Tick Tidbits: Novel Insights & Protection Updates on These Tiny Troublemakers
0.5 CE Credit Hour / Veterinarians & Veterinary Technicians
Overview:
Ticks pose a health risk to companion animals as blood-feeding pests with numerous pathogens they can vector. The lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) is a common tick found on canines and humans in the US that can serve as a vector of several significant tick-borne pathogens, including agents of ehrlichiosis and spotted fever rickettsiosis. Lone star ticks also prove to be a robust challenge for canine tick control products and are considered a more difficult tick species to kill. This presentation will review geographic regions where lone star ticks are found; risk of encountering lone star ticks; lone star tick–associated pathogens and what is known about their transmission timing; and control and prevention of ticks to reduce the risk of tick-borne diseases in canines and humans. Finally, this presentation will describe and compare the speed of kill for the lone star tick on dogs administered 1 of 3 monthly-dosed tick control products to control existing and new lone star tick infestations over each product’s label-approved dosing period.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this presentation, participants/attendees should be able to…
- …demonstrate sufficient comprehension of where lone star ticks exist in the US
- …describe environmental factors that support lone star tick populations in the US
- …demonstrate sufficient comprehension of when (eg, season, temperature) lone star ticks are likely to be present in the environment.
- …describe regions of the US where dogs and humans are at greatest risk for lone star tick–associated tick-borne pathogens and diseases.
- …discuss tick-borne pathogens and diseases associated with lone star ticks that pose a health risk to dogs and humans in the US
- …discuss why tick speed of kill is important to support canine health and reduce the risk of tick-borne diseases.
- …demonstrate an ability to offer suggestions to clients on tick control and prevention measures for pets and people.
Kathryn Reif, Ph.D., M.S.PH.
Dr. Kathryn Reif is an associate professor and the inaugural holder of the Bailey-Goodwin Endowed Professorship in Parasitology in the Department of Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University. Dr. Reif’s research interests broadly revolve around vectors and vector-borne diseases of veterinary, medical and agricultural importance, with a primary focus on ticks and tick-borne pathogens of public health and veterinary concern. Some of Dr. Reif’s on-going research projects include: i) developing new approaches for real-time monitoring of tick feeding behaviors, ii) evaluating antimicrobial efficacy to control tick-borne pathogens, iii) evaluating efficacy of ectoparasitcide products, iv) investigating transmission dynamics and control strategies for bovine anaplasmosis and theileriosis; v) examining tick-borne pathogen prevalence; and, vi) tick-borne pathogen vaccine development. Dr. Reif enjoys engaging veterinarians and clients/producers in research projects and developing and delivering presentations on the importance of ticks and tick-borne pathogens to clinician
Moderator Adam Christman, DVM, MBA
Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, is the chief veterinary officer for dvm360®—an MJH Life Sciences Company™—who oversees content strategy and development and is the brand voice and personality for dvm360®’s multimedia channels. As a charismatic leader, he brings wit, humor, and authenticity to animal health care as the host of dvm360 Live!™ a new web-based talk show, The Vet Blast Podcast, continuing education webinars, and live media broadcasts.
Christman has also been in private practice and shelter medicine for 18 years and is currently a member and Treasurer of the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association. He received his DVM degree from Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and his MBA from Aspen University.
Christman is a national thought leader, speaker and author on practice management, social media, and rehabilitation, and co-authored, Honey, Have You Squeezed the Dachshund? A Pet Owner’s Guide for Owners Who Are Terrified of IVDD—a book on dogs with disabilities. He has been featured in multiple publications and appeared on various multimedia shows throughout the country sharing his expertise and passion on all things veterinary medicine.
As an avid social media influencer for animal health care, he has over 800K followers on TikTok and 53K followers on Instagram. He loves to engage with fellow pet parents and veterinary professionals across social media. Christman is an advocate of Pride VMC and Pawsibilities. He is also the proud dog dad to 4 dachshunds and believes no one should be deprived of the incredible human-animal bond.
This course is RACE-approved for 0.5 continuing education credits hours in jurisdictions that accept RACE-approval.
This activity is sponsored by Elanco.
