Distribution and identification of tick species on different breeds of livestock in Pakistan
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Abstract
The agricultural industry is an important part of Pakistan's economy, where the majority of rural population rely on livestock for income. Ticks and tick-borne diseases, on the other hand, are severely impeding livestock production. The identification and prevalence of tick species is very important in the country. Fifteen tick species belong to five genera identified in the current study were Ambylomma gervaisi, A. latum, Dermacentor variabilis, D. marginatus, Hyalomma anatolicum, Hy. impeltatum,a Hy. scupense, Hy. dtritum, Haemaphysalis montgomeryi, Hae. aciculifer, Hae. sulcata, Hae. punctata, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, R. annulatus, and R. turanicus. Hyalomma anatolicum was most prevalent tick species on the animals in the region at prevalence rate of 16.01%. Hyalomma were more abundant (30.55%) followed by Haemaphysalis (30.31%), Rhipicephalus (22.39%), Dermacentor (10.41%), and Ambylomma (8%). The overall rates of tick infestation were 52.11, 64.57, 36.46, and 42.25%, respectively on buffalo, cattle, sheep, and goats. Udder and tail were the susceptible sites for tick attachment and neeli ravi, sahiwal, damani, and beetal of buffaloe, cattle, sheep, and goat, respectively were highly loaded with tick species. The location, gender, age, breed of animals, and grazing systems are important factors in predicting tick infestations. Results will help to develop informed control measures of ticks.
Keywords: Identification; Livestock; Prevalence; Risk factor; Ticks