Determination of the Discriminating Concentration Towards Permethrin for Surveying Resistance in Amblyomma americanum

Abstract

Abstract Amblyomma americanum Linnaeus (Ixodida: Ixodidae) is ubiquitously present throughout the southeastern United States and is capable of vectoring several pathogens. White-tailed deer are the main host for adult A. americanum. However, this tick species is a generalist that will feed on most vertebrates, including humans, deer, livestock, and pets. Management of this species can be challenging due to a lack of cost-effective strategies. Acaricides are often utilized, however, this may lead to pesticide resistance. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) larval packet test (LPT) was performed on susceptible A. americanum to determine the lethal concentration (LC) and discriminating concentration (DC) values for permethrin. The FAO LPT was used at these pre-established values to compare levels of resistance in ticks collected from a captive deer farm and wild areas representing high and low permethrin exposure settings, respectively. Resistance ratios (RR) calculated from the LC values for the ticks collected from farmed and wild deer ranged between 1 and 2. A. americanum collected from farmed and wild deer were not found to be resistant, however, some samples had slightly elevated RRs as compared to the susceptible laboratory strain, which may suggest tolerance development. Although the A. americanum sampled in this study were not resistant to permethrin, the DC calculated in this study will allow for rapid evaluation of resistance in a permethrin resistance monitoring program such that alternate management strategies can be adopted if resistance is detected.