ON STUDY OF BOVINE PYROPLASMOSIS IN THE LOWLAND AND FOOTHILL ZONES OF ARMENIA

In two landscape zones of the Republic of Armenia, the regularities of the course of one of the most common haemosporidiosis in cattle, piroplasmosis, were studied. Based on our research, a difference was established in the timing of the onset of the disease, the number of outbreaks, and the severity of clinical signs in animals of the lowland and foothill zones. We have proved that 4 outbreaks of the disease took place in the farms of the lowland zone: the first at the end of April after the attack of ticks on the animal. At the same time, the first symptoms of the disease were noted. The second outbreak of the disease and a high degree of ticks were recorded in the second half of July. The third outbreak was in early August and the fourth in autumn starting from the 10th of October. In contrast to the lowland, there were 3 outbreaks of piroplasmosis in the farms of the foothill zone, and they were not very pronounced. This phenomenon can be explained by the difference in the temperature regime of the natural habitat. In the lowland zone, 4 species of ticks were recorded with the dominant species being Boophilus annulatus rarely found in the foothill zone. In the foothill zone, the same species of ticks as in the lowland were identified, along with the species Dermacentor marginatus.

Determination and Prevalence of Ticks in Cattle in Konya Province of Turkey

Ticks are common in the world. Diseases caused by ticks and fleas bring significant economic losses to the livestock industry. With the pathogens they carry, Blood-fed ticks infect humans and domestic animals. This study was conducted between January 01 and August 30, 2018, in the Konya province of Turkey, to determine the prevalence and species of ticks in cattle. 272 pieces of cattle were examined in terms of tick infestations. These cattle were selected from herds of 16 different cattle breeders in 5 different regions of Konya. Ticks were collected by the simple random sampling method. Tick infestation was detected in 70 (25.7%) pieces of cattle that were examined during the study.Tick infestation was followed in 68 (29.3%) pieces female cattle and 2 (5%) pieces male cattle. During the study conducted, the following results had been determined; according to age, 12 (14.5%) of ticks were juvenile, 58 (30.7%) of them were adults, according to the body condition, 26 (23.4%) of them were good, 35 (26.1%) of them were average and 9 (33.3%) of them were week.It is found that cattle in the study area were infested in the tick species Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus 65/272 (23.9%) and R. bursa 5/272 (%1.8). 332 female and 304 male total of 636 ticks were collected from the cattle. Genders were determined under a stereomicroscope. The high tick infestation shows that fight against tick is a hard process, and planning is a must to reduce the tick burden in cattle. Besides, this study will enable us to make suggestions to the relevant sectors in terms of parasitic struggle in eliminating the health and economic problems caused by ticks in the Konya province by determining the prevalence and species.

Prevalence and intensity of Ixodidae in cattle, goats and sheep brought to the municipal slaughterhouse of Tadjenanet, in Mila, north-eastern Algeria

A four-month survey was carried out to study the prevalence, intensity and ecological indices of Ixodidae on cattle, goats and sheep brought to the slaughterhouse in the municipality of Tadjenanet, in north-eastern Algeria. Of the 447 animals examined, 67 (14.96%) were infested by one or more ticks. A total of 262 ticks were collected and ten species grouped under two genera were inventoried: Rhipicephalus spp. (79.77%) and Hyalomma spp. (20.23%). The tick spicies collected included Hyalomma anatolicum, Hyalomma excavatum, Hyalomma impeltatum, Hyalomma lusitanicum, Hyalomma marginatum, Hyalomma scupence, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus Rhipicephalus bursa, Rhipicephalus turanicus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus. This is the first time that Hyalomma impeltatum have been reported in Mila region. The most abundant species was Rhipicephalus bursa (41.22%). The presence of Hyalomma impeltatum in the study area was an interesting finding. The present study provides basic data on the status of the parasite in the province of Mila.

Acaricidal Activity of Artemisia nilagirica Leaves Against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus Ticks

Since time immemorial, human beings have used various parts of plants in either prevention or treatment of ailments. Plants are rich sources of secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds with a high structural diversity. Many plants/herbs with specific biological activities such as antitumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, sedative, and acaricidal activity have been reported. Artemisia nilagirica (C. B. Clarke) Pamp. (Compositae) is a plant traditionally used for insect control in the southern part of India. Previous studies have demonstrated the activity of Artemisia species against pests. The present study thus evaluates the acaricidal activity of crude ethanolic extract of A. nilagirica leaves and its fractions against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus. Ticks are ectoparasites that transmit several protozoal, viral, and rickettsial diseases. In south India, R. (B.) annulatus is the commonly observed tick species. Control of these acarine parasites that adversely affect milk and meat production is a tough task. Chemical acaricides such as organophosphates, synthetic pyrethroids, amitraz, and ivermectin are commonly used in tick control. The high cost, environmental hazards, and development of acaricidal resistance are some of the drawbacks of these chemical acaricides. Plant-based formulations are one of the promising approaches for the control of ectoparasites. Previously, extracts from various medicinal/aromatic plants were reported for acaricidal activity from our laboratory, such as Tetrastigma leucostaphylum (Dennst.) Alston, Chassalia curviflora (Wall.) Thwaites, Jatropha curcas L., and Ageratum conyzoides Hieron. Biochemical quantification, fluorescence analysis, and primary phytochemical analysis are already reported for the ethanolic extract and its fractions of areal parts of A. nilagirica. Phytochemical characterization of ethanolic extract of A. nilagirica from Kerala, India was shown to have the presence of terpenoids, flavonoids, steroids, saponins, fixed oils and fats, tannins, and glycosides.