Prevalence and infestation load of ixodid ticks of cattle in Dassenech District, Southern Ethiopia

Ticks are harmful blood sucking external parasites of livestock that are distributed in all agro-ecological zones in Ethiopia. A cross sectional study was conducted to identify major tick genera, prevalence and assess tick infestation load on cattle in Dassenech district, southern Ethiopia from October 2014 to June 2015. A total of 384 animals were sampled using random sampling technique. Ticks were collected from different sites including the ear, neck dewlap, abdomen, anus, hip udder, scrotum and base of tail. Of the total examined animals, 72.1% (n=277/384) tick infestation prevalence was recorded. Rhipicephalus/ Boophilus was the most abundant tick genera (84.64%) among the three identified tick genera in the district followed by Amblyomma. There was no statistically significant difference in prevalence of tick infestation among male and female animals (χ2=1.61; p=0.205) as well as age group (χ2=1.30; p=0.254). Animals with poor body condition score had significantly higher tick prevalence (89.47%) than medium (77.48%) and good body condition score (48.74%) animals (χ2=51.6; p=0.001). This finding indicated that there is high prevalence of tick infestation in the area which alarms for further detailed investigation and designing efficient method of tick control in the study area.Keywords: Amblyomma; Rhipicephalus/Boophilus; Tick infestation; Tick burde

INFESTASI CAPLAK PADA SAPI DI DESA TOLOK KECAMATAN TOMPASO KABUPATEN MINAHASA

INFESTATION OF TICKS ON CATTLE IN TOLOK VILLAGE TOMPASO DISTRICT, MINAHASA. The tick is one of the most commonly encountered ectoparasites on livestock and can degrade its quality and quantity significantly. Risks caused by tick infestation include local skin damage, anemia, paralysis due to toxins, and disease transmission. A research project on tick infestation was conducted for 1 (one) month in Tolok Village of the Minahasa District due to counted the prevalence of tick infestation on cattle, the preference of tick infestation based on body parts, sex and age. The research used the survey method, in which tick samples were collected during the day, preserved in a 70% alcohol solution, and then counted in the laboratory of Faculty of Animal Science, Sam Ratulangi University of Manado. The results showed that tick infestation on cattle in Tolok Village yielded  100% prevalence  (all the cattle observed (n=53) were infested by ticks). Infestation preference based on body parts showed the highest on the crotch region (average 6,70 ticks) compared on  the head  ( average 1,75 ticks ),  the neck (average 5,55 ticks), the back ( average 3,4 ticks), 4,44 ticks on the abdomen ( average 4,44 ticks), and the legs (1,11 ticks). Infestation preference based on sex showed the highest on female (32,05 ticks) compared   on male (20,65 ticks). Finally, based on the cattles’ age, the infestation preference were a average of 27 ticks on calfs and 26,15 ticks on adult cattles. Higher infestation preference was found in calfs rather than adult cattle.Keywords: Infestation, Tic

Human otoacariasis: a common outbreak in rubber growing belt of Karnataka.

Background/Objective: Soft tick in the ear is a very common acute painful and distressing condition in the flowering months of October to March. It’s a common condition in the rubber growing belt of Sullia.The mouthparts of the tick grips firmly the skin of the external auditory canal or the tympanic membrane and sucks blood and swells up. Otoscopy and removal of the tick from the ear can be done in outpatients in adults and difficult in a frightened irritable child.Materials and methods: 312 cases of intra-aural ticks presenting to the opd and casualty which included 131 males and 181 females were included in the study.Results: Out of the 312 cases of intra-aural ticks, 170 cases were treated in the outpatient and 140 cases under short general anesthesia with oto-microscopy.Conclusion: Intra-aural tick infestation is an acute painful condition which needs prompt management by an experienced otolaryngologist. Proper visualization and instrumentation is necessary to avoid complications.

