II MEETING OF THE CARIBVET TICKS AND TICKS-BORNE DISEASES WORKING GROUP

Resumen

During 7th- 9th of June 2011 was celebrated the II Meeting of the CaribVET Ticks and Ticks-borne diseases working group, in St Vincent and the Grenadines with the participation of members of 10 countries from the Caribbean region, that included Antigua, Cuba, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Nevis, St Croix, St Kitts, St Lucia, St Vincent and a researcher from the United States (USDA) and a former FAO-CAP coordinator from Barbados.
The objectives of this meeting were to work on the terms of references of the working group and the recommendations of the 2011 Steering Committee. All members presented and discussed the Tropical Bond Tick (TBT) surveillance activities and the activities extension to Boophilus sp and associated diseases in their respective countries. General recommendations for TBT surveillance activities included 1/ the development of guidelines describing how to manage outbreak/new focus of TBT or dermatophilosis; 2/ the work on an improved sharing of results of the surveillance with former CAP countries and on surveillance protocols for TBT surveillance activities; 3/ the realization of a socio-economic study to improve the understanding of the constraints of treatment against ticks; 4/ the further development of the detection and characterization of Erhlichia ruminatium and Amblyomma variegatum and more generally of the interaction between research and surveillance on TBT. For Boophilus sp. and transmitted diseases general recommendations included the exploration of Boophilus resistance to acaricides; the further development of Boophilus transmitted diseases diagnostic and prevalence studies and the elaboration
of guidelines for cattle breed management and import protocols to prevent clinical cases.