Importation of the New World tick species Dermacentor albipictus with a horse from the USA into Germany

Abstract

In February 2006 an American Bashkir Curly horse was imported via air from Montana /USA into Germany. Already on the arrival at the airport of Amsterdam about 30 fully engorged ticks dropped off the horse, and during the following 4 days in the stable in Germany daily more than 200 engorged ticks were collected. The tick species was identified as Dermacentor albipictus, which is also called winter tick". Hosts for the ticks are large wild and domestic mammels, such as moos, cattle and horses. On this animals the tick undergoes an one-host life cycle. Larvae become active in summer, nymphae and adults engorge during November and February on the same host. This New World tick species occurs in woodlands of North America up to 60 degrees N in Canada. The ecological conditions in Eurasia may give a suitable environment for establishing a tick population for D. albipictus. From Germany the occurrence of 2 other similar ticks (D. marginatus, D. reticulatus) of the same genus is known. This underlines the importance for an exact species diagnosis of ticks. The tick species D.albipictus become known as vector for Anaplasma marginale and the virus of Colorado tick fever. Ticks of the genus Dermacentor include important vectors of diseases agents, such as viruses, rickettsiae, Babesia and Theileria. Before treatment of the horse with permethrin wipe on 4 engorged female ticks were collected which began egg laying after 4 weeks. Ail other collected ticks were burned or killed by 3 treatments with permethrin in weekly intervals.