Prevalence and Identification of Major Bovine Hard Tick Species in South Ari Woreda, South Omo Zone

Abstract

Firomsa Hailu, Angin Besi, Eden Ayana, Genet Feleha, Tekle Olbamo, Debele Hordofa and Yebelay Mulugeta

Cross-sectional study was conducted in and around South Ari woreda of South Omo zone from March, 2023 to June, 2023 to determine the prevalence of hard tick infestation and to identify their species, predilection site, possible risk factors and their distribution in selected kebeles of study area. Accordingly, 384 local zebu cattle were selected from four randomly selected kebeles by using simple random sampling technique and examined for tick infestation and adult ticks were collected for tick identification purpose. From total of 384 randomly selected zebu cattle, 271(70.6%) of the animals were infested with different tick species and 113 (29.4%) of them were free of tick infestation. The majority of cattle were infested with Amblyomma 151 (39.3%) followed by Hyalomma 50(13.02%), Boophilus 41(10.7%) and Rhipicephalus 29 (7.5%). Different risk factors (age, body condition, sex and attachment site) were strongly affected the prevalence and the degree of infestation. There was no statistically significant difference in prevalence of tick infestation in female cattle (70.8%) and male (70.2%). Relating with body condition tick infestation was higher in poor body condition score (84.0%) followed by medium (72.4%) and good body condition (51.2%). In relation to the attachment sites of ticks on the host body, Amblyomma had strong preference to head, leg, udder, vulva, neck and scrotum. The proportion of tick infestation was higher in adult animals (73.8%) when compared to young animals (62.9%). The study revealed that ticks are the most important ectoparasites and cause economic losses in the area. A longitudinal study on seasonal variation in species composition and abundance should be carried out for effective intervention. Animal’s husbandry and management improvement should be warranted in addition to effective intervention strategy to reduce the rate of tick infestation.

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