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Pérez-Otáñez X, Rodríguez-Hidalgo R, Enríquez S, Celi-Erazo M, Benítez W, Saegerman C, Vaca-Moyano F, Ron-Garrido L, Vanwambeke SO. High-resolution prediction models for Rhipicephalus microplus and Amblyomma cajennense s.l. ticks affecting cattle and their spatial distribution in continental Ecuador using bioclimatic factors. Exp Appl Acarol 2024; 92:439-462. [PMID: 38388882 PMCID: PMC11035444 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-023-00883-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
In Ecuador, the main tick species affecting cattle are Rhipicephalus microplus and Amblyomma cajennense sensu lato. Understanding their spatial distribution is crucial. To assess their distribution, data from 2895 farms visited between 2012 and 2017 were utilized. Ticks were collected during animal inspections, with each farm's location georeferenced. Bioclimatic variables and vapor pressure deficit data were obtained from Climatologies at High resolution for the Earth´s Land Surface Areas (CHELSA) dataset. They were overlaid to develop predictive maps for each species using Random Forest (RF) models. The cross-validation results for RF prediction models showed high accuracy for both R. microplus and A. cajennense s.l. presence with values of accuracy = 0.97 and 0.98, sensitivity = 0.96 and 0.99, and specificity = 0.96 and 0.93, respectively. A carefully selected subset of bioclimatic variables was used to describe the presence of each tick species. Higher levels of precipitation had positive effect on the presence of R. microplus but a negative effect on A. cajennense s.l. In contrast, isothermality (BIO3) was more important for the presence of A. cajennense s.l. compared to R. microplus. As a result, R. microplus had a broader distribution across the country, while A. cajennense s.l. was mainly found in coastal areas with evident seasonality. The coexistence of both species in some regions could be attributed to transitional zones, whereas high altitudes limited tick presence. This information can aid in developing appropriate tick management plans, particularly considering A. cajennense s.l.'s broad host range species and R. microplus's specificity for cattle. Moreover, the predictive models can identify areas at risk of associated challenging hemoparasite, requiring special attention and mitigation measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ximena Pérez-Otáñez
- Instituto de Investigación en Zoonosis-CIZ, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador.
- Center for Earth and Climate Research, Earth & Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain-UCLouvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium.
| | - Richar Rodríguez-Hidalgo
- Instituto de Investigación en Zoonosis-CIZ, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Sandra Enríquez
- Instituto de Investigación en Zoonosis-CIZ, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Maritza Celi-Erazo
- Instituto de Investigación en Zoonosis-CIZ, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Washington Benítez
- Instituto de Investigación en Zoonosis-CIZ, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Claude Saegerman
- Research Unit of Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Applied to Veterinary Science (UREAR-ULiège), Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH) Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, Liège, Belgium
| | - Franklin Vaca-Moyano
- Instituto de Investigación en Zoonosis-CIZ, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Lenin Ron-Garrido
- Instituto de Investigación en Zoonosis-CIZ, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrícolas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Sophie O Vanwambeke
- Center for Earth and Climate Research, Earth & Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain-UCLouvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
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Vaca-Moyano F, Duque PL, Enríquez S, Herrera V, Sánchez-Murillo M, Rivadeneira E, Molina CA. Wyeomyia abebela Dyar & Knab, 1908 and W. coenonus Dyar & Knab, 1913: new mosquito records (Diptera, Culicidae) in the Choco Biosphere Reserve, Ecuador, a biodiversity hotspot. CheckList 2022. [DOI: 10.15560/18.2.275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
We report the first records of two mosquito species, Wyeomyia (Wyeomyia) abebela Dyar & Knab, 1908 and W. (Hystatomyia) coenonus Dyar & Knab, 1913, from the Choco Biosphere Reserve, a global biodiversity hotspot in Ecuador. We collected these mosquitoes in the Mashpi Lodge Reserve, a conserved natural area. Specimens were collected during their immature stages in bromeliads using a 375-ml absorber dropper. Our new data for W. abelela increases the geographical distribution of this species to include seven countries of America (Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and Ecuador); W. coenonus is now known from two countries of America (Panama and Ecuador), and our records of W. abelela and W. coenonus are the first from South America.
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