Invasive cattle ticks in East Africa: morphological and molecular confirmation of the presence of Rhipicephalus microplus in south-eastern Uganda

Abstract Background: Rhipicephalus microplus, an invasive tick species of Asian origin and the main vector of Babesia species, is considered one of the most widespread ectoparasites of livestock. The tick has spread from its native habitats on translocated livestock to large parts of the tropical world, where it has replaced some of the local populations of Rhipicephalus decoloratus ticks. Although the tick was reported in Uganda 70 years ago, it has not been found in any subsequent surveys. This study was carried out to update the national tick species distribution on livestock in Uganda as a basis for tick and tick-borne disease control, with particular reference to R. microplus.Methods: The study was carried out in Kadungulu, Serere district, south-eastern Uganda, which is dominated by small scale livestock producers. All the ticks collected from 240 cattle from six villages were identified microscopically. Five R. microplus specimens were further processed for phylogenetic analysis and species confirmation.Results: The predominant tick species found on cattle was Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (86.9 %; n = 16,509). Other species found were Amblyomma variegatum (7.2 %; n = 1377), Rhipicephalus evertsi (2.3 %; n = 434) and R. microplus (3.6 %; n = 687). Phylogenetic analysis of the 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA and ITS2 gene sequences of R. microplus confirmed the morphological identification.Conclusions: It is concluded that R. microplus has replaced R. decoloratus in the sampled villages in Kadungulu sub-county, since the latter was not any longer found in this area. There is currently no livestock movement policy in force in Uganda, which could possibly limit the further spread of R. microplus ticks. Future surveys, but also retrospective surveys of museum specimens, will reveal the extent of distribution of R. microplus in Uganda and also for how long this tick has been present on livestock without being noticed.

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Invasive cattle ticks in East Africa: morphological and molecular confirmation of the presence of Rhipicephalus microplus in south-eastern Uganda

10.21203/rs.2.19430/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Dennis Muhanguzi ◽

Joseph Byaruhanga ◽

Wilson Amanyire ◽

Christian Ndekezi ◽

Sylvester Ochwo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analysis ◽

Tick Species ◽

Rhipicephalus Appendiculatus ◽

Rhipicephalus Microplus ◽

Small Scale ◽

12S Rrna ◽

Morphological Identification ◽

South Eastern ◽

Cattle Ticks ◽

Eastern Uganda

Abstract Background: Rhipicephalus microplus; an invasive tick species of Asian origin and the main vector of Babesia species, is considered one of the most widespread ectoparasites of livestock. The tick has spread from its native habitats on translocated livestock to large parts of the tropical world, where it has replaced some of the local populations of Rhipicephalus decoloratus ticks. Although the tick was reported in Uganda 70 years ago, it has not been found in any subsequent surveys. This study was carried out to update the national tick species distribution on livestock in Uganda as a basis for tick and tick-borne disease control, with particular reference to R.microplus.Methods: The study was carried out in Serere district, south-eastern Uganda, which is dominated by small scale livestock producers. All the ticks collected from 240 cattle were identified microscopically. Five R. microplus specimens were further processed for phylogenetic analysis and species confirmation.Results: The predominant tick species found on cattle was Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (86.9 %; n=16,509). Other species found were Amblyomma variegatum (7.2 %; n=1,377), Rhipicephalus evertsi (2.3 %; n=434) and R. microplus (3.6 %; n= 687). Phylogenetic analysis of the 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA and ITS2 gene sequences of R. microplus confirmed the morphological identification.Conclusions : It is concluded that R. microplus has replaced Rhipicephalus decoloratus, since the latter was not any longer found in this area. There is currently no livestock movement policy in force in Uganda, which could possibly limit the further spread of R. microplus ticks. Future surveys, but also retrospective surveys of museum specimens, will reveal the extent of distribution of R. microplus in Uganda and also for how long this tick has been present on livestock without being noticed.

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Invasive cattle ticks in East Africa: morphological and molecular confirmation of the presence of Rhipicephalus microplus in south-eastern Uganda

10.21203/rs.2.19430/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dennis Muhanguzi ◽

