Prevalence and Identification of Tick Species Infesting Goats and Sheep in Pakistan

Dildar, Tariq; Ahmad, Ghafoor; Gupta, Hemaakshi; Akbar, Fazle; Ahmad, Shakeel; Shafeeq, Muhammad; Muqeet, Abdul; Hussain, Hamid; HJafar, Hafiz Muhammad Adnan

doi:10.21608/eajbse.2022.227178

Prevalence and Identification of Tick Species Infesting Goats and Sheep in Pakistan

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Zoology Division, Institute of Pure and Applied Biology, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Punjab Pakistan

² Department of Biology, University of California Riverside

³ Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan

⁴ Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Pakistan

⁵ Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad Pakistan

⁶ Department of Entomology, Arid Agriculture, University, Rawalpindi Pakistan

10.21608/eajbse.2022.227178

Abstract

Ticks are blood-sucking ectoparasites of humans wild and domesticated animals. The tick transmits pathogens to them and acts as a vector of several diseases especially Lyme and Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever. Livestock industry plays a significant role in the economy of Pakistan and proves a main food source, fiber and income for poor farmers of the country. Infestation of tick species was observed on domesticated animals especially goats and sheep in the country. There was a need to identify them to species level so proper control measures should be adopted. For these purposes, the current study was conducted to identify ticks found on small ruminants. Six tick species Amblyomma variegatum, Boophilus decoloratus, Dermacentor marginatus, Hyalomma dromedarii, H. anatolicum and H. excavatum were identified which belong to four genera. H. anatolicum and A. variegatum were found on both examined sites such as tail and ear while all remaining species were recorded on the tail. Female goats and sheep are highly infested with tick burdens than males. The maximum tick infestation was recorded in the tail followed by the ear. The tail has long hair which provides a suitable site for tick hiding as well as provides favorable environmental conditions for tick growth and development. There is a need to test many other alternative management strategies against tick species.

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