The present study evaluated the behavior of Rhipicephalus microplus naturally infesting Brangus cattle raised with Nellore animals in the municipality of Água Clara, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Central Brazil. For the field experiment composed of a group with 15 Brangus animals and 15 Nellore animals and a control group with 30 Brangus cattle, all at the post-weaning stage. The 2 groups were kept for 6 months in 2 adjacent paddocks, naturally infested with ticks, at a stocking rate of approximately 0.6 of an animal unit per hectare (AU/ha). Every 18 days, the animals were weighed, and ticks on both sides of each bovine were counted. Every 36 days, blood was collected for hematocrit measurement and molecular diagnosis of the 3 pathogens that cause tick fever. The Brangus animals had 6.8 times more ticks than the Nellore cattle. No significant difference was observed in the weight gain of the Brangus and Nellore animals, and no correlation between the number of ticks and weight was observed in either group. During the 6 months of the study, all animals presented normal hematocrit, were positive for Babesia bigemina and Anaplasma marginale, and were negative for Babesia bovis. Animals in Group 1 produced 27% fewer ticks than the animals in Group 2. The production rate of engorged female ticks in Nellore and Brangus cattle was 0.83% and 2.01%, respectively. Considering the infestation pattern required to produce 10 engorged females/day/animal, the Nellore and Brangus animals required 1,204 and 497 larvae/day, respectively. Our estimates showed that Brangus cattle need only 11.3% of the larvae in the pastures with Nellore cattle to maintain the infestation level observed in the present study. Brangus animals raised with Nellore cattle do not have a lower parasitic load and continue to suffer from tick infestation. Finally, Nellore cattle raised with Brangus cattle do not act as a cleaner because this grouping does not contribute to a reduced infestation in the Brangus animals. Resumo: Este trabalho teve o objetivo de avaliar o comportamento da infestação de carrapatos (Rhipicephalus microplus) em bovinos da raça Brangus associado com Nelore no Brasil central em rebanho infestado naturalmente na região do município de Água Clara, MS, Brasil. Para o experimento de campo um grupo de 15 animais em inicio de recria da raça Brangus e 15 animais da raça Nelore e outro grupo controle com 30 animais Brangus, foram mantidos em dois piquetes geminados com lotação de aproximadamente 0,6 unidade animal por hectare (Ua/ha). A cada 18 dias os carrapatos foram contados dos dois lados do corpo dos bovinos após a pesagem dos mesmos. A cada 36 dias foi colhido sangue para realizar o hematócrito e o diagnóstico molecular para os três agentes da Tristeza Parasitária Bovina (TPB). A raça Brangus produziu 6,8 vezes mais carrapatos do que o Nelore e o seu ganho de peso não apresentou diferença estatística quando comparada com a raça Nelore. Ao longo de seis meses os animais não apresentaram hematócrito abaixo do normal e todos os a...

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the life cycle and parasitic competence of Dermacentor nitens (Neumann, 1897) on different animal species. Experimental infestations were induced in five specimens each of seven species of possible hosts: rabbits, horses, sheep, cows, guinea pigs, birds and dogs. Rabbits were infested in the ear using artificial feeding chambers, and the horses, sheep, cows and dogs were infested in the ear without feeding chambers. For the infestation of guinea pigs, artificial feeding chambers were fixed on the back. Birds were infested by placing larvae on the back and under the wings without the use of chambers. All animals were inspected daily until the end of the parasitic phase (when the engorged females detached). The average period of engorgement was 25.1days on a horse, with larvae requiring 8days and nymphs 9days to reach engorgement; the average weight of engorged females was 271.4mg; the average weight of egg batches produced was 159.3mg, and the feed conversion rate was 56.8%. On rabbits, the average engorgement period was 27.6days, larvae and nymphs reached engorgement after 7.4 and 11days, respectively, the average weight of an engorged female was 108.4mg and the egg mass was 30.6mg. The feed conversion rate on rabbits was 30%. Cows, sheep, guinea pigs, dogs and birds were not competent hosts, since no engorged females were recovered. Rabbits, when artificially infested, can be used as an alternative host for the maintenance of these ticks in the laboratory. The parasitic specificity of D. nitens for horses was demonstrated in this study.

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The present study aimed to contribute towards identification and registration of tick species that parasitize dogs in rural and urban areas of three mesoregions of Paraná, southern Brazil, and to estimate the rate of occurrence of each species. Fifty-six dogs with ticks living in three mesoregions: Metropolitana de Curitiba (MC), Centro Oriental (COP) and Centro Sul Paranaense (CSP), were used in the study. From these 56 dogs, 253 ticks were collected and were identified and morphologically characterized according to the species. Among all the ticks, 69.6% were identified as belonging to the species Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (s.

