Birds as hosts of immature ixodid ticks in Free State Province, South Africa

D.J Van Niekerk,L.J Fourie,I.G Horak

doi:10.4102/ojvr.v73i2.157

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the species spectrum of ixodid ticks infesting birds in Free State Province, South Africa. To this end a large number of birds belonging to several species were examined for ticks and a total of 180 birds belonging to 39 species at 17 localities were infested, and ticks belonging to eight species were recovered. The immature stages of only two, namely Amblyomma marmoreum and Hyalomma marginatum rufipes, were sufficiently prevalent and numerous to safely assume that they regularly use birds as hosts. Helmeted guineafowls, Numida meleagris, were the most heavily infested and one harboured a total of 319 larvae and four nymphs. Amongst the other species an eastern clapper lark, Mirafra fasciolata, was infested with 69 larvae and a nymph, but no other bird harboured more than 40 ticks. The larvae and nymphs of H. m. rufipes were most numerous on birds from April to August.

Highlights

Despite the small size of most birds their capacity for rapid and maintained population growth can contribute significantly to the demography of those tick species that use them as hosts
This paper presents the findings of these investigations and discusses the role played by birds as hosts of the immature stages of ixodid ticks in South Africa
Ticks were collected from birds at various localities in Free State Province, South Africa (Table1)

Summary

Introduction

Despite the small size of most birds their capacity for rapid and maintained population growth can contribute significantly to the demography of those tick species that use them as hosts. The seasonal migratory species cover considerable distances in a relatively short period of time and can transport ticks from one country or even continent to another (Hoogstraal, Kaiser, Traylor, Gaber & Guindy 1961). Few of the migratory birds examined in Egypt by Hoogstraal et al (1961) were infested, and those that were, harboured only small numbers of ticks. It would appear as if a large proportion of migratory and non-migratory ground-frequenting birds in rural and wildlife regions of South Africa are infested. The individual burdens of those species commonly referred to as game birds, namely guineafowls, spurfowls and francolins, may be large, often exceeding 100 and sometimes 1 000 immature ticks (Horak, Spickett, Braack & Williams 1991b; Uys & Horak 2005)

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