Reduced Abundance of Immature Ixodes dammini (Acari: Ixodidae) Following Elimination of Deer

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Abstract
We determined whether a dense infestation of Ixodes dammini Spielman, Clifford, Piesman & Corwin, the tick that locally transmits Lyme disease and human babesiosis, depends upon the presence of deer. This host was removed from a tick-infested land mass located on Cape Cod, Mass., and the abundance of the tick was monitored. Larval ticks became less abundant beginning in the summer following removal of deer, indicating that the adults of this species generally failed to feed and reproduce. The abundance of nymphal ticks declined more gradually. We conclude that the presence of deer is a precondition for dense infestations of I. dammini and hence for intense transmission of Lyme disease and human babesiosis.