Higher sika deer density is associated with higher local abundance of Haemaphysalis longicornis nymphs and adults but not larvae in central Japan

• Published in: Bulletin of entomological research Vol. 104; no. 1; pp. 19 - 28
• Main Authors: Tsukada, Hideharu, Nakamura, Yoshio, Kamio, Tsugihiko, Inokuma, Hisashi, Hanafusa, Yasuko, Matsuda, Naoko, Maruyama, Tetsuya, Ohba, Takahiro, Nagata, Koji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.02.2014
• Subjects: Abiotic factors; Acari; Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding; Animal diseases; Animal populations; Animal reproduction; Animals; Arthropod Vectors - growth & development; Arthropoda; Arthropods; Artiodactyla; Biological and medical sciences; Cervidae; Cervus nippon; Climate; Deer; Deer - parasitology; Deer - physiology; Developmental stages; Environment. Living conditions; Environmental conditions; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geography; Haemaphysalis longicornis; Ixodidae; Ixodidae - growth & development; Japan; Larvae; Life Cycle Stages - physiology; Linear Models; Medical sciences; Medically important nuisances and vectors, pests of stored products and materials: population survey and control; Population Density; Population Dynamics; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Research Paper; Vector-borne diseases; Vectors. Intermediate hosts; Asia; Honshu; Japan; Far east; climatic factor; biological factor; Haemaphysalis longicornis; tick abundance; sika deer; Climate; Disease; Environmental factor; Risk; Acari; Vector; Ixodidae; Ungulata; Public health; Parasitiformes; Parasite; Host; Cervus nippon; Arachnida; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Ixodida; Arthropoda; Artiodactyla; Ectoparasite; Invertebrata; Population density
• ISSN: 0007-4853; 1475-2670
• DOI: 10.1017/S0007485313000308

Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) is one of the most common and important arthropod disease vectors in Japan, carrying Japanese spotted fever and bovine theileriosis. The recent expansion of sika deer (Cervus nippon, Artiodactyla: Cervidae) populations, the most common wild host of H. longicornis, has also caused concern about increasing the risk of vector-borne diseases in Japan. We used generalized linear mixed model analysis to determine the relative contribution of deer density and other biological and abiotic factors on the abundance of H. longicornis ticks questing at each developmental stage. A total of 6223 H. longicornis adults, nymphs, and larvae were collected from 70 sites in three regions of central Japan. The abundance of questing adult and nymphal ticks was associated with deer density and other biotic and abiotic factors. However, the abundance of questing larvae showed no association with deer density but did show an association with other biotic and abiotic factors. These findings show that a high density of deer along with other biotic and abiotic factors is associated with increased risk of vector-borne diseases through amplified local abundance of questing nymphal and adult H. longicornis. Further, questing larvae abundance is likely regulated by environmental conditions and is likely correlated with survival potential or the distribution of other host species.