Joseph Byaruhanga ◽

Wilson Amanyire ◽

Christian Ndekezi ◽

Sylvester Ochwo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analysis ◽

Tick Species ◽

Rhipicephalus Appendiculatus ◽

Rhipicephalus Microplus ◽

Small Scale ◽

12S Rrna ◽

Morphological Identification ◽

South Eastern ◽

Cattle Ticks ◽

Eastern Uganda

Abstract Background: Rhipicephalus microplus, an invasive tick species of Asian origin and the main vector of Babesia species, is considered one of the most widespread ectoparasites of livestock. The tick has spread from its native habitats on translocated livestock to large parts of the tropical world, where it has replaced some of the local populations of Rhipicephalus decoloratus ticks. Although the tick was reported in Uganda 70 years ago, it has not been found in any subsequent surveys. This study was carried out to update the national tick species distribution on livestock in Uganda as a basis for tick and tick-borne disease control, with particular reference to R.microplus.Methods: The study was carried out in Kadungulu, Serere district, south-eastern Uganda, which is dominated by small scale livestock producers. All the ticks collected from 240 cattle from six villages were identified microscopically. Five R. microplus specimens were further processed for phylogenetic analysis and species confirmation.Results: The predominant tick species found on cattle was Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (86.9 %; n=16,509). Other species found were Amblyomma variegatum (7.2 %; n=1,377), Rhipicephalus evertsi (2.3 %; n=434) and R. microplus (3.6 %; n= 687). Phylogenetic analysis of the 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA and ITS2 gene sequences of R. microplus confirmed the morphological identification.Conclusions: It is concluded that R. microplus has replaced Rhipicephalus decoloratus in the sampled villages in Kadungulu sub county, since the latter was not any longer found in this area. There is currently no livestock movement policy in force in Uganda, which could possibly limit the further spread of R. microplus ticks. Future surveys, but also retrospective surveys of museum specimens, will reveal the extent of distribution of R. microplus in Uganda and also for how long this tick has been present on livestock without being noticed.

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Invasive cattle ticks in East Africa: morphological and molecular confirmation of the presence of Rhipicephalus microplus in south-eastern Uganda

10.21203/rs.2.19430/v4 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dennis Muhanguzi ◽

Joseph Byaruhanga ◽

Wilson Amanyire ◽

Christian Ndekezi ◽

Sylvester Ochwo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analysis ◽

Tick Species ◽

Rhipicephalus Appendiculatus ◽

Small Scale ◽

12S Rrna ◽

Morphological Identification ◽

South Eastern ◽

Cattle Ticks ◽

Gates Foundation ◽

Eastern Uganda

Abstract Background:Rhipicephalus microplus;an invasive tick species of Asian origin and the main vector of Babesia pecies, is considered one of the most widespread ectoparasites of livestock. The tick has spread from its native habitats on translocated livestock to large parts of the tropical world, where it has replaced some of the local populations of Rhipicephalus decoloratus ticks. Although the tick was reported in Uganda 70 years ago, it has not been found in any subsequent surveys. This study was carried out to update the national tick species distribution on livestock in Uganda as a basis for tick and tick-borne disease control, with particular reference to R.microplus. Methods: The study was carried out in Serere district, south-eastern Uganda, which is dominated by small scale livestock producers. All the ticks collected from 240 cattle were identified microscopically. Five R. microplus specimens were further processed for phylogenetic analysis and species confirmation. Results:The predominant tick species found on cattle was Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (86.9 %; n =16509). Other species found were Amblyomma variegatum(7.2 %; n =1377), Rhipicephalus evertsi(2.3 %; n =434) and R. microplus (3.6 %; n = 687). Phylogenetic analysis of the 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA and ITS2 gene sequences of R. microplus confirmed the morphological identification. Conclusions: It is concluded that R. microplus has replaced R. decoloratus, since the latter was not any longer found in this area. There is currently no livestock movement policy in force in Uganda, which could possibly limit the further spread of [i]R. microplus[/i] ticks. Future surveys, but also retrospective surveys of museum specimens, will reveal the extent of distribution of R. microplus in Uganda and also for how long this tick has been present on livestock without being noticed. This work was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grant Number OPP1125367

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Raw pacific biosciences and illumina sequencing reads and assembled genome data for the cattle ticks Rhipicephalus microplus and Rhipicephalus annulatus

Data in Brief ◽

10.1016/j.dib.2021.106852 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 106852

Author(s):

Felix D. Guerrero ◽

Noushin Ghaffari ◽

Kylie G. Bendele ◽

Richard P. Metz ◽

C. Michael Dickens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Illumina Sequencing ◽

Rhipicephalus Microplus ◽

Pacific Biosciences ◽

Genome Data ◽

Cattle Ticks ◽

Rhipicephalus Annulatus

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Cattle ticks and associated tick-borne pathogens in Burkina Faso and Benin: apparent northern spread of Rhipicephalus microplus in Benin and first evidence of Theileria velifera and Theileria annulata

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases ◽

10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101733 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 101733

Author(s):

