Texas Animal Health Commission
Matt Cochran
Emergency Management Veterinarian

2. Fever Tick Eradication:
Cattle,
deer &
exotic livestock issues

3. Fever ticks prefer cattle, but horses and several species of wildlife
are effective hosts.

4. Elk Wildlife: Effective Hosts for Fever Ticks Nilgai Red deer
Axis, Fallow, Aoudad?
White-tail
Elk
Nilgai

5. Fever Tick Working Group Meeting Laredo - March 19, 2009
Updated on program successes and challenges
Discussed program needs
Made suggestions for improvement to fever tick programs and achievement of additional surveillance

6. Area Surveillance
Scratch and dip all cattle moving through seven South Texas markets
Establish a Control Purpose Quarantine outside the current quarantine areas and scratch and dip all cattle leaving the area

8. Working Group Recommendation
Do not create a new surveillance area or require inspection and treatment at markets
The highest risk for fever ticks should be those lands and animals in the Free areas near the Blanket and Systematic Quarantine lines
Increase surveillance in cattle and wildlife in these areas

9. Total Cattle Fever Tick Infestations FY 1995 – May 19, 2009
132
115
120
100 80 60 40
These numbers are overall including both Free and Systematic infestations. 20
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
5/19/09

10. Since 2007: Acres under temporary tick quarantine:
122 new infested premises detected since Oct. 1, 08
Maverick, Dimmit and Webb
---  622,560 acres
USDA new funding:
$4.9 million Jan. 09
Permanent
quarantine zone (red)
Zapata, Starr, Jim Hogg
---  423,509 acres
Acres under permanent
fever tick quarantine:
Del Rio to Brownsville
--- 500,000 acres

11. 247,388 acres remain in Temporary Quarantine Area Remaining quarantine
released
in Webb,
Dimmit,
Maverick
Temporary
Quarantine Area
Remaining
quarantine
includes
28 premimses
Release
includes
255 premises

12. FY 2009 – Federal FY 2008 132 NEW infested premises 115 infestations47 68
Federal FY 2008
132 NEW infested premises
85 Permanent Q zone
47 Free area

13. Fever Tick Update FY 2009: as of May 19,
115 new infestations identified
in Zapata - 63
Starr – 45
Maverick - 2
Brooks - 1
Cameron - 1
Kinney - 1
and Dimmit - 1
Webb – 1 counties.

14. October 1, 08-April 1, 09 Inspections: 121,559 cattle 3,894 horses
Treatment: 67,086 cattle
15,375 horses

15. Treatment every 7-14 days:
Cattle are inspected,
then run thru spray boxes
or submerged in dipping vats charged with Co-Ral

16. Trial Cattle Treatment Doramectin at 28-day intervals
USDA, TAHC pay for treatment

17. Horses inspected, sprayed and permitted….
“14-day pass” allowed

18. Wildlife
treatment
products limited
Ivomec-corn
4-Poster

19. developing new products…
Research &
Development
Must go beyond
developing new products…
Approval for use
is ESSENTIAL!

20. Additional Treatment Options Needed but leaving it on the shelf
Vaccine
Dip/spray
Injectables
Oral
Developing a product
that works--
but leaving it on the shelf
does no good!

21. Products and processes
Acaracide
Resistance
Products and processes
must be identified
to prevent or reduce
development
of resistance

22. Determine prevalence of Babesia
in quarantined areas of Texas
Determine whether wildlife
and exotics are competent vectors
for B. bovis and B. bigemina

23. Nutritional supplementation
Can modification of management practices aid in eliminating fever ticks?
Game-proof fence
Pasture management
Cross-fencing
Rotational grazing
Brush control
Controlled burns
Nutritional supplementation

24. Sufficient, sustainable
program funding;
USDA budget
not less than
$14.7 m yearly

25. National Strategic Plan 2006-2011 For Cattle Fever Tick Eradication
Prevent entry of cattle fever ticks into U.S.
Funding
needed for
Strategic Plan
$42 million
over 5 years
Enhance and maintain effective surveillance
to rapidly detect cattle fever tick incursions
Prevent establishment of cattle fever ticks by eradicating
infestations resulting from cattle fever tick incursions
Identify and procure tools and knowledge
to maintain the U.S. free of cattle fever ticks
Foster collaboration and cooperation with Mexico
to eliminate the cattle fever tick in areas of Mexico
that impact the U.S.

26. A U.S. problem! Fever Ticks Not just a Texas problem…
By 1943, the eradication campaign was declared complete, although subsequent outbreaks of Boophilus ticks occurred in Florida and Texas. In 1961, the U. S. was again declared free of Boophilus ticks and no further outbreaks have occurred outside of South Texas since that time.
In 1906, the national Boophilus tick campaign was initiated, the area infested encompassed parts of 14 southern states and a portion of southern California. The goal was eradication of ticks. Economic losses at that time were estimated to be $100 million each year.
We must not allow Boophilus ticks
to become re-established in their former ranges