Surveillance and Control of Tick Infestation and Potential Tick-borne Ehrlichiosis in Imported Tortoises

Tortoises exported from Africa are often found infested with ticks, several species of ticks are known vectors of ehrlichiosis. Therefore, international trade of tortoises infested with ticks poses risks for disseminating ehrlichiosis to non-endemic countries. We aim to assess the potential risk of transmitting tick-borne ehrlichiosis into Taiwan through imported tortoises and to develop a practical strategy to control the risk. Imported tortoises are checked for the status of tick-infestation and tested for potential ehrlichiosis by multiplex PCR, and heartwater is the first priority for analysis. 27 pet shops are surveyed and none of the tortoise is infested, but 17 owners had seen ticks infested on tortoises. Permethrin is an effective and safe acaricide for tortoises, Advantix® (Bayer) is the only one commercialized acaricide contained it in Taiwan. Hermann''s tortoise is selected for safety evaluation and the result showed Advantix® is enabled use on tortoises. According to the results, the percentage of tortoises infested with ticks is extremely low, and major tick fauna in Taiwan is not associated with heartwater. So the potential risk of transmitting heartwater through imported tortoises is negligible and application the acaricide onto imported tortoises will be a suitable measure for control the risk.