scholarly journals Amblyomma hebraeum is the predominant tick species on goats in the Mnisi Community Area of Mpumalanga Province South Africa and is co-infected with Ehrlichia ruminantium and Rickettsia africae

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frans Jongejan ◽  
Laura Berger ◽  
Suzanne Busser ◽  
Iris Deetman ◽  
Manon Jochems ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Tick Species ◽  
Amblyomma Hebraeum ◽  
Ehrlichia Ruminantium ◽  
Mpumalanga Province ◽  
Rickettsia Africae ◽  
Community Area

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scholarly journals Amblyomma hebraeum is the predominant tick species on goats in the Mnisi Community Area of Mpumalanga Province South Africa and is co-infected with Ehrlichia ruminantium and Rickettsia africae

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frans Jongejan ◽  
Laura Berger ◽  
Suzanne Busser ◽  
Iris Deetman ◽  
Manon Jochems ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Tick Bite ◽  
Amblyomma Hebraeum ◽  
Ehrlichia Ruminantium ◽  
Mpumalanga Province ◽  
Rickettsia Africae ◽  
Cattle Ticks ◽  
Community Area ◽  
Tick Bite Fever

Abstract Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, ticks of the genus Amblyomma are vectors of heartwater disease in domestic ruminants, caused by the rickettsial pathogen Ehrlichia ruminantium. Immature stages of these ticks often bite humans, whereby they act as vectors of tick-bite fever caused by Rickettsia africae. Moreover, Amblyomma ticks cause considerable damage to livestock due to their feeding behaviour. In South Africa, we studied the relative abundance of Amblyomma hebraeum ticks on goats of emerging farmers in Mpumalanga Province. A selected number of A. hebraeum nymphs and adult ticks was tested for co-infection with E. ruminantium and R. africae. Methods: A total of 630 indigenous goats, belonging to farmers in the Mnisi Community area, were examined for ticks in 2013 and 2014. All ticks were identified, and a selected number was tested by PCR with reverse line blot hybridisation (RLB).Results: In total, 13,129 ticks were collected from goats distributed over 17 different households. Amblyomma hebraeum was the predominant species collected, followed by Rhipicephalus microplus. Small numbers of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Rhipicephalus simus and Rhipicephalus zambeziensis were also identified. A. hebraeum was present throughout the year, with peak activity of adults in summer (November) and nymphs in winter (July). The ratio between adults and nymphs ranged from 1:2.7 in summer to 1:55.1 in winter. The mean prevalence of infection for E. ruminantium by PCR/RLB in adult ticks was 17.4% (31/178), whereas 15.7% (28/178) were infected with R. africae. In nymphs, 28.4% were infected with E. ruminantium and 38.8% carried R. africae infection. Co-infections of E. ruminantium and R. africae in adult and nymphal ticks were 3.9% (7/178) and 10% (14.9), respectively. Lameness of goats due to predilection of ticks for the interdigital space of their feet was observed in 89% of the households.Conclusions: Goats act as important alternative hosts for cattle ticks, which underscored the necessity to include goats in tick control programs. It is suggested to use acaricide-impregnated leg-bands as a sustainable method to kill ticks and prevent lameness in goats. The continuous challenge of goats by considerable numbers of E. ruminantium- infected ticks is a major obstacle for upgrading the indigenous goat breeds. Humans appear to be at risk to contract tick-bite fever in this area.

scholarly journals Parasites of domestic and wild animals in South Africa. L. Ixodid ticks infesting horses and donkeys

2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan G. Horak ◽  
Heloise Heyne ◽  
Ali Halajian ◽  
Shalaine Booysen ◽  
Willem J. Smit
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Tick Species ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Causative Organism ◽  
Amblyomma Hebraeum ◽  
Babesia Bigemina ◽  
Theileria Equi ◽  
North West ◽  
Rhipicephalus Evertsi Evertsi

