Assessment of natural Ixodid tick infestations in sheep

A study on epidemiology of hard tick (Ixodidae) in sheep in Sulaimani governorate - Iraq

“…Fourie et al (19) showed that the female was dominant in domestic stock and wild ungulates, except on adult on angora goats where the sex ratio was biased in favour of the males, the sex ratio is an important parameter which characterized the state and dynamics of natural populations of animals and the monthly variations in the sex ratio of the tick on hosts are believed to be related to the large fluctuations in sex ratios of questing ticks. Ogorea et al (20) found that the main attachment sites of fully engorged female of ixodid ticks were ears, head, body sides, perianal and scrotal/udder regions. Over the three sampling periods, 87% of the ticks counted were on the ears in sheep.…”

Tick infestation patterns in free ranging African buffalo (Syncercus caffer): Effects of host innate immunity and niche segregation among tick species

“…Similar methods using focal host body areas to estimate individual tick burdens have been used previously in other ungulate species (e.g. roe deer, Kiffner et al, 2010 ; cattle, L’Hostis et al, 1994 ; impala, Matthee et al, 1997 ; sheep, Ogore et al, 1999 ; sheep, goats, mountain reedbuck, Fourie and Vanzyl, 1991 ). Digital photographs were taken of the axillary, inguinal, and perianal regions on each host animal before any specimens were removed.…”

Controlling tick-borne diseases through domestic animal management: a theoretical approach

“…The ratios given are very different from the ratios we found. Ogore et al (1999) compared the tick burden on different sheep breeds in Kenya and found that the burdens varied between breeds. It could be that different breeds in the UK display similar differences, which may help account for the differences we found.…”