Abstract
Ticks and tick-borne diseases (TTBDis) are a major constraint to the health and production of small ruminants in Pakistan. Despite being the subject of intermittent studies over the past few decades, comprehensive information on the epidemiology and control of TTBDis is lacking. Herein, we have systematically reviewed the current knowledge on TTBDis of small ruminants in Pakistan. Critical appraisal of the selected 71 articles published between 1947 to 2020 revealed that morphological examination had been the most widely used method for the identification of TTBDis in Pakistan. Tick fauna comprise at least 40 species, mainly belonging to Haemaphysalis, Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus. The prevalence of ticks is the highest in summer (June–September) and it is also higher in goats than sheep. Anaplasma, Babesia and Theileria spp. are the major tick-borne pathogens (TBPs), and their prevalence is usually higher in sheep than goats. Spatio-temporal distribution, genetic diversity and control of ticks and TBPs of small ruminants as well as the competence of tick vectors for various TBPs remain to be explored. Therefore, coordinated and focused investigations are required to fill knowledge gaps in these areas to maximise the health, production and welfare of small ruminants and minimise economic losses associated with TTBDis in Pakistan.
Highlights
Food security is one of the challenges faced by the rapidly growing human population worldwide, in developing countries [1]
Studies on the genetic characterisation of ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TTBPs) are scarce, and more importantly, no information is available on Ticks and tick-borne diseases (TTBDis) from several regions of the country where sheep and goats play a key role in the food security and livelihood of resource-poor farmers
The keywords used for search included tick(s), tick-borne disease(s), tick borne disease(s), A literature search was conducted for studies published from 1947 to October 2020 on TTBDis small ruminant(s), livestock, sheep, goat(s), haemoparasite(s), anaplasmosis, Anaplasma, babesiosis, of small ruminants in Pakistan using four databases
Summary
Food security is one of the challenges faced by the rapidly growing human population worldwide, in developing countries [1]. The livestock sector plays a crucial role in the national economies and household food security of both developed and developing countries [2], and increasing the production of livestock species (e.g., cattle, sheep and goats) could be one of the ways to address the food shortage in the near future [3]. Studies on the genetic characterisation of ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TTBPs) are scarce, and more importantly, no information is available on TTBDis from several regions of the country where sheep and goats play a key role in the food security and livelihood of resource-poor farmers. This systematic review aims to (i) provide an overview of the existing knowledge on the epidemiology, diagnosis and control of TTBDis and (ii) identify gaps and highlight the future research directions in order to enhance our understanding and control of TTBDis in small ruminants in Pakistan
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