FACTORS AFFECTING THE DETECTION OF INFESTATIONS OF BOOPHILUS MICROPLUS IN TICK CONTROL PROGRAMS

About 80% of the world’s cattle are affected by ticks and tick-borne diseases, both of which cause significant production losses. Cattle host resistance to ticks is the most important factor affecting the economics of tick control, but it is largely neglected in tick-control programs due to technical difficulties and costs associated with identifying individual-animal variation in resistance. The present paper reviews the scientific literature to identify factors affecting resistance of cattle to ticks and the biological mechanisms of host tick resistance, to develop alternative phenotype(s) for tick resistance. If new cost-effective phenotype(s) can be developed and validated, then tick resistance of cattle could be genetically improved using genomic selection, and incorporated into breeding objectives to simultaneously improve cattle productive attributes and tick resistance. The phenotype(s) could also be used to improve tick control by using cattle management. On the basis of the present review, it is recommended that three possible phenotypes (haemolytic analysis; measures of skin hypersensitivity reactions; simplified artificial tick infestations) be further developed to determine their practical feasibility for consistently, cost-effectively and reliably measuring cattle tick resistance in thousands of individual animals in commercial and smallholder farmer herds in tropical and subtropical areas globally. During evaluation of these potential new phenotypes, additional measurements should be included to determine the possibility of developing a volatile-based resistance phenotype, to simultaneously improve cattle resistance to both ticks and biting flies. Because the current measurements of volatile chemistry do not satisfy the requirements of a simple, cost-effective phenotype for use in commercial cattle herds, consideration should also be given to inclusion of potentially simpler measures to enable indirect genetic selection for volatile-based resistance to ticks.

Download Full-text

Trapping of larvae of the cattle tick Boophilus microplus by Stylosanthes scabra under grazing conditions

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.1071/ar9891301 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 40 (6) ◽

pp. 1301 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

LJ Wilson ◽

RW Sutherst ◽

JD Kerr

Keyword(s):

Laboratory Tests ◽

Seasonal Pattern ◽

Tick Control ◽

Boophilus Microplus ◽

Cattle Tick ◽

Research Station ◽

Morphological Attributes ◽

Control Programs ◽

Per Se ◽

Stylosanthes Scabra

Several varieties of the leguminous genus Stylosanthes have the capacity to trap larvae of the tick Boophilus microplus. This capacity was assessed for S. scabra plants collected from grazed fields at two locations, Brian Pastures Research Station and 'The Springs' in central Queensland. Morphological attributes which may affect the capacity of plants to trap tick larvae were recorded. In laboratory tests, plants collected from Brian Pastures trapped 27% of larvae in summer and 12% in winter, whilst plants from 'The Springs' trapped an average of 12%, with no seasonal pattern discernible. The percentage of branches which were sticky was the major determinant of a plant's capacity to trap ticks. Variation in stickiness per se was less important. Frost and burning temporarily reduced tick-trapping capacity, but after four months, burnt plants trapped a higher percentage of larvae than unburnt plants due to the production of sticky regrowth. The implication of the results for the use of S. scabra in tick control programs is discussed.

Download Full-text

Susceptibility of Rhipicephalus(Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) to pyrethroids and their associations in Pernambuco, Brazil

Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia Veterinária ◽

10.1590/s1984-29612013000200047 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 276-280 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Breno Barros de Santana ◽

Rafael Antonio Nascimento Ramos ◽

Marília de Andrade Santana ◽

Leucio Cãmara Alves ◽

Gílcia Aparecida de Carvalho

Keyword(s):

Epidemiological Survey ◽

Tick Control ◽

Boophilus Microplus ◽

Control Measures ◽

Synthetic Pyrethroids ◽

Control Programs ◽

Development Of Resistance ◽

Lack Of Information ◽

Frequent Use ◽

And Control

The synthetic pyrethroids and their associations have been widely used for controlling Rhipicephalus (Boophilus)microplus. The frequent use of acaricides has been inducing the development of resistance in the tick populations. The aim of this study was to assess the susceptibility of R. (B.)microplus populations to pyrethroids and their associations in the region of Garanhuns, Pernambuco, Brazil. In addition, the level of information among farm owners regarding tick control measures was investigated. Ticks were collected directly from naturally infested dairy cattle in the region and were exposed to pyrethroids and their associations. At the same time, an epidemiological questionnaire was applied with the aim of investigating the level of information among the farmers. The results reported here indicate thatR. (B.) micropluspopulations in the dairy region of Garanhuns show resistance to pyrethroids and their associations, except when the product is associated with piperonyl butoxide. Regarding the results from the epidemiological survey, it was seen that there is a considerable lack of information among the farmers in relation to ixodid control measures. The level of ticks resistance to acaricides varied widely across the region studied. No alternative control programs have been implemented among these farms, thus demonstrating that there is a need for more information relating to the biology and control of R.(B.) microplus.

