Table 1.
Characteristics of different rodent-targeted approaches to reduce acarological risk of human encounters with pathogen-infected Ixodes scapularis ticks.
| Approach | Projected timeline for commercial products | Expected impacts on rodent pathogen reservoirs | Expected impacts on questing Ix. scapularis | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reduced abundance | Reduced tick infestation | Reduced pathogen infection prevalence | Reduced abundance | Reduced pathogen infection prevalence | ||
| Topically delivered acaricide | Available nowc | No | Yes | Yes (multiple pathogens) | Yes | Yes (multiple pathogens) |
| Orally delivered acaricide | 1–2 yearsd | No | Yes | Yes (multiple pathogens) | Yes | Yes (multiple pathogens) |
| Orally delivered antibiotic | Unclear | No | No | Yes (multiple pathogens) | No | Yes (multiple pathogens) |
| Orally delivered anti-tick vaccine | Unclear | No | Yes | Yes (multiple pathogens) | Yes | Yes (multiple pathogens) |
| Orally delivered vaccine against Borrelia burgdorferi sensu strictoa | 1 yeare | No | No | Yes (only Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto) | No | Yes (only Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto) |
| Release of engineered white-footed mice with heritable refractoriness to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu strictob | Unclear | Yesf | No | Yes (only Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto) | No | Yes (only Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto) |
Developed against Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and not yet evaluated against other species within the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex.
Presumably primarily targeting Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto.
Damminix Tick Tubes® (Ecohealth, Inc., Brookline, MA, USA), Environmental Protection Agency registration number 56783–1; Thermacell® Tick Control Tubes (Thermacell Repellents, Inc., Bedford, MA, USA), Environmental Protection Agency registration number 71910–10; SELECT TCS Tick Control System or TICK BOX™ Tick Control System (Tick Box Technology Corporation, Norwalk, CT, USA), Environmental Protection Agency registration number 85306–1.
Product in the process of being registered for commercial use by Genesis Laboratories, Inc. (Wellington, CO, USA).
Product in the process of being registered for commercial use by US Biologic, Inc. (Memphis, TN, USA).
Decreased proportion of white-footed mouse individuals present within release area capable of serving as reservoirs of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto.