New research has opened the door for genetic control of cattle fever-carrying ticks. That may mean there's a pesticide-free solution for controlling the disease on the horizon. It may also indicate a step toward greater control of various insect-borne diseases.
Cattle fever, or bovine babesiosis, is a disease that can reduce milk production, cause weight loss, and eventually kill infected cattle. The mortality rate for previously unexposed cattle is estimated to be greater than 70%. There are no approved therapeutic drugs or vaccines for this disease.
The United States has been combatting cattle fever since before the Civil War. While efforts have had varying levels of success, a new development may help eliminate this major threat to the U.S. cattle industry altogether.
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The only known vectors for cattle fever are two species of tick. A joint program by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Texas Animal Health Commission started in 1906 has successfully eradicated these disease carriers in 14 states. The only area left to address is a South Texas permanent quarantine zone.
Texas A&M grad student and USDA microbiologist Jason Tidwell recently published a study that highlights how to identify sex in a cattle fever tick species. Understanding this information can aid in the genetic control of the pests.
"One idea is to genetically manipulate sex ratios in the environment in ways that prevent reproduction and crash populations of the pest," Tidwell says.
Previously, the only means of controlling cattle fever ticks was through pesticides, which the ticks are now becoming more resistant to. With the ability to crash tick populations through genetic control, that could mean protecting cattle, the cattle industry, and the planet as a whole.
Researchers believe that this research can translate to other insect-borne diseases. Other organizations looking to eradicate things like Lyme disease, Zika virus, dengue, and more may now be one step closer to their goal. And they may be able to do it without pesticides.
Pesticides can have a negative impact on humans who come into contact with them, but they can pose an even broader threat, too. Recent research found that they cause even greater harm to our planet's pollinators than previously believed. Eliminating their use can be a vital step toward a healthier planet with healthier inhabitants.
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