The aim of the study was to determine the species spectrum of ixodid ticks that infest horses and donkeys in South Africa and to identify those species that act as vectors of disease to domestic livestock. Ticks were collected opportunistically from 391 horses countrywide by their owners or grooms, or by veterinary students and staff at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria. Ticks were also collected from 76 donkeys in Limpopo Province, 2 in Gauteng Province and 1 in North West province. All the ticks were identified by means of a stereoscopic microscope. Horses were infested with 17 tick species, 72.1% with Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, 19.4% with Amblyomma hebraeum and 15.6% with Rhipicephalus decoloratus. Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi was recovered from horses in all nine provinces of South Africa and R. decoloratus in eight provinces. Donkeys were infested with eight tick species, and 81.6% were infested with R. evertsi evertsi, 23.7% with A. hebraeum and 10.5% with R. decoloratus. Several tick species collected from the horses and donkeys are the vectors of economically important diseases of livestock. Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi is the vector of Theileria equi, the causative organism of equine piroplasmosis. It also transmits Anaplasma marginale, the causative organism of anaplasmosis in cattle. Amblyomma hebraeum is the vector of Ehrlichia ruminantium, the causative organism of heartwater in cattle, sheep and goats, whereas R. decoloratus transmits Babesia bigemina, the causative organism of babesiosis in cattle.

scholarly journals Rickettsia africae: identifying gaps in the current knowledge on vector-pathogen-host interactions

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (08) ◽  
pp. 1039-1047
Author(s):  
Estere Mazhetese ◽  
Vlademiro Magaia ◽  
Elisa Taviani ◽  
Luis Neves ◽  
Darshana Morar-Leather
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
Tick Species ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Amblyomma Variegatum ◽  
Amblyomma Hebraeum ◽  
Host Interactions ◽  
Rickettsia Africae ◽  
African Tick Bite Fever ◽  
Tick Bite Fever

Rickettsia africae is a bacterium of zoonotic importance, which causes African tick bite fever (ATBF) in humans. This pathogen is transmitted by ticks of the genus Amblyomma, with Amblyomma hebraeum and Amblyomma variegatum being the major vectors. Tick species other than the above-mentioned have also been reported to carry R. africae DNA. There is scarcity of information on the epidemiology of this pathogen, yet several cases have been recorded in foreign travellers who visited endemic areas, especially southern Africa. The disease has rarely been described in people from endemic regions. The aim of this study was to discuss the information that is currently available on the epidemiology of R. africae, highlighting the gaps in this field. Furthermore, ATBF cases, clinical signs and the locations where the cases occurred are also listed in this review.

scholarly journals Parasites of domestic and wild animals in South Africa. XLIX. Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting white and black rhinoceroses in southern Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan G. Horak ◽  
Christiaan R. Boshoff ◽  
David V. Cooper ◽  
Christoper M. Foggin ◽  
Danny Govender ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Tick Species ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Amblyomma Hebraeum ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Hyalomma Rufipes

The objectives of the study were to determine the species composition of ticks infesting white and black rhinoceroses in southern Africa as well as the conservation status of those tick species that prefer rhinos as hosts. Ticks were collected opportunistically from rhinos that had been immobilised for management purposes, and 447 white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) and 164 black rhinoceroses (Diceros bicornis) were sampled in South Africa, 61 black rhinos in Namibia, 18 white and 12 black rhinos in Zimbabwe, and 24 black rhinos in Zambia. Nineteen tick species were recovered, of which two species, Amblyomma rhinocerotis and Dermacentor rhinocerinus, prefer rhinos as hosts. A. rhinocerotis was collected only in the northeastern KwaZulu-Natal reserves of South Africa and is endangered, while D. rhinocerinus is present in these reserves as well as in the Kruger National Park and surrounding conservancies. Eight of the tick species collected from the rhinos are ornate, and seven species are regularly collected from cattle. The species present on rhinos in the eastern, moister reserves of South Africa were amongst others Amblyomma hebraeum, A. rhinocerotis, D. rhinocerinus, Rhipicephalus maculatus, Rhipicephalus simus and Rhipicephalus zumpti, while those on rhinos in the Karoo and the drier western regions, including Namibia, were the drought-tolerant species, Hyalomma glabrum, Hyalomma rufipes, Hyalomma truncatum and Rhipicephalus gertrudae. The species composition of ticks on rhinoceroses in Zambia differed markedly from those of the other southern African countries in that Amblyomma sparsum, Amblyomma tholloni and Amblyomma variegatum accounted for the majority of infestations.

