Tick Tidbits: Ticking Off The 5 Ws on These Tiny Troublemakers

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Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: And let's talk about the risk. So the risk that tis ticks pose to animals and human health.

Kathryn E. Reif, PhD, MSPH: Yeah, absolutely. So ticks are really phenomenal vectors of A plethora of different pathogenic species, numerous bacterial pathogens, like the agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi and emerging tick borne bacterial pathogen, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the agent of Anaplasmosis in people and pets. Of course, we have a variety of species, and that kind of are like the big bacteria when we think about tick borne bacterial pathogens, but they can also transmit protozoal pathogens, Babesia cytosoan, as well as a variety of different viral pathogens. And a lot of these viral pathogens are really emerging pathogens, and the majority of those have really only been discovered in the past decade or so.

So in addition to just being nuisance pests, they're really significant medical concerns when it comes to the types of pathogens that that they're able to or the diversity of pathogens that they're able to transmit. And I just also want to say that, you know, people in general have a different appreciation or opinion when they see a tick on themselves or on their pets, in comparison to other blood feeding arthropods, like a mosquito or a flea. For a lot of pet owners, finding a tick on them or on their pet is like an end of world scenario. It's just a lot more dramatic when it comes to ticks very frequently than some of these other creepy crawlies.

Christman: Yeah, Let's use an example. Let's. Let's talk about the lone star tick, for instance. Because I know those suckers are very aggressive ticks, and they'll readily infest and bite dogs. What else? What else should we know about them?

Reif: Sure so the lone star tick is, as you mentioned, an extremely aggressive tick species. It is a tick species that's rapidly expanding its geographic range. So we're finding it in a lot of places that we haven't found it in the past couple decades, the last the last 50 or so years, it's primarily been in the southeastern part of the US, but now it's moving westward. It's moving northward. We now see it in southern Wisconsin, southern Minnesota, even into Maine and in some focal areas, even as far north as as Kansas or not Kansas, sorry, Canada. So this tick is, is definitely on the move. It will readily bite I joke, but it's not really a joke. Anything with a pulse, be it a deer, a dog, a person, a lizard, a bird, if you are alive and you have blood, consider yourself for fair game. For this tick, this tick species can also transmit a variety of different types of pathogens, most notably for our dogs, a variety of species, it can also transmit some different types of spotted fever rickettsia. Most notably for our cats, it can transmit cytosine Felis, the agent of cytosine Gnosis. So it's a tick that definitely is, is, is of concern. And then one other notable thing about the lone star tick is that, for whatever reason, it is one of the more challenging ticks to kill. We don't exactly know why it's so much more hardy or robust, but when it comes to tick control products, it's the tick species that, if there's going to be a longer time period on a label to kill a specific tick species is going to be for that lone star tick. So there's just something inherently more challenging about these darn Lone Star ticks. Yeah,

Credelio Quattro Indications & ISI.

Indications: Credelio Quattro (lotilaner, moxidectin, praziquantel, and pyrantel chewable tablets) is indicated for the prevention of heartworm disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis and for the treatment and control of roundworm (immature adult and adult Toxocara canis and adult Toxascaris leonina), hookworm (fourth stage larvae, immature adult, and adult Ancylostoma caninum and adult Uncinaria stenocephala), and tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum, Taenia pisiformis, and Echinococcus granulosus) infections. Credelio Quattro kills adult fleas and is indicated for the treatment and prevention of flea infestations (Ctenocephalides felis) and the treatment and control of tick infestations [Amblyomma americanum (lone star tick), Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick), Ixodes scapularis (black-legged tick), and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (brown dog tick)] for one month in dogs and puppies 8 weeks of age and older and weighing 3.3 pounds or greater. 

Important Safety Information: Lotilaner, an ingredient in Credelio Quattro, belongs to the isoxazoline class and has been associated with neurologic adverse reactions like tremors, ataxia, and seizures even in dogs without a history of seizures. Use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. Dogs should be tested for existing heartworm infections before Credelio Quattro administration as it is not effective against adult D. immitis. The safe use in breeding, pregnant, or lactating dogs has not been evaluated. The most frequently reported adverse reactions in clinical trials were vomiting and diarrhea. For full prescribing information see the Credelio Quattro package insert.

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