Download Full-text

Chemical Composition and Acaricidal Activity of Nemuaron vieillardii Essential Oil against the Cattle Tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus

Natural Product Communications ◽

10.1177/1934578x1601101235 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 1934578X1601101

Author(s):

Nicolas Lebouvier ◽

Thomas Hue ◽

Joseph Brophy ◽

Edouard Hnawia ◽

Mohammed Nour

Keyword(s):

Gas Chromatography ◽

Chemical Composition ◽

Essential Oil ◽

Tick Control ◽

Acaricidal Activity ◽

Boophilus Microplus ◽

Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽

Cattle Tick ◽

Caryophyllene Oxide ◽

Human Carcinogen

Essential oil from leaves of Nemuaron vieillardii (Baill.) Baill., a shrub used in the kanak pharmacopeia, was analyzed by gas chromatography and combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The main compounds identified were safrole (49.7%), linalool (8.0%), δ-cadinene (5.1%), caryophyllene oxide (4%) and α-copaene (2.4%). This chemical composition is consistent with leaf oils of the Atherospermataceae family and demonstrates the proximity of the two genera Nemuaron and Atherosperma as regards to their essential oil compositions. The modified Larval Packet Test (LPT) was used to assess acaricidal effect of N. vieillardii essential oil on larvae of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus and LC50 was then calculated to 14.67%. High content of safrole in this oil which is suspected of being a human carcinogen, poses the problem of the use of this oil in a perspective of development of alternative tick control strategy and in the traditional medicinal consumption of Nemuaron vieillardii.

Download Full-text

Selection of cattle for tick resistance, and the effect of herds of different susceptibility on Boophilus populations

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.1071/ar9620974 ◽

1962 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 974 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

PR Wilkinson

Keyword(s):

Tick Infestation ◽

Tick Control ◽

Boophilus Microplus ◽

Skin Thickness ◽

Adult Females ◽

Cattle Ticks ◽

In Parenthesis ◽

Tick Counts ◽

Tick Resistance ◽

Selection Of

Weekly counts of Boophilus microplus (Canestrini) on 30 Australian Illawarra Shorthorn heifers enabled the cattle to be ranked in order of tick infestation, with highly significant correlations between counts of two observers and between counts of one observer on different occasions. In May 1960, when the heifers were 1½–2 years old, 12 were selected as relatively tick-resistant and 12 as relatively tick-susceptible. Each of these groups was divided at random into herds of six, and the four herds were then allotted randomly to separate paddocks, each onequarter of the area previously grazed. A herd was sprayed with 0.5% DDT emulsion when its average count of ticks (adult females over 5 mm in length) on one side of the animals exceeded 40. During the ensuing tick season, from October 5, 1960, to June 7, 1961, the sums of average weekly tick counts, and the numbers of sprayings (in parenthesis) were: susceptible herds 4853 (5) and 5962 (6): resistant herds 718 (0) and 1073 (1). Counts of tick larvae on defined body areas showed that, in the summer after segregation, resistant herds carried fewer larvae than the susceptible herds, apparently because fewer mature ticks fell from the resistant cattle in the preceding spring and winter. As a consequence of this, counts of adult ticks were comparatively lower after than before segregation. There was little or no 'spring rise' of tick infestation on the resistant herds. There was no significant correlation between tick resistance and coat score, sweat gland dimensions, or total skin thickness, but a correlation of -0.53 with follicle depth was significant at the 1% level. There was no evidence of adaptation of cattle ticks to the resistant animals, either in the field experiment or in observations on stalled cattle. The experiment draws attention to the appreciable proportion of tick-resistant animals within the Australian Illawarra Shorthorn breed, which has largely been overlooked in past discussions on tick-resistant breeds of cattle. It also suggests a technique for estimating the improvement in tick control that may be obtained by a given degree of selection within any breed, for any given environment.

