Study on prevalence and identification of ixodid ticks in cattle in Gursum district, East Hararghe Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

The current study on prevalence and identification of ixodid ticks in cattle was carried out in Gursum district, East Hararghe Zone of Oromia regional state, from November 2015 to April 2016. A total of 1447 ticks were collected from nine body parts of 384 cattle kept under extensive management system. Out of 384 cattle examined, 232 were found harbor one or more tick species. The identified tick species were Amblyomma variegatum, Rhipicephalus evertsi, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus, Rhipicephalus pulchellus, Hyalomma marginatum and Amblyomma gemma. The risk factors such as sex and age of animals, seasonal and agro ecological variation of tick infestation, predilection sites and male to female ratio of ticks were considered in this study. Among the risk factors considered, gender and age of animals did not show significant difference but predilection sites, seasonal and agro-ecological variation of tick infestation showed significant difference. Tick infestation was higher in wet season than in dry season. This study also indicated higher prevalence of ticks in mid-altitude and lowland areas than in highland areas. As to attachment sites, A. variegatum had preference for axillae, udder or scrotum; R. evertsi for base of tail and anus; B. decoloratus for different body parts; R. pulchellus for ear, tail, anus and scrotum/udder and H. marginatum for tail and ano-vulval areas. In case of male to female ratio, all the tick species had higher number of males than females except B. decoloratus which had higher number of females than males. With the occurrence of such degree of tick infestation in the area, the economic impact of ticks and tick-borne diseases in Gursum district and the country as a whole should be given a high priority in devising effective and sustainable control strategies of ticks. Key words: Age, agro-ecology, Gursum, prevalence ratio, season, sex, species.