title: Observations on distribution and seasonal activity of the Gulf Coast tick in Mississippi.
abstract: Medical importance of the Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum Koch, has been highlighted with the recent discovery of a new rickettsial pathogen associated with this tick. Accordingly, distribution and seasonal collection records of A. maculatum were assessed in Mississippi by using three sources of data: sampling of experimental field plots, national tick collection records, and Mississippi Department of Health human tick biting records. A. maculatum was collected in 17/82 (21%) Mississippi counties, mostly in central and southern regions. Estimates of seasonal activity were made using collection data for 2,217 adult, 11 nymphal, and 426 larval specimens. Adult A. maculatum were collected during March through November, with a peak during late July through early August. Nymphs were collected during February through August, and larvae were collected once during each of June, September, and October. Small sample sizes of the immature stages precluded determination of their peak activity.
authors.affiliation: Bureau of General Environmental Services, Mississippi Department of Health, P.O. Box 1700, Jackson, MS 39215, USA.
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goddard
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Paddock
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007299:Insect Bites and Stings / Q000453:epidemiology; D007303:Insect Vectors; D007814:Larva; D008922:Mississippi; D009758:Nymph; D011156:Population Density; D012281:Rickettsia; D012621:Seasons; D013987:Ticks / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*