Tick borne zoonotic diseases are one of the major emerging threats to live stock and public health in India, especially in Western Ghats of south India. Since livestock and wild animals share habitats and grasslands, it is important to know the species composition of major tick parasitism on live stock as well as their geographical distribution for effective control of tick and tick borne diseases. This study provides basic knowledge that is necessary to initiate Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) prevention programs in these areas. Ticks were sampled from Wayanad districts of Kerala from domestic animals and identified morphologically. A total of 195 cattle searched, in which 168 (86.15%) cattle were infested with ticks and a total of 3633 ticks comprising three genera and seven species were collected, Rhipicephalus microplus (52.71%) was prevalent species followed by Haemaphysalis bispinosa (16.9%), Rhipicephalus decoloratus (15.77%), Haemaphysalis turturis (11.42%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (1.32%), Amblyomma integrum (1.15%) and Haemaphysalis spinigera (0.71%) were identified based on their morphological characters. As R. microplus was the prevalent species, the risk of transmission of babesiosis and anaplasmosis to cattle increases and the presence of Haemaphysalis sp. point out the risk of KFD in among the tribal colony people and it can be reduced by applying with acaricides on domestic animals.

No abstract

Background & objectives: Japanese encephalitis (JE) and West Nile virus (WNV) are two mosquito-borne diseases of medical and veterinary importance. Climate impacts in certain ecosystems are better understood; however, coastal brackish water ecosystems and their role in vector borne viral diseases have not been well studied. Hence, the aim of this study is to evaluate the distribution, spatial pattern as well as the screening of these mosquitoes for JE and WN virus in coastal area of Alappuzha district, Kerala, India. Methods: Immature mosquitoes were collected using dipper methods along the coastal wetlands areas. Adult mosquitoes were collected in four sampling sites with light trap filled with dry ice, operating overnight. The collected mosquitoes were identified by species, using the taxonomic keys. Mosquitoes were pooled for virus detection. Water samples were collected using standard methods. Results: The total quantity of rainfall and salinity varied from zero to 365.2 mm and from 1.5 to 28 ppt respectively. A total of 10,695 adult mosquitoes and 38,083 immatures revealed the presence of five genus and 23 species. The most predominant species was Culex tritaeniorhynchus. Immature collections Cx. sitiens was the only one species collected during the summer season and in the monsoon season the pond was replaced by fresh water mosquitoes such as Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and Cx. gelidus. A total of 186 pools were screened for JEV and WNV. However, none of the pools were found as positive for the virus. Interpretation & conclusion: The major vector of JEV Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and Cx. gelidus have adapted to immature development in coastal brackish water habitats. The public health authorities need to recognize thepotential impact on human health of brackish water-adapted mosquito vectors that weretraditionally considered to be freshwater species, and take appropriate surveillance and control measures.

Background & objectives : Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) is a zoonotic tick-borne disease across the Western Ghats of India. With the discovery of a cluster of human KFD cases in the Wayanad district of Kerala, the present study was focused on detecting KFD virus (KFDV) in tick populations. To manage this disease, it is necessary to understand the diversity of the tick species and factors influencing the distribution, abundance and prevalence of infected ticks in Wayanad district. Methods : Surveys were conducted from November 2016 to May 2018 in four forest ranges of Wayanad district. Ticks were collected by the dragging method and were identified to species level and assayed for virus detection using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results : A total of 25,169 ticks were collected from 64 sites. Of the identified species, Haemaphysalis spinigera was the most abundant (56.64%), followed by H. turturis 9047 (35.94%), H. bispinosa 999 (3.96%), Amblyomma integrum 691 (2.74%), H. kyasanurensis (0.55%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (0.08%), Hyalomma marginatum (0.02%), H. cuspidata (0.01%), R.microplus (0.01%) and Dermacentor auratus (0.003%). The nymphal stage was predominant from December to February having peak activity in January. A total of 572 pools were screened for the presence of KFDV, of which 21 pools were positive. The infection rates in H. spinigera and H. turturis tick were 2.62 and 1.04 per cent, respectively. Interpretation & conclusions : The circulation of KFDV was detected and its correlation with the prevalence in ticks near the fragmented forest and teak plantation areas of Wayanad district. Residents and visitors of these regions may become vulnerable to tick bites and to an increased risk of KFD as the distribution of established, infected tick populations continues to expand.