BACKGROUND A variety of tick species infest dogs and cats in North America. Although most of these species also readily feed on people, national data regarding the species and abundance of ticks on dogs and cats are lacking. Here we report a large-scale study of ticks from dogs and cats in the USA over a 12-month period. METHODS Tick submissions were invited from veterinary practices in all 50 states. Ticks were submitted with information about the pet and the attachment sites of each tick marked on a biopsy chart. Upon receipt, ticks were identified to species and stage using morphologic keys; when necessary, species identification was confirmed molecularly. RESULTS From February 2018 through January 2019, 10,978 ticks were submitted from 1494 dogs and 336 cats in 49 states and ticks were collected in every month. Dog and cat infestation intensities ranged from 1 to 4765 and from 1 to 38 (median = 1, mean = 6.7 and 2.6), respectively. Dogs were primarily infested with Dermacentor variabilis (532/1494; 35.6%), Ixodes scapularis (409/1494; 27.4%), Amblyomma americanum (345/1494; 23.1%) and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (172/1494; 11.5%). Cats were primarily infested with I. scapularis (156/336; 46.4%), A. americanum (99/336; 29.5%) and D. variabilis (60/336; 17.9%). Other submitted ticks included A. maculatum, Haemaphysalis longicornis, Otobius megnini, and less common Dermacentor spp. and Ixodes spp. Co-infestations were documented in 93 dogs and 14 cats. Reported attachment sites of common tick species differed. In dogs, A. americanum was most commonly attached to the abdomen, axillary, and inguinal regions; D. variabilis and I. scapularis to the head, neck, and back; and R. sanguineus to the head, neck, abdomen, legs, and feet. In cats, I. scapularis was most commonly attached to the head and A. americanum was most commonly attached to the tail and perianal region. CONCLUSIONS These data confirm that dogs and cats in the USA are at risk of tick infestation throughout the year and that tick species present in the region have apparent attachment site preferences.

中文翻译：

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向我们展示您的蜱虫：对美国各地感染狗和猫的蜱虫的调查。

背景技术在北美，多种蜱虫感染狗和猫。尽管大多数这些物种也很容易以人类为食，但缺乏有关狗和猫身上蜱虫的物种和数量的国家数据。在此，我们报告了一项为期 12 个月的针对美国狗和猫蜱虫的大规模研究。方法 所有 50 个州的兽医诊所都邀请蜱虫提交意见书。提交蜱虫时附有有关宠物的信息以及活检图上标记的每只蜱虫的附着部位。收到后，使用形态键对蜱进行物种和阶段的鉴定；必要时，对物种进行分子鉴定。结果 从 2018 年 2 月到 2019 年 1 月，来自 49 个州的 1494 只狗和 336 只猫提交了 10,978 只蜱虫，每个月都会收集蜱虫。狗和猫的感染强度范围分别为 1 至 4765 和 1 至 38（中位数 = 1，平均值 = 6.7 和 2.6）。狗主要感染变异皮肤蜱（532/1494；35.6%）、肩胛硬蜱（409/1494；27.4%）、美洲钝蜱（345/1494；23.1%）和血扇头蜱（172/1494；11.5%）。猫主要感染肩胛 I. scapularis (156/336; 46.4%)、A. americanum (99/336; 29.5%) 和 D. variabilis (60/336; 17.9%)。其他提交的蜱包括 A. maculatum、Haemaphysalis longicornis、Otobius megnini 和不太常见的 Dermacentor spp。和硬蜱属。据记录，93 只狗和 14 只猫同时感染。所报告的常见蜱种的附着位点不同。在狗中，美洲曲霉最常附着在腹部、腋窝和腹股沟区域；D. variabilis 和 I. scapularis 分布于头部、颈部和背部；R. sanguineus 感染头部、颈部、腹部、腿部和足部。在猫中，肩胛 I. scapularis 最常见地附着在头部，而 A. americanum 最常见地附着在尾巴和肛周区域。结论 这些数据证实，美国的狗和猫全年都面临蜱虫感染的风险，并且该地区存在的蜱种具有明显的附着部位偏好。