Download Full-text

A ten-year review of commercial vaccine performance for control of tick infestations on cattle

Animal Health Research Reviews ◽

10.1017/s1466252307001193 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 23-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 207

Author(s):

José de la Fuente ◽

Consuelo Almazán ◽

Mario Canales ◽

José Manuel Pérez de la Lastra ◽

Katherine M. Kocan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Latin American ◽

Control Method ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Tick Control ◽

Boophilus Microplus ◽

Cattle Tick ◽

Antigen Discovery ◽

Tick Vaccine ◽

Latin American Countries ◽

Selection Of

AbstractTicks are important ectoparasites of domestic and wild animals, and tick infestations economically impact cattle production worldwide. Control of cattle tick infestations has been primarily by application of acaricides which has resulted in selection of resistant ticks and environmental pollution. Herein we discuss data from tick vaccine application in Australia, Cuba, Mexico and other Latin American countries. Commercial tick vaccines for cattle based on the Boophilus microplus Bm86 gut antigen have proven to be a feasible tick control method that offers a cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternative to the use of acaricides. Commercial tick vaccines reduced tick infestations on cattle and the intensity of acaricide usage, as well as increasing animal production and reducing transmission of some tick-borne pathogens. Although commercialization of tick vaccines has been difficult owing to previous constraints of antigen discovery, the expense of testing vaccines in cattle, and company restructuring, the success of these vaccines over the past decade has clearly demonstrated their potential as an improved method of tick control for cattle. Development of improved vaccines in the future will be greatly enhanced by new and efficient molecular technologies for antigen discovery and the urgent need for a tick control method to reduce or replace the use of acaricides, especially in regions where extensive tick resistance has occurred.

Download Full-text

Factors affecting seed germination of annual sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus) in southern Australia

Weed Science ◽

10.1614/ws-06-047r.1 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 54 (5) ◽

pp. 854-860 ◽

Cited By ~ 73

Author(s):

Bhagirath S. Chauhan ◽

Gurjeet Gill ◽

Christopher Preston

Keyword(s):

Seed Germination ◽

Osmotic Potential ◽

Field Experiments ◽

Soil Depth ◽

Seedling Emergence ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Control Programs ◽

Buried Seed ◽

Ph Range

Annual sowthistle has become more abundant under no-till systems in southern Australia. Increased knowledge of germination biology of annual sowthistle would facilitate development of effective weed control programs. The effects of environmental factors on germination and emergence of annual sowthistle seeds were examined in laboratory and field experiments. Seeds of annual sowthistle were able to germinate over a broad range of temperatures (25/15, 20/12, and 15/9 C day/night temperatures). Seed germination was favored by light; however, some germination occurred in the dark as well. Greater than 90% of seeds germinated at a low level of salinity (40 mM NaCl), and some seeds germinated even at 160 mM NaCl (7.5%). Germination decreased from 95% to 11% as osmotic potential increased from 0 to −0.6 MPa and was completely inhibited at osmotic potential greater than −0.6 MPa. Seed germination was greater than 90% over a pH range of 5 to 8, but declined to 77% at pH 10. Seedling emergence was the greatest (77%) for seeds present on the soil surface but declined with depth, and no seedlings emerged from a soil depth of 5 cm. In another experiment in which seeds were after-ripened at different depths in a field, seed decay was greater on the soil surface than at 2 or 5 cm depth. At the end of the growing season, there was a much greater persistence of buried seed (32 to 42%) than seeds present on the soil surface (8%). Greater persistence of buried seed could be due to dormancy enforced by dark in this species.

Download Full-text

The spelling of pasture in cattle tick control

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.1071/ar9570414 ◽

1957 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 414 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

PR Wilkinson

Keyword(s):

Field Trial ◽

Tick Infestation ◽

Tick Control ◽

Boophilus Microplus ◽

Cattle Tick ◽

Frequent Use ◽

Cattle Tick Control

When two comparable herds of cattle were kept continuously in adjoining paddocks, frequent acaricidal treatment was necessary to control ticks (Boophilus microplus (Canestrini) ). Thereafter, one of the two herds was grazed alternately in its own and an adjacent paddock, the intervals between each transfer being sufficient to ensure that most of the ticks in the unoccupied paddock had died. Tick infestations on this herd were greatly reduced, and less frequent use of acaricides was necessary. The herd remaining in the continuously stocked pasture continued to need acaricidal treatment for recurring tick infestation. In a field trial with 350–400 cattle moved a t intervals to each of three formerly heavily infested paddocks, tick infestations remained very light, although the herd was dipped only In January, September, and the following January. A control herd on continuously stocked pasture, treated at the owner's discretion, required eight dippings in this period. This procedure of "pasture spelling" seems likely to be widely applicable in central Queensland.

