A S.M.A.R.T. approach to fly and tick surveillance in beef cattle production systems

The U.S. cattle industry loses an estimated 5.7 billion USD to fly and tick feeding annually. These ectoparasites blood feed on their hosts, causing blood loss, reduced feed efficiency, reduced milk quality and quantities, hide damage, and pathogen transmission. Diseases associated with these pests include pink eye, mastitis, theileriosis, and anaplasmosis. Theileria orientalis Ikeda is a bloodborne protozoan parasite that causes bovine theileriosis, while Anaplasma marginale is the bacterial pathogen responsible for bovine anaplasmosis. Each of these diseases pose major threats to the U.S. cattle industry. The objectives of this project are to 1) conduct targeted fly and tick surveillance using environmental sampling, on animal sampling, and on animal image capture at beef farms in Tennessee; 2) identify and screen collected ticks for Anaplasma marginale and Theileria orientalis Ikeda; and 3) identify farms with varying tick and pathogen burdens (none, multiple species, different pathogens) for long-term studies. Ticks were collected from the environment using standard tick dragging methods, removed from cattle via tick scratching, and obtained from general submissions from collaborators across Tennessee. Ticks were identified using appropriate taxonomic keys and screened for T. orientalis and A. marginale. Images of pest infested animals were captured at each field site using mobile devices. Intended outcomes include updates to the Tennessee Longhorned Tick and Theileria Tracking Dashboard, continued collection and annotation of pest-infested animal images, and classification of field sites for long-term pest surveillance based on their initial pest and pathogen burdens. Results will be presented.