Which of the following strategies is indicated as effective for environmental control of heartwater in an outbreak?

• A. Vaccination of susceptible animals
• B. Quarantine of all animals
• C. Immediate culling of all ruminants
• D. Treatment of the environment with acaricides

Answer: (D)

Heartwater relies on tick vectors for transmission, so cutting down the tick population in the environment directly reduces the risk to susceptible animals. Using acaricides in the environment lowers tick density and, as a result, the chance that animals come into contact with infectious ticks during an outbreak. Vaccinating animals can help bolster immunity, but it doesn’t immediately reduce the environmental tick threat. Quarantine and immediate culling don’t address the environmental source of infection. Therefore, treatment of the environment with acaricides is the most effective environmental control strategy in an outbreak.