Project Grant 20213941235662

THIS PROJECT WILL CONVERT THE MODULAR INSECT TRAP PATENTED BY LT. MATTHEW YANS, USN INTO A MASS-MANUFACTURABLE TRAP SUITABLE FOR SURVEILLANCE OF TICKS OF VETERINARY IMPORTANCE. THE NOVEL PRODUCT WILL BE EASY TO STORE, TRANSPORT AND DEPLOY; WILL INCLUDE A LONG-LASTING, SHELF-STABLE LURE; AND WILL CAPTURE MULTIPLE TICK SPECIES FOR PERIODIC IDENTIFICATION, COUNTING AND ANALYSIS FOR HARBORED PATHOGENS.IN PHASE I, WE USED 3D-PRINTED MODELS AND LABORATORY BIOASSAYS TO DEFINE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN OPTIMAL TRAP, E.G., GRADUATED SLOPE FOR TICKS TO APPROACH AN ADHESIVE CEILING, SUITABLE LURE RESERVOIR, AND PROPRIETARY ADHESIVE FORMULATION. WE RECENTLY DEMONSTRATED THAT VACUUM-FORMED PROTOTYPES WERE SIMILAR IN PERFORMANCE TO THE ORIGINAL DESIGN.WORKING WITH COLLABORATORS AT WASHINGTON STATE AND TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITIES, WE WILL PURSUE FIVE AIMS IN PHASE II.1. WE WILL DEVELOP AND EVALUATE A BIOTIC CARBON DIOXIDE GENERATOR WITH EXPERIMENTALLY-TESTED SUPPLEMENTS THAT IS AS EFFECTIVE AS DRY ICE BUT LASTS AT LEAST 40X LONGER.2. USING 3D-PRINTING, WE WILL MANUFACTURE, EXPERIMENTALLY EVALUATE AND MODIFY PRE-COMMERCIAL PROTOTYPES AND SELECT THE BEST DESIGN AND MATERIALS FOR FIELD EVALUATION.3. THE OPTIMAL PROTOTYPE AND SLOW-RELEASE LURE WILL BE FIELD-TESTED AGAINST TICK SPECIES IN AT LEAST TWO GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS.4. THE NEW TRAP AND LURE WILL BE EVALUATED AS A POTENTIAL SURVEILLANCE TOOL FOR CATTLE FEVER TICKS ALONG THE TEXAS-MEXICO BORDER.5. CAPTURED TICKS RETAINED ON TRAPS FOR DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS WILL BE EXAMINED USING MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES FOR PATHOGEN INCIDENCE TO ESTABLISH THE WINDOW DURING WHICH ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS CAN BE DETERMINED.