Environmental and host factors underlying tick infestation in invasive raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Hokkaido, Japan

Mebuki Ito; Miku Minamikawa; Anastasiia Kovba; Hideka Numata; Tetsuji Itoh; Yuki Katada; Shiho Niwa; Yurie Taya; Yuto Shiraki; Gita Sadaula Pandey; Samuel Kelava; Nariaki Nonaka; Ryo Nakao; Ryosuke Omori; Yuma Ohari; Norikazu Isoda; Michito Shimozuru; Toshio Tsubota; Keita Matsuno; Mariko Sashika

Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases (Nov 2024)

Environmental and host factors underlying tick infestation in invasive raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Hokkaido, Japan

Mebuki Ito,
Miku Minamikawa,
Anastasiia Kovba,
Hideka Numata,
Tetsuji Itoh,
Yuki Katada,
Shiho Niwa,
Yurie Taya,
Yuto Shiraki,
Gita Sadaula Pandey,
Samuel Kelava,
Nariaki Nonaka,
Ryo Nakao,
Ryosuke Omori,
Yuma Ohari,
Norikazu Isoda,
Michito Shimozuru,
Toshio Tsubota,
Keita Matsuno,
Mariko Sashika

Affiliations

Mebuki Ito: Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan; Division of Risk Analysis and Management, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Kita 20, Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 001-0020, Hokkaido, Japan
Miku Minamikawa: Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan; Present Address: Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama 484-8506 Aichi, Japan
Anastasiia Kovba: Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan
Hideka Numata: Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan
Tetsuji Itoh: Laboratory of Wildlife Management, Department of Environmental and Symbiotic Sciences, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Sciences, Rakuno Gakuen University, Bunkyodai Midorimachi 582, Ebetsu City 069-8501, Hokkaido, Japan
Yuki Katada: Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan
Shiho Niwa: Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan
Yurie Taya: Laboratory of Parasitology, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan
Yuto Shiraki: Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan
Gita Sadaula Pandey: Laboratory of Parasitology, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan; National Cattle Research Program, Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal
Samuel Kelava: Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan
Nariaki Nonaka: Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan; Division of Parasitology, Veterinary Research Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Kita 20, Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 001-0020, Hokkaido, Japan
Ryo Nakao: Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan; Division of Parasitology, Veterinary Research Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Kita 20, Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 001-0020, Hokkaido, Japan
Ryosuke Omori: Division of Bioinformatics, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Kita 20, Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 001-0020, Hokkaido, Japan
Yuma Ohari: Division of Risk Analysis and Management, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Kita 20, Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 001-0020, Hokkaido, Japan
Norikazu Isoda: Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan
Michito Shimozuru: Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan; One Health Research Center, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan
Toshio Tsubota: Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan
Keita Matsuno: Division of Parasitology, Veterinary Research Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Kita 20, Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 001-0020, Hokkaido, Japan; One Health Research Center, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan; Institute for Vaccine Research and Development, HU-IVReD, Hokkaido University, Kita 21, Nishi 11, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 001-0021, Hokkaido, Japan; International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Kita 20, Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 001-0020, Hokkaido, Japan; Corresponding authors.
Mariko Sashika: Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo City 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan; Corresponding authors.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 15, no. 6
p. 102389

Abstract

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Revealing interactions between ticks and wild animals is vital for gaining insights into the dynamics of tick-borne pathogens in the natural environment. We aimed to elucidate the factors that determine tick infestation in wild animals by investigating ticks on invasive raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Hokkaido, Japan. We first examined the composition, intensity, and seasonal variation of ticks infesting raccoons in six study areas in Hokkaido from March 2022 to August 2023. In one study area, ticks infesting tanukis (raccoon dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides albus) were collected in May to July in both 2022 and 2023, and questing ticks were collected from the vegetation by flagging every other week in the same period. Next, we screened 17 environmental and host variables to determine factors that affect the number of ticks infesting raccoons using generalized linear (mixed) models. From 245 raccoons, we identified a total of 3,917 ticks belonging to eight species of two genera: the most prominent species were Ixodes ovatus (52.9 %), followed by Haemaphysalis megaspinosa (14.4 %), Ixodes tanuki (10.6 %), and Ixodes persulcatus (9.5 %). Ixodes ovatus was also predominant among questing ticks and ticks infesting tanukis. Although I. tanuki was frequently collected from raccoons and tanukis, it was rarely collected in the field. The variables that significantly affected the infestation on raccoons differed by genus, species and developmental stage of the tick. For instance, the infestation of adult I. ovatus was significantly affected by four variables: night-time temperature during nine days before capturing the raccoon, the size of forest area around the capture site, sex of the raccoon, and sampling season. The first two variables were also responsible for the infestation on raccoons of almost all species and stages of ticks. Our study revealed that the number and composition of ticks infesting raccoons can be affected not only by landscape of their habitats but also by weather conditions in several days before capturing.

Published in Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases

ISSN: 1877-9603 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Germany
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Infectious and parasitic diseases
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ticks-and-tick-borne-diseases

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