scholarly journals Parasites of domestic and wild animals in South Africa. LI. Ticks infesting leopard tortoises Stigmochelys pardalis, hingeback tortoises Kinixys zombensis and angulate tortoises Chersina angulata

2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan G. Horak ◽  
Ashley Pearcy ◽  
Kyle J. Lloyd
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
National Park ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Amblyomma Hebraeum ◽  
Stages Of Development ◽  
Mpumalanga Province ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
The Family ◽  
Sand Lizard

The objective of the study was to record the tick species collected from three species of tortoise, each in a different province of South Africa. Ticks were collected from leopard tortoises, Stigmochyles pardalis, in the southern region of the Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga province; from hingeback tortoises, Kinixys zombensis, in the Enseleni Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal province and from angulate tortoises, Chersina angulata, in the West Coast National Park, Western Cape province. Of the 63 leopard tortoises examined, 58 were infested with Amblyomma marmoreum and 49 with Amblyomma hebraeum, and all stages of development of both species were recovered. Amblyomma nuttalli was collected from 25 hingeback tortoises, and all stages of development were present. All 24 angulate tortoises examined were infested with Amblyomma sylvaticum, and large numbers of larvae, nymphs and adults were collected. Three snake species and a sand lizard were also infested with A. sylvaticum. The adults of A. marmoreum, A. nuttalli and A. sylvaticum were identified as specific parasites of the family Testudinidae, whereas all stages of development of A. hebraeum were classified as generalists.

scholarly journals Ticks on crested francolins, Francolinus sephaena, and on the vegetation on a farm in Limpopo Province, South Africa : research communication

2005 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
A.C. Uys ◽  
I.G. Horak
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Tick Species ◽  
Tick Infestation ◽  
Ixodid Tick ◽  
Rhipicephalus Appendiculatus ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Immature Stages ◽  
Amblyomma Hebraeum ◽  
Boophilus Decoloratus ◽  
Rhipicephalus Evertsi Evertsi

Ticks were collected at approximately bi-monthly intervals between June 1996 and June 1997 from crested francolins, Francolinus sephaena, and from the vegetation on a mixed cattle and wildlife farm in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The birds were infested with the immature stages of 13 tick species, of which Amblyomma hebraeum, Amblyomma marmoreum and Hyalomma marginatumrufipes were the most numerous and prevalent. Ten ixodid tick species were collected from the vegetation, of which the immature stages of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus and Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi were the most numerous. No adult ticks were collected from the birds and only two from the vegetation. The restricted home range of crested francolins implies that they could serve as a source of tick infestation only for other animals within the same habitat as the birds.

The Role of Archives on the Incorporation of the Former Kangwane Homeland to Mpumalanga Province

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nkholedzeni Sidney Netshakhuma
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Record Keeping ◽  
Mpumalanga Province ◽  
Specific Objective ◽  
National Archives ◽  
And Control

This study was conceptualised in order to assess the strategies used to incorporate the homeland of KaNgwane into Mpumalanga province after the cessation of apartheid in 1994. The specific objective of the study was to investigate the compliance of records and archives with the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act (Act No 43 of 1996), during the incorporation of the homeland of KaNgwane into Mpumalanga. The study adopted a qualitative methodology through document analysis, interviews and observations. The key findings revealed that the archives of the former homeland of Kangwane were not aligned with the requirements of the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act (Act No.43 of 1996.) Institutions seem to lack experience when it comes to the challenges of storing records and implementing arrangement and control systems. The frequent lack of a records management policy and few to no staff with record-keeping and archival backgrounds was also a concern. A shortage of space to store records safely was also one of the major issues that the study uncovered. There appears to be no concerted effort to retain important historical records. Many records are stored in several different locations in government buildings.  I conclude that archives play an essential role to the nation as the institutional memory.

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