The objective of the study was to investigate the efficacy of cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos and piperonyl butoxide based pour-on and spray acaricides for the control of Rhipicephalus microplus in a naturally infested cattle herd. Fifty eight male Brangus cattle in the rearing phase were divided into treated (28) and untreated (30) groups. The treated group was subdivided in treated with a pour-on acaricide (13) and treated with a spray acaricide (15). Every 18 days, tick counts, acaricide treatment, weighing and clinical observation were performed on the animals, totaling four evaluation time points. The adult immersion tests were used for in vitro analysis of the study population to different chemical bases was assessed for primary results. Tick counts were separately compared between groups at each time point using the Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon tests. Significantly fewer number of ticks were observed on the treated group compared to control group and also on the sprayed subgroup compared to pour-on subgroup (p<0.05). Our results indicate that the chemical treatment evaluated directly affects the number of ticks parasitizing animals and that products employing a spray application method may be more effective in controlling cattle ticks.

Amblyomma scalpturatum is a tick species that is unique to South America. It is commonly associated with the Amazon biome and has been reported in some Brazilian states. This tick species exhibits host specificity: it parasitizes tapirs and suidae. Its role in transmitting pathogens to humans is still unknown. Amblyomma scalpturatum is known to be a human-biting tick; however, there is only one report showing that humans make suitable hosts for this species. The knowledge of tick fauna is lacking in the Acre State. This study collected free-living ticks with the aim of finding new records in Acre State. Collections were carried out in Amazon forest fragments in Rio Branco municipality. An A. scalpturatum specimen was identified and submitted sequencing of the ITS-2 gene. This study presents the first molecular confirmation of A. scalpturatum collected in situ in Acre State, North Region, Brazil. This study also presents the first record of a successfully completed feeding by an A. scalpturatum nymph on a human host in the North region of Brazil. Further investigation is needed to ascertain the complete life cycle of this tick species, its seasonality in the environment, and its relationship to pathogens and competence to transmit them. ResumoAmblyomma scalpturatum é uma espécie de carrapato que ocorre apenas na América do Sul. Está comumente associada ao bioma da Amazônia e tem sido relatada em alguns estados brasileiros. Esta espécie de carrapato apresenta especificidade a hospedeiros: parasita antas e suídeos. Sua competência em transmitir agentes patogênicos a seres humanos é ainda desconhecida. Amblyomma scalpturatum é também conhecido por picar seres humanos; entretanto, há apenas um relato que evidencie que seres humanos sejam capazes de serem hospedeiros adequados. Ainda existem lacunas no conhecimento sobre a ixodofauna no estado do Acre. Neste estudo foram coletados carrapatos de vida livre com o objetivo de encontrar novos registros para o estado do Acre. Coletas de carrapatos foram realizadas em fragmentos de floresta Amazônica no município de Rio Branco. Um exemplar de A. scalpturatum foi identificado e submetido a sequenciamento do gene ITS-2. Este estudo apresenta a primeira confirmação molecular de A. scalpturatum coletado in situ no estado do Acre, região Norte, Brasil. Este estudo também apresenta o primeiro relato de parasitismo completo de uma ninfa de

The objective of this work was to evaluate the diversity of ticks associated with free-living animals and to investigate new host records for ticks. Ticks were collected from animals rescued during the flood of the Jamari River in the municipality of Ariquemes, state of Rondônia, North Region of Brazil. A total of 39 animals were captured, out of which 10 were amphibians, 19 were reptiles and 10 were mammals. A total of 127 ticks of the Amblyomma genus were collected from these animals, distributed among seven species: Amblyomma dissimile, Amblyomma geayi, Amblyomma humerale , Amblyomma longirostre, Amblyomma nodosum , Amblyomma rotundatum and Amblyomma varium. In addition, one specimen of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus was collected. Among these specimens, 85 were adults and 42 were nymphs, with A. rotundatum being the most prevalent species. An Amblyomma spp. larvae was also collected from a lizard (Uranoscodon superciliosus), and one Amblyomma calcaratum and one Amblyomma dubitatum were recovered from the environment, thus totaling 130 ticks. Among the Ixodidae collected from different hosts, we provide the first report for the species A. rotundatum parasitizing Rhinella major, U. superciliosus, Leptophis ahaetulla, Chironius multiventris, and Mastigodryas boddaerti, as well as of A. humerale parasitizing U. superciliosus, A. geayi parasitizing Choloepus didactylus, and Rhipicephalus (B.) microplus parasitizing Alouatta puruensis.