Age-Related Tick Infestation Patterns in Springtime Migratory Passerines

To test the hypothesis that younger migrants are more prone to arrive at stopover sites on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico with ticks than adult migrants, 2177 migratory passerines were screened for ticks at Gulf Coast sites in Texas and Louisiana. Fifty eight (2.7%) were infested with ticks with 28 (1.3%) being young birds and 30 (1.4%) being adult birds. The body condition of the birds was assessed to determine if tick infestation had negative consequences and if the severity of consequences varied between ages. I found no relationship of age with the prevalence of a tick attachment in any of the groups of birds. I also did not detect any consequences on body condition due to tick infestation, with the exception of the warbler group for which mean body mass was significantly lower in tick infested birds. Tick infestation does not seem to vary in young and old migrant birds and infestation alone does not seem to pose a major physiological cost to most migratory passerines

Seroprevalence and Molecular Detection of Bovine Anaplasmosis in Egypt

Bovine anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease with zoonotic potential, caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Anaplasma marginale. The disease is distributed worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions. The economic losses from anaplasmosis in animals is of significant importance because it causes severe morbidity and mortality in cattle. Recovered animals may become persistent carriers. Epidemiological information on the actual status of bovine anaplasmosis in Egypt is scarce. Thus, this study aimed to determine anti-Anaplasma antibody and DNA in serum samples using ELISA and PCR, respectively. In total, 758 bovine sera were collected from cattle farms located in 24 Egyptian governorates in 2015 to 2016. Sera were analyzed with the commercially available ‘Anaplasma antibody competitive ELISA v2’ kit and ‘AmpliTest Anaplasma/Ehrlichia spp. real time TaqMan TM PCR. Anaplasma spp. antibodies were detected in 140 (18.5%) (CI: 15.8–21.4%) of the investigated sera by ELISA, and Anaplasma/Ehrlichia-DNA was detected in 40 (5.3%) (CI: 3.8–7.1%) of the positive sera by real time PCR. Co-detection of both Anaplasma spp. and Coxiella burnetii-specific antibodies was proven in 30 (4%) of the investigated sera. The results of this work confirm the significant prevalence of bovine anaplasmosis in Egypt. Raising awareness in decision makers of the public health, veterinarians and animal owners is required to reduce the spread of infection

Prevalence of ticks on indigenous breed of hunting dogs in Ogun State, Nigeria

Ticks are haematophagous arthropods that are important vectors of diseases of animals and humans, many of which are zoonotic, thus predisposing humans, including hunters to risk. The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of tick infestation among hunting dogs with the aim of determining the danger which the presence of ticks portends, bearing in mind that hunting dogs are kept by the duo of rural and urban dwellers. A total of one hundred and nine (109) hunting dogs were sampled from nineteen (19) different locations in the State. The age, weight and sex of the dogs were noted and recorded as variables. The dogs were thoroughly examined for ticks and other ectoparasites which were collected into properly labelled plastic containers and were transported to the laboratory for identification. Chi-square test was used to compare the prevalence of tick infestation between recorded variables. Significance level was set at p = 0.05 or less. The overall prevalence of tick infestation in the 109 hunting dogs was 56%. The tick prevalence in the male dogs (66.7%) and that in the female dogs (51.9%) was not significantly (p> 0.05) different. Also, tick prevalence in young dogs (53.8%) and adult dogs (62.1%) was not significantly (p>0.05) different. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of tick infestation from urban and rural locations (p<0.05). Of the 352 ticks harvested from the hunting dogs, Rhipicepalus sanguineus constituted 68.2%, Haemaphysalis leachi leachi, 30.6%; and Ambylomma variegatum, 1.21%. The education of the hunters and other persons in close contact with dogs is required for the control of ectoparasites.Keywords: Hunting dogs, Indigenous, Nigeria, Prevalence, Tick

Hard tick species of livestock and their bioecology in Golestan Province, North of Iran

