Abstract
In Uganda, the role of ticks in zoonotic disease transmission is not well described, partly, due to limited available information on tick diversity. This study aimed to identify the tick species that infest cattle. Between September and November 2017, ticks (n = 4362) were collected from 5 districts across Uganda (Kasese, Hoima, Gulu, Soroti, and Moroto) and identified morphologically at Uganda Virus Research Institute. Morphological and genetic validation was performed in Germany on representative identified specimens and on all unidentified ticks. Ticks were belonging to 15 species: 8 Rhipicephalus species (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Rhipicephalus microplus, Rhipicephalus decoloratus, Rhipicephalus afranicus, Rhipicephalus pulchellus, Rhipicephalus simus, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus tropical lineage); 5 Amblyomma species (Amblyomma lepidum, Amblyomma variegatum, Amblyomma cohaerens, Amblyomma gemma, and Amblyomma paulopunctatum); and 2 Hyalomma species (Hyalomma rufipes and Hyalomma truncatum). The most common species were R. appendiculatus (51.8%), A. lepidum (21.0%), A. variegatum (14.3%), R. evertsi evertsi (8.2%), and R. decoloratus (2.4%). R. afranicus is a new species recently described in South Africa and we report its presence in Uganda for the first time. The sequences of R. afranicus were 2.4% divergent from those obtained in Southern Africa. We confirm the presence of the invasive R. microplus in two districts (Soroti and Gulu). Species diversity was highest in Moroto district (p = 0.004) and geographical predominance by specific ticks was observed (p = 0.001). The study expands the knowledge on tick fauna in Uganda and demonstrates that multiple tick species with potential to transmit several tick-borne diseases including zoonotic pathogens are infesting cattle.
Highlights
Ticks are associated with significant medical and veterinary health problems globally (Brites-Neto et al 2015)
4 species including R. appendiculatus, R. evertsi evertsi, R. decoloratus, and A. variegatum were found in all study districts, albeit with significant variations in their respective levels of abundance
Together with R. evertsi evertsi and R. decoloratus, they were found across all the study areas
Summary
Ticks are associated with significant medical and veterinary health problems globally (Brites-Neto et al 2015). Some of the diseases that have since been described such as East Coast fever and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever are challenging public health, veterinary, and socioeconomic threats due to their increasing occurrence, pathogenicity, and economic impact (Adams et al 2016; Kuehn 2019; Wesołowski et al 2014). In Uganda, the overall threat of ticks and tick-borne diseases to public health is not well known, partly due to limited knowledge on the natural diversity of ticks across the country. According to Walker et al (2014), there are approximately 27 species of ticks infesting domestic animals in Uganda that are of socio-economic, veterinary, and human health importance. We aimed to identify the species of ticks currently infesting cattle across various agroecological zones of Uganda, as well as to provide a baseline investigation to a larger study on ticks and tick-borne diseases in Uganda (Malmberg and Hayer 2019). Contact with cattle and/or their products is potentially among the most important routes through which many people come in direct, or indirect, contact with tick-borne zoonoses in Uganda
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