The Caribbean Amblyomma Eradication Programme is a CARICOM / FAO / IICA programme, that started in 1994. Its goal is to eradicate the Tropical Bont Tick (TBT), Amblyomma variegatum, from the region. The strategy of the programme is based on direct animal owner and community participation. Government teams are mandated to ensure that farmers comply with the treatment schedules, supported by training and legislation. This is reinforced by intensive public information and sensitization campaigns directed to livestock owners and the general public.

The programme has its own website, that can visited by clicking http://www.capweb.org.

source:data Alderink and McCauley (1988)

Background

The Tropical Bont Tick (TBT), Amblyomma variegatum, was introduced to the Caribbean region in the early 19th century when infested cattle was imported into Guadeloupe and Antigua from the African continent. The tick has rapidly spread during the past 25 years, which appears to be coincident with the expansion of the roosting area of cattle egrets. Currently the tick is established in Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, Guadeloupe, La Desirade, Marie Galante, Martinique, St. Lucia and St. Martin/St. Maarten. The eradication programme has had succes in Nevis and St. Kitts, where routine treatment ceased in July 1998. The tick has not been observed on Dominica and Montserrat, since mid 1997.

The TBT and its associated diseases (many acute and lethal cases of dermatophilus) limit the potential for increased livestock production and with regard to the control it is a continous drain on the scarce resources and a threat to the rest of the area.The TBT moreover is a natural vector for the lethal heartwater disease. Heartwater has been diagnosed on Antigua. This puts the livestock sector in the region at risk, but FAO is also concerned about the risk of spread to the American continents. From an assesment study it is estimated that the cost of the disease spread would be 749 million US dollars per year.