Abstract
Aim: To study the prevalence of tick infestation in dogs in and around Bhubaneswar. Materials and Methods: A total of 610 dogs (360 stray dogs & 250 pet dogs) in and around Bhubaneswar belonging to either sex were examined for tick infestation during a period of one year (Aug 2011- July 2012). Standard parasitological procedures were followed for collection, processing and identification of ticks. Result: 283 dogs (46.39%) were found positive for tick infestation with three different ixodid tick spp., viz. Rhipicephalus spp (39.51%), Boophilus spp.(4.92%) and Haemaphysalis spp. (1.97%) with many dogs having mixed infestations. Higher rate of incidence was recorded among stray dogs (58.33%) as compared to pet dogs (29.20%). Prevalence among dogs less than 1 year of age was higher (53.41%) than dogs above one year (45.21%). The overall percentage of incidence was higher (53.97%) among males than females (38.31%) in both stray and pet dogs. Influence of age and the variation due to sex on prevalence of tick infestations was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). Highest percentage of prevalence (48.86%) was recorded during rainy season followed by summer season (40.39%) and lowest (32.24%) in winter. Influence of season on the prevalence of tick infestation was highly significant (p<0.01). Conclusion: Our study revealed the occurrence of three types of ixodid ticks in dogs with a prevalence of mixed infestation. Influence of age, sex and season on the prevalence of tick infestation was found to be significant.
Highlights
Ticks, like other arthropods, live as blood sucking ectoparasites
Our study revealed the occurrence of three types of ixodid ticks in dogs with a prevalence of mixed infestation
Out of total 610 dogs (250 pet dogs and 360 stray dogs) examined over a period of one year (Aug 2011July 2012), 46.39% dogs were found to be positive for tick infestation
Summary
Like other arthropods, live as blood sucking ectoparasites. These are the most important group of arthropods which act as vectors of many bacterial, viral, rickettsial and protozoan diseases of dogs. Ticks attach to the dog's body, suck blood causing anemia and can transmit diseases like ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, hepatozoonosis, bartenellosis, lyme disease and some zoonotic diseases like Rocky mountain spotted fever and Tularemia. One of the most harmful impacts of tick bite is the release of neurotoxins from tick saliva leading to tick paralysis, systemic illness and hypersensitivity reactions [1]. Different parasitic infestations including tick infestations are more prevalent in stray dogs, but the pet dogs which directly or indirectly get exposed to stray dogs frequently suffer from different parasitic infestations
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