Quantitative factors proposed to influence the prevalence of canine tick-borne disease agents in the United States

The Companion Animal Parasite Council hosted a meeting to identify quantifiable factors that can influence the prevalence of tick-borne disease agents among dogs in North America. This report summarizes the approach used and the factors identified for further analysis with mathematical models of canine exposure to tick-borne pathogens.

Keywords: Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Borrelia burgdorferi, Tick-borne infections, Prevalence map factors, Ticks, Ixodidae, Prostriata, Metastriata

Roger W Stich1*, Byron L Blagburn2, Dwight D Bowman3, Christopher Carpenter4, M Roberto Cortinas5, Sidney A Ewing6, Desmond Foley7, Janet E Foley8, Holly Gaff9, Graham J Hickling10, R Ryan Lash11, Susan E Little6, Catherine Lund12, Robert Lund13, Thomas N Mather14, Glen R Needham15, William L Nicholson16, Julia Sharp13, Andrea Varela-Stokes17 and Dongmei Wang13

Stich et al. Parasites & Vectors 2014, 7:417
http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/7/1/417