Nellore cattle (Bos indicus) and ticks within the Brazilian Pantanal: ecological relationships

Abstract

Pantanal is a huge floodplain mostly in Brazil, and its main economic activity is extensive cattle raising, in farms characterized by an extremely wildlife-rich environment. We herein describe tick infestations of cattle and of the natural environment in Pantanal of Nhecolândia in Brazil, at areas with and without cattle during both dry and wet seasons. Environmental sampling resulted in three tick species: Amblyomma sculptum (423 nymphs and 518 adults), Amblyomma parvum (7 nymphs and 129 adults), Amblyomma ovale (3 adults) as well as three clusters and two individuals of Amblyomma sp. larvae. A significantly higher number of adult A. sculptum ticks was found in areas with cattle in the wet season. From 106 examinations of bovines 1710 ticks from three species were collected: Rhipicephalus microplus (55.7% of the total), A. sculptum (38%) and A. parvum (4.1%), as well as 32 Amblyomma sp. larvae. A significant similarity was found between Amblyomma tick fauna from environment and on cattle during both seasons. All A. sculptum females on bovines were flat whereas many of A. parvum females and A. sculptum nymphs were engorging. Although R. microplus was the most abundant tick species on cattle, overall highest tick prevalence on bovines in the dry season was of A. sculptum nymphs. Lack of R. microplus in environmental sampling, relationship between cattle and increase in adult A. sculptum numbers in the environment as well as suitability of bovine for the various tick species are discussed.

Molecular survey and genetic diversity of piroplasmids in equids from Midwestern Brazil

“…Therefore, the total or partial flooding of pastures may eliminate ticks from the vegetation, and could also affect tick survival. Ramos et al (2016) have studied ecological relationships between Nellore cattle (Bos indicus) and ticks within the Brazilian Pantanal, and although R. (B.)…”

In vitro efficacy of Metarhizium anisopliae sensu lato against unfed Amblyomma parvum (Acari: Ixodidae)

“…A conidial concentration increase was shown to be directly related to an increase in the tick mortality rate (Lopes et al 2007). In this regard, conidial concentration in commercial products should ideally be high enough to attain the desired efficacy against several species if mixed tick infestations occur, as found in the case of A. parvum on domestic animals (Szabó et al 2007;Ramos et al 2016). 9 11 13 3 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 40 IBCB 425 8 16 8 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 40 Control 0 0 1 0 1 2 1 2 2 0 0 10 Both M. anisopliae s.l.…”

“…Within its range, it is associated with dry and hot environments where adults and immature stages parasitize medium-and largesized mammals and rodents, respectively (Nava et al 2008). Importantly, A. parvum is frequently found, together with livestock ticks, on several domestic animals, including cattle, horses, dogs and goats (Szabó et al 2007;Nava et al 2008;Ramos et al 2016).…”

Life cycle of Amblyomma mixtum (Acari: Ixodidae) parasitizing different hosts under laboratory conditions

“…Cattle and sheep can be naturally infested with A. cajennense s.l. (Guglielmone and Nava 2006;Alvarez and Bonilla 2007;Gonzalez-Ceron et al 2009;Ramos et al 2016). Rabbits are small laboratory animals that are commonly used to maintain colonies of ticks (Sanavria and Prata 1996).…”