Simulation of management strategies for the blacklegged tick (Acari: Ixodidae) and the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi

A computer model (LYMESIM) was developed to simulate the effects of management technologies on populations of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, and the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner in eastern North America. Technologies considered in this study were area-wide acaricide, acaricide self-treatment of white-footed mice and white-tailed deer, vegetation reduction, and white-tailed deer density reduction. Computer simulations were run with normal weather patterns for coastal Connecticut and New York. Results showed that area-wide acaricide, vegetation reduction, or a combination of these technologies would be useful for short-term seasonal management of ticks and disease in small recreational or residential sites. Acaricide self-treatment of deer appears to be the most cost-effective technology for use in long-term management programs in large areas. Simulation results also suggested that deer density reduction should be considered as a management strategy component. Integrated management strategies are presented that could be used in pilot tests and operational tick and tick-borne disease programs.