Download Full-text

Culture of an organophosphorus-resistant strain ofBoophilus microplus(Can.) and an assessment of its resistance spectrum

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485300056480 ◽

1966 ◽

Vol 56 (3) ◽

pp. 389-405 ◽

Cited By ~ 91

Author(s):

R. D. Shaw

Keyword(s):

Resistant Strain ◽

Specific Resistance ◽

Dominant Gene ◽

Resistance Mechanism ◽

Tick Control ◽

Boophilus Microplus ◽

Test Method ◽

Organophosphorus Insecticides ◽

Development Of Resistance ◽

Low Order

Field observations indicated that a strain ofBoophilus microplus(Can.) in the Rockhampton area in Queensland was resistant to an organophosphorus insecticide, dioxathion (applied as Delnav), which had previously controlled it successfully. Ticks of this strain were despatched to the Cooper Technical Bureau in England, where a culture was established and maintained under selective pressure from dioxathion.The non-parasitic stages of the culture were maintained in an incubator under controlled conditions, and the parasitic stages on cattle in a tick rearing house designed for the purpose. Careful security precautions were taken to ensure that there was no dissemination of tick life outside the confines of the culture. The tick rearing house was provided with double doors, the inner ones of which were screened with copper gauze to prevent the possible transmission of anaplasmosis by biting flies.The activities of 23 insecticides against larvae of this strain and larvae of a strain ofB. microplussusceptible to organophosphorus poisoning were compared. The test method was an immersion technique, usually employing the insecticide in the form of an emulsion. Mortality was assessed 17 hours after treatment. These comparisons indicated that the strain was resistant to the organophosphorus insecticides carbophenothion (62 ×), dioxathion (25 ×), diazinon (15 ×), parathion (10×) and a carbamate, carbaryl (38×). It is suggested that these resistances may be due to a specific mechanism effective against these compounds.Nine other organophosphorus insecticides, one carbamate and rotenone were subject to low-order resistance by this strain significant at P ≤0·05. This was considered to be non-specific resistance.Dioxathion had been in use for tick control on the property concerned for four years before resistance was demonstrated. The property is situated in an area where the tick season lasts for ten months. In other parts of the world, dioxathion has been in use againstBoophilusticks for seven years without the development of resistance to it. The length of time resistance has taken to develop suggests that the resistance mechanism is not the expression of a single dominant gene, as has been demonstrated for dieldrin-resistance.The results suggest that resistance to one or more organophosphorus insecticides will not necessarily prevent the use of other members of this wide and diverse group for tick control. Several of the insecticides shown here to be subject to low-order non-specific resistance are known to be effective tick dips, and one of them, ethion, has been used with success against the resistant strain.An interesting corollary of the results was that the organophosphorus thions showed greater activity than their corresponding oxons against the susceptible strain.

Download Full-text

Immunoprotection evaluation of the recombinant N-terminal domain of Cys-loop receptors against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus tick infestation

Parasite ◽

10.1051/parasite/2021064 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 ◽

pp. 65

Author(s):

Moisés Martínez Velázquez ◽

Carla Patricia Barragán Álvarez ◽

José Miguel Flores Fernández ◽

Rodolfo Esteban Lagunes Quintanilla ◽

Edgar Castro Saines ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Glutamate Receptor ◽

Recombinant Proteins ◽

Tick Infestation ◽

Humoral Response ◽

Elisa Test ◽

Tick Control ◽

Boophilus Microplus ◽

Vaccine Candidates ◽

Immunological Protection ◽

Egg Fertility

Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus ticks are obligatory hematophagous ectoparasites of cattle and act as vectors for disease-causing microorganisms. Conventional tick control is based on the application of chemical acaricides; however, their uncontrolled use has increased resistant tick populations, as well as food and environmental contamination. Alternative immunological tick control has shown to be partially effective. Therefore, there is a need to characterize novel antigens in order to improve immunological protection. The aim of this work was to evaluate Cys-loop receptors as vaccine candidates. N-terminal domains of a glutamate receptor and of a glycine-like receptor were recombinantly produced in Escherichia coli. Groups of BALB/c mice were independently immunized with four doses of each recombinant protein emulsified with Freund’s adjuvant. Both vaccine candidates were immunogenic in mice as demonstrated by western blot analysis. Next, recombinant proteins were independently formulated with the adjuvant Montanide ISA 50 V2 and evaluated in cattle infested with Rhipicephalus microplus tick larvae. Groups of three European crossbred calves were immunized with three doses of each adjuvanted protein. ELISA test was used to evaluate the IgG immune response elicited against the recombinant proteins. Results showed that vaccine candidates generated a moderate humoral response on vaccinated cattle. Vaccination significantly affected the number of engorged adult female ticks, having no significant effects on tick weight, egg weight and egg fertility values. Vaccine efficacies of 33% and 25% were calculated for the glutamate receptor and the glycine-like receptor, respectively.

Download Full-text