Background: A survey on tick species composition was carried out in Golestan Province Iran during year 2010- 2011.The aim was to determine tick species parasitizing domestic ruminants and their seasonal population dynamics. Methods: A total of 124 sheep, 92 goats, 84 cattle, 74 camels and 12 horses in several villages were inspected for tick infestation. The collected ticks preserved in 70% alcohol and then were identified. Results: The overall 1059 ticks (453 female, 606 male) were collected. The ticks occur on sheep, goats, cattle, camels and horses as 72.1%, 77.3%, 75.8%, 69.3%, and 50% respectively. The frequency of ticks in spring was more than other seasons and the least was observed in winter. In the spring and summer, infestation rate in domestic ruminants were calculated as 100%. Six genus and fourteen hard and soft tick species were identified including Rhipicephalus sanguineus, R. bursa, Ixodes ricinus, Haemaphysalis punctata, H. sulcata, H. erinacei, H. inermis, Hyalomma marginatum, Hy. asiaticum, Hy. dromedarii, Hy. excavatum, Hy. anatolicum, Hy. detritum, Boophilus annulatus and Argas persicus. Rhipicephalus sanguineus was the most abundant species in the study area. The largest number of ticks was collected from animal ears and tails. Haemaphysalis, Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus and Boophilus occurred in mountainous, forest and plateau areas of Golestan Province but Ixodes occurred only in mountainous and forest areas, whereas Rhipicephalus and Hyalomma were present in coastal areas of Golestan Province. Conclusion: The result of this study is a survey on tick species from domestic animals in Iran and implication of possible prevention measures for diseases transmitted by ticks

INFESTASI CAPLAK (Boophilus microplus) PADA TERNAK SAPI DI DESA PINABETENGAN KECAMATAN TOMPASO KABUPATEN MINAHASA

This research was conducted in Pinabetengan village to calculate the prevalence and preference of tick infestations in cattle in Pinabetengan Village, Tompaso District, Minahasa Regency. This study uses the Purposive Random Sampling method. 64 cattles were used as samples. Collecting ticks starts from the head, neck, back, groin, legs, and tail, then put in a bottle containing 70% alcohol based on the body parts of the animal. Based on the result research   that 30 cattles were found to be infested of tick. Preferences of ticks on body parts of cattle show that at the groin is the most infestation of ticks. The tick infestation preference based on sex it turn out that female cattle are more often infested with tick. Based on the results and discussion it can be concluded that the cattle in the North Pinabetengan village infested with Boophilus microplus tick is 46.9%. Preference for tick infestation on the body parts that are most commonly found in the groin of cattle. Preference for tick infestation in female cattle is 4.38 ticks, while male cattle are 3.33 ticks.Keywords: Ticks, Infestations, Preference, Prevalence, Co

Prevalence and risk factors of ticks infesting cattle reared on the main campus of Haramaya University, Eastern Ethiopia

Tick infestation is a major problem constraining animal production and productivity in Ethiopia showing the need for tackling the situation. A crosssectional study was carried out to determine tick prevalence and associated risk factors among cattle reared on dairy, beef and free-range grazing farms of Haramaya University from November 2014 to April 2015. A total of 519 animals were randomly selected. Ticks were collected and identified under stereomicroscopic examination. A total of 384 (73.9%) animals were positive for tick infestation which was higher on both beef (79.2%) and dairy (82.3%) than on free-range grazing (32.4%) cattle with OR = 8 (95% CI 4.2-16.9) and OR= 9 (95% CI 5.0-18.8) in beef and dairy animals, respectively. Infestation was significantly lower on Borana breed (20%; 95% OR CI 0.5-1.99) than on others. Difference in infestation between sexes and among the age groups of animals were not observed (p > 0.05). Of positive cattle, 52.9%, 12.8%, 7.0% and 27.3% were infested with single, two, three and four genera of ticks, respectively. In positive animals, subgenus Boophilus (51.0%), Amblyomma (58.3%), Hyalomma (48.2%) and Rhipicephalus (53.1%) tick genera were observed. Multiple tick genera infestation were more frequent in cattle managed under both beef (34.7 to 62.9%) and dairy (22.2 to 55.1%) farm types than that of free-range (4.4 to 14.8%) farm types. All the currently encountered tick genera infested 48.5%, 46.8% and 4.8% of beef, dairy and free range grazing cattle farms, respectively. The result showed all animals are found in endemic environment for tick infestation and thus the burden might cause economic loses mainly by reducing milk and meat yields, body weight gain, skin and hides quality, and risk of tick-borne diseases. Therefore, tick infestation in the study farms warrants strategic tick control approaches.Keywords: Beef farm; Dairy farm; Free-range grazing; Infestation; Tick gener