Prevalence of ticks on indigenous breed of hunting dogs in Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Ticks are haematophagous arthropods that are important vectors of diseases of animals and humans, many of which are zoonotic, thus predisposing humans, including hunters to risk. The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of tick infestation among hunting dogs with the aim of determining the danger which the presence of ticks portends, bearing in mind that hunting dogs are kept by the duo of rural and urban dwellers. A total of one hundred and nine (109) hunting dogs were sampled from nineteen (19) different locations in the State. The age, weight and sex of the dogs were noted and recorded as variables. The dogs were thoroughly examined for ticks and other ectoparasites which were collected into properly labelled plastic containers and were transported to the laboratory for identification. Chi-square test was used to compare the prevalence of tick infestation between recorded variables. Significance level was set at p = 0.05 or less. The overall prevalence of tick infestation in the 109 hunting dogs was 56%. The tick prevalence in the male dogs (66.7%) and that in the female dogs (51.9%) was not significantly (p> 0.05) different. Also, tick prevalence in young dogs (53.8%) and adult dogs (62.1%) was not significantly (p>0.05) different. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of tick infestation from urban and rural locations (p<0.05). Of the 352 ticks harvested from the hunting dogs, Rhipicepalus sanguineus constituted 68.2%, Haemaphysalis leachi leachi, 30.6%; and Ambylomma variegatum, 1.21%. The education of the hunters and other persons in close contact with dogs is required for the control of ectoparasites.

Molecular characterisation of Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato ticks from domestic dogs in Nigeria

“…In line with our findings, the brown dog tick, R. sanguineus , has been reported to be the most prevalent tick species of dogs in Nigeria (Adetayo et al., 2021 ; Akande et al., 2018 ; Kamani et al., 2018; Shitta et al., 2018 ) and other parts of the world including Algeria (Kebbi et al., 2019 ) Egypt (Abdullah et al., 2016 ), Great Britain (Smith et al., 2011 ), Italy (Maurelli et al., 2018 ), Indonesia (Hadi et al., 2016 ) and China (Zhang et al., 2017 ). The 61.8% prevalence of R. sanguineus we observed in this study is within the prevalence documented by previous researchers on the abundance of R. sanguineus within and outside of Nigeria (Abdullah et al., 2016 ; Akande et al., 2018 ; Maurelli et al., 2018 ; Shitta et al., 2018 ). Amblyomma variegatum and Haemaphysalis leachi have been reported to infest dogs in Nigeria ( Akande et al., 2018 ; Konto et al., 2014; Shitta et al., 2018 ).…”

“…The 61.8% prevalence of R. sanguineus we observed in this study is within the prevalence documented by previous researchers on the abundance of R. sanguineus within and outside of Nigeria (Abdullah et al, 2016;Akande et al, 2018;Maurelli et al, 2018;Shitta et al, 2018). Amblyomma variegatum and Haemaphysalis leachi have been reported to infest dogs in Nigeria ( Akande et al, 2018;Konto et al, 2014;Shitta et al, 2018). sanguineus senso lato from Cote d'Ivoire.…”

Study on Prevalence of Ixodid Ticks of Goats and Acaricide Utilization Practices of Herd Owners in Benatsemay District, South Omo Zone, South-Western Ethiopia

“…Therefore, this favored the transmission of tick parasites from animal to animal regardless of Kebele, sex, age, BCS, and herd size. 29,30 In this study, seven species of ticks belonging to two genera (Rhipicephalus and Amblyomma) were identified in 27 from Western Shoa Zone on small ruminants from different parts of Ethiopia. Among the species identified, Rhipicephalus pulchellus was the most dominant tick species followed by Rh.…”

“…Therefore, this favored the transmission of tick parasites from animal to animal regardless of Kebele, sex, age, BCS, and herd size. 29 , 30 …”