title: Community-based control of the brown dog tick in a region with high rates of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, 2012-2013.
abstract: Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) transmitted by the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato) has emerged as a significant public health risk on American Indian reservations in eastern Arizona. During 2003-2012, more than 250 RMSF cases and 19 deaths were documented among Arizona's American Indian population. The high case fatality rate makes community-level interventions aimed at rapid and sustained reduction of ticks urgent. Beginning in 2012, a two year pilot integrated tick prevention campaign called the RMSF Rodeo was launched in a ∼ 600-home tribal community with high rates of RMSF. During year one, long-acting tick collars were placed on all dogs in the community, environmental acaricides were applied to yards monthly, and animal care practices such as spay and neuter and proper tethering procedures were encouraged. Tick levels, indicated by visible inspection of dogs, tick traps and homeowner reports were used to monitor tick presence and evaluate the efficacy of interventions throughout the project. By the end of year one, <1% of dogs in the RMSF Rodeo community had visible tick infestations five months after the project was started, compared to 64% of dogs in Non-Rodeo communities, and environmental tick levels were reduced below detectable levels. The second year of the project focused on use of the long-acting collar alone and achieved sustained tick control with fewer than 3% of dogs in the RMSF Rodeo community with visible tick infestations by the end of the second year. Homeowner reports of tick activity in the domestic and peridomestic setting showed similar decreases in tick activity compared to the non-project communities. Expansion of this successful project to other areas with Rhipicephalus-transmitted RMSF has the potential to reduce brown dog tick infestations and save human lives.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Drexler
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gerding
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Epidemic Intelligence Service, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Todd
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Epidemic Intelligence Service, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America; Arizona Department of Health Services, Department of Public Health Services, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: F Scott
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Dahlgren
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Nelva
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: Arizona Department of Health Services, Department of Public Health Services, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America; Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona Inc., Tribal Epidemiology Center, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Weis
authors.affiliation: Arizona Department of Health Services, Department of Public Health Services, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Herrick
authors.affiliation: Arizona Department of Health Services, Department of Public Health Services, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Francies
authors.affiliation: Arizona Department of Health Services, Department of Public Health Services, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.affiliation: Indian Health Service, Office of Environmental Health and Engineering, Phoenix Area Unit, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Piontkowski
authors.affiliation: Indian Health Service, Office of Environmental Health and Engineering, Phoenix Area Unit, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Velascosoltero
authors.affiliation: Indian Health Service, Office of Environmental Health and Engineering, Phoenix Area Unit, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shelhamer
authors.affiliation: Indian Health Service, Infection Control Nurse, Phoenix Area Unit, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.affiliation: Tribe B, Department of Health and Human Services, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eribes
authors.affiliation: Tribe B, Department of Health and Human Services, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brock
authors.affiliation: Tribe B, Department of Health and Human Services, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Patsy
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sneezy
authors.affiliation: Tribe B, Department of Health and Human Services, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Cye
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Goseyun
authors.affiliation: Tribe B, Department of Health and Human Services, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Harty
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bendle
authors.affiliation: Tribe B, Department of Health and Human Services, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hovet
authors.affiliation: Tribe B, Department of Health and Human Services, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Velda
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Massung
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jennifer H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: McQuiston
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000472:pathogenicity; D001130:Arizona; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D048508:Rhipicephalus sanguineus / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology*; D012284:Rickettsia rickettsii / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D012373:Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology*