{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T00:53:54Z","timestamp":1791248034551,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Wildlife Disease Association","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Journal of Wildlife Diseases"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,16]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Soft ticks in the genus Ornithodoros occur throughout the Mojave Desert in southern Nevada, southeastern California, and parts of southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, USA, and are frequently observed parasitizing Mojave desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii). However, limited research exists examining the relationship between ticks and desert tortoises. Mojave desert tortoises are listed as threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and as such, their populations are monitored and individual tortoise health is routinely assessed. These health assessments document the presence and abundance of ticks present on tortoises, but detailed examination of the relationship between ticks and tortoise health has been lacking. This study analyzed the relationship between tick presence and desert tortoise health assessments as a function of season, location, age (adult vs. juvenile), foraging behavior, evidence of clinical signs of disease, body condition score, and sex. Our results indicate that more ticks were found on tortoises in the summer than in any other season. Ticks were observed more frequently on captive tortoises versus wild tortoises, and more ticks were likely to be present on adult tortoises than on juveniles. Ticks were also more likely to be observed on tortoises that lacked evidence of foraging and on tortoises with observed clinical signs of disease. These findings provide valuable insights into the biology of ticks in relation to tortoises that may be useful for management of both captive and free-living threatened tortoise populations where ticks are detected. Our study also may improve understanding of potential tick-borne disease dynamics in the Mojave desert tortoise habitat, including Borrelia sp. carried by Ornithodoros ticks, which cause tick-borne relapsing fever in people.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.7589\/jwd-d-23-00172","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,16]],"date-time":"2024-10-16T16:51:31Z","timestamp":1729097491000},"page":"806-817","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ORNITHODOROS SPP. TICKS AND MOJAVE DESERT TORTOISES (GOPHERUS AGASSIZII) OBTAINED FROM HEALTH ASSESSMENT DOCUMENTS"],"prefix":"10.7589","volume":"60","author":[{"given":"Molly J.","family":"Bechtel","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Arizona State University, School of Applied Sciences and Arts, Polytechnic Campus, 6073 S. Backus Mall, Wanner Hall 301B, Mesa, Arizona 85212, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jeffrey T.","family":"Foster","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Northern Arizona University, Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, 1395 S Knoles Drive, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Todd C.","family":"Esque","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, 500 Date Street, Boulder City, Nevada 89005, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nathan C.","family":"Nieto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Northern Arizona University, Department of Biological Sciences, 617 S Beaver Street, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kristina","family":"Drake","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"US Fish and Wildlife Services, Desert Tortoise Recovery Office, 4701 N Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89130, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mike B.","family":"Teglas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Nevada\u2013Reno, Department of Agriculture, Veterinary and Rangeland Sciences, Max Fleischmann Agriculture Building, 1664 N Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"4415","reference":[{"key":"29","unstructured":"\"R: A language and environment for statistical computing.\"  (2022)"},{"key":"34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"L. 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