A cross-sectional survey of hard ticks and molecular characterization of Rhipicephalus microplus parasitizing domestic animals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Background In tropical and subtropical countries, tick infestation causes major public health problems and considerable financial losses to the livestock industry. This study was aimed to assess the species composition of richness and analyze the phylogeny of Rhipicephalus microplus in the District Bannu of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Methods Collected ticks were identified morphologically and DNA extracted from R. microplus was amplified and subjected to sequencing. Results A total of 3,600 animals were examined among them 1,494 animals were found to be infested with ticks, including 669 cows, 476 buffaloes, 163 goats, and 186 sheep (p = 0.001). Tick infestation was significantly high (43.58%) in animals of age group (<1 year) (p-value = 0.027). Female animals were more (44.05%) infested with ticks than males (34.43%) (p = 0.001). The intensity of infestation was significantly higher in summer (77.49%) (p = 0.001). A total of 5,557 ticks were collected comprising three genera and six species. R. microplus was predominantly prevalent (n = 1,474; 26.52%), followed by Rhipicephalus annulatus (n = 1,215; 21.86%), Hyalomma anatolicum (n = 1,139; 20.49%), Hyalomma marginatum (n = 1,086; 19.54%), and Rhipicephalus turanicus (n = 761; 13.69%), while the least common was Haemaphysalis aciculifer (n = 80; 1.43%) (p = 0.001). Morphologically identified R. microplus species were also analyzed genetically by using two genetic markers 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) genes. The phylogenetic study revealed that R. microplus is genetically diversified and clustered in clade B with R. microplus species from China, India, and Pakistan. Conclusion Ticks infestation was significantly correlated with various factors including age, sex, season, and animal type. R. microplus genetically resembled species reported from India and China. However, major knowledge gaps concerning various species of ticks exist and many areas are still unexplored in Pakistan. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the epidemiological and molecular aspects of various tick species in other regions of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Ticks Infesting Dogs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: Detailed Epidemiological and Molecular Report

“…In Pakistan, the environmental conditions are conducive to tick reproduction and development. Although, several studies have identified ticks from diverse hosts across different geographical locations in Pakistan [ 23 , 25 , 26 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ]. Only one study had cataloged the tick species morpho-taxonomically infesting dogs thus far, from the Baluchistan province of Pakistan [ 17 ].…”

“…In the current study, the overall prevalence of tick infestation was 61% in dogs, while across different districts, a higher prevalence of ticks was observed in district Mardan (14.7%) followed by Peshawar (13%), Swabi (12%), Charsadda (11%), and Malakand (10.3%). In the last three decades, several studies have attempted to report the prevalence rates of tick infestation, ranging from 6.9% to 86.5% in livestock across different geographical localities of the country [ 16 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ]. Our results also fall within the same range and support these reports.…”

Knowledge, attitude, and practices towards cutaneous leishmaniasis in referral cases with cutaneous lesions: A cross-sectional survey in remote districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

“…Pakistan is home to several infectious zoonoses [ 8 , 9 ], vector-borne diseases [ 10 , 11 ], and vectors [ 12 ]. However, cutaneous leishmaniasis greatly affected the people of Pakistan, specifically those of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and several studies reported the disease in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [ 13 – 17 ].…”

Morphological and molecular characterization of Ixodid ticks infesting cattle in western India

“…Standard procedures and bio-safety measures were followed during collection of tick sample from animals (Walker et al, 2003;Rooman et al, 2021). Ticks were collected randomly from cattle population of farms, gaushalas and panjrapoles located under the area of the study during the months of April, 2017 to March, 2018 (Table 1).…”