Prevalence and seasonal abundance of ticks on dogs and the role of Rhipicephalus sanguineus in transmitting Babesia species in Maidugiri, North-Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Aim: An investigation on ticks and haemoparasites of dogs that belonged to Maiduguri metropolis (Borno State) was conducted. Materials and Methods:Survey of ticks and haemo-parasites on 400 stray dogs was conducted in Maiduguri from December 2009 to November 2011, using a stratified random sampling technique from different locations of the town. The town was divided into 10 districts out of which a total of 40 dogs were sampled at random from each district.Results: Four genera of ticks were identified on the infested dogs 384 (96.0), all of which belonged to the family Ixodidae (hard ticks). The genus Boophilus was predominant with a prevalence of 88.0%, Rhipicephalus 10.8%, Hyalomma 0.9% and Amblyomma 0.3% at (p ? 0.05). Dogs within the age-group of 6-12 months were the most infested, while those within the agegroup of 24 -120 months were the least infested. Sex appeared to have a less significant influence (p > 0.05) on the prevalence of ticks among the dog population as females were more infested than the males. The perineum and the ear were the most commonly infested areas, with 328 (85.4%) and 252 (65.4%) respectively, while the scrotal and abdominal regions were the least infested areas 12 (3.1%) each. The month of August showed the highest mean tick burden of 462.5±3.2 ranging from 450-475, while the month of February showed the least number of ticks with a mean of 244.5±3.8 ranging from 239-250. Dogs found to be infected with Babesia canis are all harboring ticks of the genus Rhipicephalus. Female dogs were more infected (66.7%) with Babesia canis than their male counterparts (33.3%) (p ? 0.05) and dogs within the age group of 1-6 months were more infected. Conclusion:Prevalence of ticks on dogs in this study area is relatively high and the occurrence of Babesia species is vector dependent, with ticks of the genus Rhipicephalus sanguineous being the most common vector in transmission of the parasite. Seasons also play a vital role in the prevalence of ticks and their associated haemoparasites.

Prevalence of ticks and haemoparasitic infections in dogs presented at the University of Ilorin Veterinary Teaching Hospital

“…Similarly, during the 2017 study period, a higher proportion (33.3%) of dogs older than 12 months were infested with ticks compared to dogs less than 12 months of age and the difference was statistically significant. This result is in contrast with a past study from Nigeria that reported dogs aged between 6-12 months were more susceptible to tick infestation (Konto et al, 2014). The reason for the higher tick infestation among older dogs in this study might be due to of older dogs being more mobile and likely to come more in contact with tick infested areas.…”

Tick fauna of Malaysian red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) in Bangi, Malaysia

“…Transmission of infestation between young and adults fowls may be due to intimacy between older ones and the young ones. Similar findings have been reported in other mammals [ 1 , 26 , 27 ].…”

“…Ticks are one of the most important ectoparasites of red jungle fowl. They are found attached to different parts of the body sucking blood and increasing the risk of infection to various microorganisms in humans and animals [ 1 - 3 ]. Clinically, they can be a nuisance; their bites can cause irritation and itching, accompanied by tissue and humoral reaction of the host, hyperemia, eosinophil infiltration, and a local edematous reaction [ 4 ].…”

Epizootiology of Infectious Diseases of Dog in Some States in Nigeria (2015–2018)

“…However, a gradual decline in parasite abundance was noticed from February to May, a period characterized by high temperature. Similar findings were reported in Nigeria (Shoorijeh et al, 2008;Arong et al, 2011;Konto et al, 2014).…”