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18 January 2022 First Report of the Bat Tick Carios kelleyi (Acari: Ixodida: Argasidae) From Vermont, United States
Cheryl Frank Sullivan, James L. Occi, Julia R. Brennan, Richard G. Robbins, Margaret Skinner, Alyssa B. Bennett, Bruce L. Parker, Dina M. Fonseca
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Abstract

The soft tick Carios kelleyi (Cooley and Kohls, 1941) is an ectoparasite of bats that can harbor bacteria known to cause disease in humans, such as Rickettsia spp., Bartonella spp., and relapsing fever Borrelia spp. Human-tick encounters may occur when bats occupy attics or similar dwellings with access points to human-inhabited areas. During May 2021, a partially engorged adult female C. kelleyi was collected from a Vermont home with an attic that was being used as a roost by big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). The source of the blood in the tick was the domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris. Subsequently, eight C. kelleyi larvae were collected from a rescued E. fuscus adult. This is the first report of a soft tick species from Vermont and it is unknown how long C. kelleyi has been present in this state. Reports of C. kelleyi are on the rise across the northeastern United States but the implications for the health of humans, domestic animals, and bats in northern New England remain unclear. Bat management plans should consider the importance of bat exclusion in preventing tick encounters with members of the household and should include a tick monitoring component if bats are evicted.

© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Cheryl Frank Sullivan, James L. Occi, Julia R. Brennan, Richard G. Robbins, Margaret Skinner, Alyssa B. Bennett, Bruce L. Parker, and Dina M. Fonseca "First Report of the Bat Tick Carios kelleyi (Acari: Ixodida: Argasidae) From Vermont, United States," Journal of Medical Entomology 59(2), 784-787, (18 January 2022). https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjab232
Received: 5 November 2021; Accepted: 16 December 2021; Published: 18 January 2022
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KEYWORDS
bat tick
Carios kelleyi
Chiroptera
soft tick
tick-borne disease
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