A collaboration between the Texas A&M Department of Entomology and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has laid the groundwork for innovative genetic methods to control cattle fever ticks, which transmit bovine babesiosis, a historically significant livestock disease. A recently published study by Jason Tidwell, a graduate student and USDA microbiologist, identified genetic markers for sex determination in Rhipicephalus microplus, a key invasive tick species threatening U.S. livestock from northern Mexico. Read the study here.
This foundational research represents a significant step toward developing genetic pest control techniques. Similar approaches have been successful in combating other arthropods, such as mosquitoes responsible for spreading diseases like Zika and dengue. The findings could enable strategies to manipulate sex ratios, reducing tick populations and limiting the risk of bovine babesiosis, for which no vaccines or treatments currently exist.
The USDA’s Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program, initiated in 1906, has historically relied on chemical acaricides. However, resistance to these treatments is growing, making new tactics essential. Tidwell’s discovery opens the door to sustainable, innovative solutions tailored to local tick populations in Texas and Mexico. Future work will focus on genomic analysis to further refine these genetic control methods, offering a promising path for safeguarding livestock and potentially addressing other tick-borne diseases.
