Infection by haemopathogens and tick infestation of sheep during summer season in Constantine region, Northeast Algeria

Abstract

A study on tick infestation of 43 sheep with clinical symptoms of piroplasmosis and anaplasmosis was carried out during summer seasons of 2016 and 2017 in 34 sheep flocks from Beni Hamidene locality, district of Constantine, Northeast Algeria. Only animals with clinical symptoms of piroplasmosis and/or anaplasmosis were checked for tick infestation. Among the 43 examined sheep, 58 ± 15% were infested by ticks. A total of 185 adult ticks (100 males and 85 females) were collected from the 25 sheep. Two tick genera, Rhipicephalus and Hyalomma consisting of four species were collected, Rhipicephalus bursa was the most frequent tick (164/185; 88.6 ± 4.6%), followed by Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (16/185; 8.6 ± 4%), Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus (4/185; 2.2 ± 2.1%) and Hyalomma scupense (1/185; 0.5 ± 1%). Mean overall tick infestation intensity was 7.4. Mixed infestations with two tick species were found in 10 sheep (23.3 ± 12.6%). All farmers (34/34) used ivermectin, and only 11% of them used acaricide to control ticks. The majority of R. bursa ticks (87/185; 45 ± 7%) were located on the ears 37/185; 20 ± 6%) and the testicles (50/185; 27 ± 6%). Giemsa‐stained blood smears examination showed the presence of three haemopathogens: Anaplasma spp. (19/43; 44 ± 15%); Babesia spp. (6/43; 14 ± 10%) and Theileria spp. (1/43; 2 ± 4%). These results showed the presence of several low infestation burdens by ticks transmitting three haemopathogens.

Repeated Cross-Sectional Survey of Ectoparasites in Sheep from Central Tunisia: Does Low Prevalence Indicate Good Hygiene or Resistance to Ectoparasites?

“…This finding confirms previous studies in Tunisia investigating the infestation of sheep by ticks [ 16 , 17 , 39 ]. In Constantine, Northeast Algeria, Rhipicephalus was also the main genus infesting sheep, where R. bursa was the most prevalent tick species (88.6%) [ 63 ]. This result confirms those reported by Ramezani et al [ 64 ] in mountainous areas in Iran, where tick infestation prevalence was estimated to 59.7%.…”

Microscopic and molecular detection of piroplasms among sheep in Upper Egypt

“…Variations in infection prevalence rates may stem from the intricate interactions of factors such as the presence of infected ticks, sanitary and hygienic practices, procedural techniques, immunological status of infected animals, and the absence of veterinary supervision ( 34 , 57 , 58 ). Abiotic factors, particularly temperature and humidity, have a significant impact on the epidemiology of these infections ( 59 ). The climatic conditions in the studied area are characterized by mean temperatures throughout the year ranging from 18°C to 40°C, establishing an optimal habitat for the enduring presence of hard ticks.…”

What do we know about the microbiome of I. ricinus?

“…Primary, or obligate, symbionts, mutualists, are essential organisms and are ubiquitous throughout the host population. Many obligate symbionts of ticks are intracellular endosymbionts ( Duron et al., 2018 ; Ben-Yosef et al., 2020 ; Foughali et al., 2021 ), while secondary symbionts are usually extracellular ( Guizzo et al., 2022 ). Secondary, or facultative, symbiotic organisms have the ability to improve host fitness or ecological traits but are not vital for the host’s survival.…”

“…Ticks are ubiquitous arthropod species belonging to the Ixodida order. They are hematophagous obligate ectoparasites and can be found in a high variety of habitats, ranging from driest ( Foughali et al., 2021 ; Abdulsalam et al., 2022 ) to most humid ( Kim et al., 2018 ; Yang et al., 2020 ; Dantas-Torres et al., 2021 ). Ixodida are represented by two major families: Argasidae (soft ticks) and Ixodidae (hard ticks) ( Guglielmone et al., 2010 ).…”