Ecology of Ticks (Ixodidae) on Cattle within Main Campus of the University of Abuja, Nigeria

A survey was conducted using standard parasitological procedures to determine the ecology of ticks on the cattle within the main campus of the University of Abuja, Nigeria. The tick specie identified were Amblyomma variegatum, Amblyomma hebraeum, 0rnithodorus moubata complex, Hyalomma truncatum, Hyalomma rufipies, Rhipicephalus decoloratus, Phipicephalus appendiculatus, and Boophilus microplus. Of the 100 cattle examined. 47(47%) of the tick examined was found on the male cow and 53(53%) were found on the female cow. In addition, 23(23%) of the observed tick are found on the leg, 20(20%) are found in the anus, 20(20%) are found on the udder, 14(14%) are found on the back while 23(23%) of the ticks are found in the ear. 31(31%) of the observed ticks were found on the bunaj specie, 24(24%) of the ticks on the Gudali, 24(24%) of the observed ticks on the Rahaji specie and 21(21%) on the wadara specie. Amblyomma hebraeum, Ornithodorus moubata Complex and Rhipicephalus dicoloratus were found more dominantly on Bunaj breed (42.9%, 55.6% and 42.9% respectively), Amblyomma variegatum and Phipicephalus appendiculatus was observed to be more dominant on Rahaji breed (infesting 33.3% and 66.7% respectively), Boophylus microplus and Hyalomma rufipe were found dominant on wadara (30% and 50% respectively). There is need to help establish baseline information on ticks ecology and occurrence in the study area which would consequently lead to increased public awareness especially to the herdsmen and in avoiding tick borne diseases, also to help in vector control formulation and to prevent the herdsmen of suffering from low productivity due to the presence of ticks, thereby leading to various weaknesses, diseases and sometimes death of the cattle. Owing to this, this study did not only identify the tick species infesting cattle but also examined the host-parasite ecology of ticks on cattle within the main campus of the University of Abuja, Nigeria.

Role of Zoo-Housed Animals in the Ecology of Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens—A Review

Ticks are ubiquitous ectoparasites, feeding on representatives of all classes of terrestrial vertebrates and transmitting numerous pathogens of high human and veterinary medical importance. Exotic animals kept in zoological gardens, ranches, wildlife parks or farms may play an important role in the ecology of ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs), as they may serve as hosts for local tick species. Moreover, they can develop diseases of varying severity after being infected by TBPs, and theoretically, can thus serve as reservoirs, thereby further propagating TBPs in local ecosystems. The definite role of these animals in the tick–host-pathogen network remains poorly investigated. This review provides a summary of the information currently available regarding ticks and TBPs in connection to captive local and exotic wildlife, with an emphasis on zoo-housed species.

Expected transitions in ticks and their heritable endosymbionts under environmental changes.

Within arthropods, ticks harbour among the highest diversity of heritable endosymbionts reported so far, encompassing at least ten different bacterial genera. While the function of these heritable endosymbionts has not been fully determined yet, they have the potential to deeply influence the ecology of ticks impacted by climate change. This chapter focuses on the impact of heritable endosymbionts on tick growth, reproduction, survival and adaptation under environmental changes caused by climate change.

Emerging Tick-Borne Diseases

SUMMARY Increases in tick-borne disease prevalence and transmission are important public health issues. Efforts to control these emerging diseases are frustrated by the struggle to control tick populations and to detect and treat infections caused by the pathogens that they transmit. This review covers tick-borne infectious diseases of nonrickettsial bacterial, parasitic, and viral origins. While tick surveillance and tracking inform our understanding of the importance of the spread and ecology of ticks and help identify areas of risk for disease transmission, the vectors are not the focus of this document. Here, we emphasize the most significant pathogens that infect humans as well as the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases that they cause. Although detection via molecular or immunological methods has improved, tick-borne diseases continue to remain underdiagnosed, making the scope of the problem difficult to assess. Our current understanding of the incidence of tick-borne diseases is discussed in this review. An awareness of the diseases that can be transmitted by ticks in specific locations is key to detection and selection of appropriate treatment. As tick-transmitted pathogens are discovered and emerge in new geographic regions, our ability to detect, describe, and understand the growing public health threat must also grow to meet the challenge.