Development of a Prototype Electropenetrograph for Real-Time Recording of Tick Feeding Behavior on a Calf

Ticks are the most globally significant arthropod vectors of disease for agriculturally important animals, and a major obstacle to sustainable and profitable livestock production and food security. Tick-borne pathogens affect approximately ~80% of the global cattle population, costing the cattle industry $19 billion annually. Despite their economic importance, effective control measures are limited for ticks and tick-borne pathogens, and concern about the longevity of those that are available highlight the critical need for development of alternative mitigation strategies. A significant barrier to the development of tick and tick-borne pathogen control strategies is that a knowledge gap exists regarding the details of tick feeding behavior because it is masked below the surface of the host skin. An innovative technology that could enable detailed examination of the tick feeding process would be a pivotal resource for identifying and evaluting novel tick and tick-borne pathogen control strategies. We submit that an electropenetrography (EPG) system could be adapted to study on-animal tick feeding and specifically used to address those critical knowledge gaps. In this application, we propose to develop a specialized EPG system that would enable real-time recording of tick-feeding on their animal host. Thus the objectives of this proposal are to i) develop a prototype EPG system tailored to record blood-feeding arthropods, and ii) interatively evaluate this prototype system by recording tick-feedings on a calf. Development and commercialization of an EPG system for recording blood-feeding arthropds would be a tremendous asset for researchers investigating agriculturally-, veterinary-, and medically-important arthropod vectors and vector-borne pathogens.