Achille S. Ouedraogo ◽

Olivier M. Zannou ◽

Abel S. Biguezoton ◽

Kouassi Patrick Yao ◽

Adrien Belem ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Burkina Faso ◽

Rhipicephalus Microplus ◽

Theileria Annulata ◽

Cattle Ticks

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Gene expression profiling of adult female tissues in feeding Rhipicephalus microplus cattle ticks

International Journal for Parasitology ◽

10.1016/j.ijpara.2013.01.009 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 43 (7) ◽

pp. 541-554 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Christian Stutzer ◽

Willem A. van Zyl ◽

Nicholas A. Olivier ◽

Sabine Richards ◽

Christine Maritz-Olivier

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Gene Expression Profiling ◽

Adult Female ◽

Expression Profiling ◽

Rhipicephalus Microplus ◽

Cattle Ticks

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Molecular survey of cattle ticks in Burundi: First report on the presence of the invasive Rhipicephalus microplus tick

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0261218 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (12) ◽

pp. e0261218

Author(s):

Lionel Nyabongo ◽

David O. Odongo ◽

Gad Milton ◽

Eunice Machuka ◽

Patrick Vudriko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Tick Species ◽

Rhipicephalus Appendiculatus ◽

Rhipicephalus Microplus ◽

Babesia Bovis ◽

12S Rrna ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Babesia Bigemina ◽

Cattle Ticks ◽

Agroecological Zones

A recent research study on prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in Burundi reported high prevalence and endemicity of Theileria parva, Anaplasma marginale and Babesia bigemina infections in cattle. Detailed information about tick species infesting animals, their distribution and genetic diversity in Burundi is outdated and limited. This study therefore assessed the prevalence and genetic diversity of tick species infesting cattle across agroecological zones (AEZs) in Burundi. A cross-sectional study on the occurrence of tick species was conducted in 24 districts of Burundi between October and December 2017. Differential identification and characterization of ticks collected was conducted using tick morphological keys and molecular tools (cox1 and 12S rRNA gene). Chi-square test was used to test for association between agroecological zones and the prevalence of tick species. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using bayesian and maximum likelihood algorithms. A total of 483 ticks were collected from the five AEZs sampled. Six tick species comprising of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, R. sanguineus, R. evertsi evertsi, R. microplus, R. decoloratus and Amblyomma variegatum were observed. Rhipicephalus appendiculatus were the most prevalent ticks (~45%). A total of 138 specimens (28%) were found to be Rhipicephalus microplus, suggesting an emerging threat for cattle farmers. Twelve R. appendiculatus cox1 haplotypes were obtained from 106 specimens that were sequenced. Two cox1 haplotypes of R. microplus which clustered into previously reported Clade A were observed. Rhipicephalus sanguineus and R. evertsi evertsi ticks, the vectors of numerous zoonotic pathogens, were collected from cattle, which constitute a high risk for public health. These findings reveal an overlapping distribution of tick vectors in Burundi. The design of ticks and tick-borne diseases control strategies should consider the distribution of different vectors across the AEZs particularly the presence of the highly invasive R. microplus tick in Burundi and the potential risk of introducing the pathogenic Babesia bovis.

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Acaricidal activity of leaves of Morus nigra against the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus

Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia ◽

10.1590/1678-4162-8994 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 69 (3) ◽

pp. 523-528 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

A.C.S. Dantas ◽

D.P. Freire ◽

G.R. Souza ◽

J.R.G.S. Almeida ◽

L.A. Rolim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phenolic Compounds ◽

Ethanolic Extract ◽

Adult Tick ◽

Immersion Test ◽

Rhipicephalus Microplus ◽

Acaricidal Activity ◽

Cattle Tick ◽

Chloroform Fraction ◽

Morus Nigra ◽

Cattle Ticks

ABSTRACT The acaricidal activity of crude ethanolic extract and fractions from the leaves of Morus nigra (Moraceae) was carried out on female cattle ticks Rhipicephalus microplus, using the adult immersion test. The mortality and fertility of females exposed to different concentrations of hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions, as well as ethanolic extract of M. nigra with concentrations of 5, 10 and 25mg/ml were evaluated using three treatment groups, two control groups and triplicate tests. The study also identified the main phenolic compounds of the extract and fractions of this species by HPLC. The chloroform fraction of leaves of M. nigra (25mg/mL) showed the best results for this species, obtaining 62.6% of inhibition of oviposition, 39.3% of eggs eclosion average and 65.4% of effectiveness. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of phenolic compounds, which may be related to biological activity shown by the extracts, which can be used as an alternative control against R. microplus adult tick.

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