Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) spread by the international trade in reptiles andtheir potential roles in dissemination of diseases

Abstract

The international trade in live reptiles has grown dramatically in the last decade. Since many of these reptiles are infested with ticks, the number of ticks introduced to new exotic locations has also increased. This is causing concern in importing countries such as the United States because some of the reptilian ticks are known to be vectors of diseases of veterinary and economic importance, such as heartwater. Rational measures to control these tick species and to eradicate new introductions have been slow to develop due in part to the scattered and often obscure sources of available data on the exotic ticks. This review is an attempt to collate information on the geographical distribution, host range, life cycle and associations with diseases for four Amblyomma species, A. marmoreum Koch, A. nuttalli Dönitz, A. sabanerae Stoll and A. sparsum Neumann, and for four Aponomma species, A. exornatum (Koch), A. flavomaculatum (Lucas), A. latum (Koch) and A. varanensis (Supino), that have recently been introduced into Florida, USA on imported reptiles.