Abundance and distribution of Ixodid tick species infesting cattle reared under traditional farming systems in Tanzania

Abstract

Ticks and tick-borne diseases are serious constraints to livestock production in Tanzania and other sub-Saharan African countries. Despite this, knowledge on the abundan ce of tick species infesting cattle in most parts of Tanzania is insufficient or lacking. This study was conducted to identify species and establish the abundance of ticks infesting cattle in Mara, Singida and Mbeya regions of Tanzania. The ticks were collected from one side of the body, counted and identified, based on morphological characteristics; to species level. The mean tick count per animal was significantly higher in Mara (35.8±4.3, p=0.0001) as compared to Singida (12.9±2.1) and Mbeya (7.0±0.4) regions. Young animals in Mara (24.7±6.0, p=0.0395) and Mbeya (5.4±0.3, p=0.0252) exhibited relatively lower mean tick counts compared to the weaners (Mara = 33.8±6.5, Mbeya = 7.2±0.7) and adult animals (Mara = 46.3±8.4, Mbeya = 7.8±0.7). Seven tick species from three different genera, namely Ambylomma, Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus (including the subgenus Boophilus), were identified. However, only five species (A. lepidum, A. variegatum, R. decoloratus, R. microplus and H. rufipes) were observed in all the three regions. R. appendiculatus and R. evertsi were not found in Mbeya and Mara respectively. The most prevalent species in Mara, Singida and Mbeya were R. appendiculatus (50.5%), A. lepidum (31.2%) and R. evertsi (35.6%), respectively. This study showed the existence of a variety of tick species, most of them being of veterinary importance. Therefore, strategic planning and cost-effective tick control measures should be implemented in order to reduce losses caused by ticks and tick borne diseases in the study area.

Predictive Analytics of Cattle Host and Environmental and Micro-Climate Factors for Tick Distribution and Abundance at the Livestock–Wildlife Interface in the Lower Okavango Delta of Botswana

“…The low cattle density recorded across the expansive extension areas of the study area and the probable low susceptibility of indigenous cattle to tick infestation, in the face of other alternative reservoir species that includes wildlife for multi-host tick species, may have been the host factors that resulted in the dissociation between tick count and cattle stocking density (48). Age was not a suitable predictor of ticks in our study even though it has previously been found to be elsewhere by others (49). This may be attributed to the non-representativeness of age in our study in that cattle brought for slaughter are mainly adults of a certain age category as the price at the abattoir is based solely on weight and hence not representative of the source population age ranges.…”

Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of selected zoonotic viral hemorrhagic fevers in Tanzania

“…Other high risk areas include those located in low altitudes, experiencing high precipitation and bimodal rainfall, being proximal to forests and having contacts with wild animals, which are characteristic features of north-eastern, southern-highland and Lake zones of the country (Sindato et al, 2014;. Although there is limited data on tick's distribution in Tanzania, available information suggests that they are widely distributed in different ecological zones of the country (Swai et al, 2005;Kwak et al, 2014;Kerario et al, 2017). Individuals encroaching to forest areas for different activities including hunting and timbering are likely to be exposed to preparation and consumption of bush meat or handling of dead primates, and/ or residing in areas that border high-disease risk areas are considered to be at an increased risk for EVD (Bannister, 2010;Feldmann & Geisbert, 2011).…”

Distribution and molecular identification of ixodid ticks infesting cattle in Kilombero and Iringa Districts, Tanzania

“…Ticks are one of the most important arthropod vectors and reservoirs for a wide variety of pathogenic agents such as viruses, bacteria, and protozoa which can cause diseases in human, livestock and wild animals [ 1 ]. Ticks transmit diseases that leads to extensive economic loses to resource-poor farming communities especially in tropical and subtropical regions where almost 80% of the world’s cattle population is reared [ 2 , 3 ].…”

“…The grazing land for the animals is no longer sufficient due to increased number of cattle, other domestic animals, and human populations. Most of the indigenous cattle are thus widely grazed in grasslands and woodlands and hence exposed to high risk of tick infestation [ 1 , 7 ]. The climatic condition of Tanzania is greatly favoring the development and survival of several tick species.…”

“…Tick problems have been reported in Kilombero and Iringa Districts. Published studies related to tick infestation and species composition have been conducted in Ngorongoro [ 8 ], Iringa, Maswa [ 9 ], Mvomero [ 11 ], Rufiji [ 7 ], Mara, Singida, and Mbeya [ 1 ]. However, their information is limited to morphological characters.…”