Tick infestation patterns in free ranging African buffalo (Syncercus caffer): Effects of host innate immunity and niche segregation among tick species

Anderson, Kadie; Ezenwa, Vanessa O.; Jolles, Anna E.

doi:10.1016/j.ijppaw.2012.11.002

Cited by 38 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…Poor body condition in animals can be associated with poor management and nutritional status (Radostits, 2001). In particular, malnutrition can result into the lowering and deppression of the immune system and this, in turn, increases suceptibility of the animals to diseases and tick infestation, and failure to respond to vaccines and drugs (Radostits, 2001;Anderson et al, 2013). Our findings concur with other studies reported in Ethiopia (Tadesse et al, 2012;Onu and Sheferaw, 2013;Wogayehu et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Abundance and distribution of Ixodid tick species infesting cattle reared under traditional farming systems in Tanzania

Kerario¹,

Muleya²,

Chenyambuga³

et al. 2017

Afr. J. Agric. Res.

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Ticks and tick-borne diseases are serious constraints to livestock production in Tanzania and other sub-Saharan African countries. Despite this, knowledge on the abundan ce of tick species infesting cattle in most parts of Tanzania is insufficient or lacking. This study was conducted to identify species and establish the abundance of ticks infesting cattle in Mara, Singida and Mbeya regions of Tanzania. The ticks were collected from one side of the body, counted and identified, based on morphological characteristics; to species level. The mean tick count per animal was significantly higher in Mara (35.8±4.3, p=0.0001) as compared to Singida (12.9±2.1) and Mbeya (7.0±0.4) regions. Young animals in Mara (24.7±6.0, p=0.0395) and Mbeya (5.4±0.3, p=0.0252) exhibited relatively lower mean tick counts compared to the weaners (Mara = 33.8±6.5, Mbeya = 7.2±0.7) and adult animals (Mara = 46.3±8.4, Mbeya = 7.8±0.7). Seven tick species from three different genera, namely Ambylomma, Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus (including the subgenus Boophilus), were identified. However, only five species (A. lepidum, A. variegatum, R. decoloratus, R. microplus and H. rufipes) were observed in all the three regions. R. appendiculatus and R. evertsi were not found in Mbeya and Mara respectively. The most prevalent species in Mara, Singida and Mbeya were R. appendiculatus (50.5%), A. lepidum (31.2%) and R. evertsi (35.6%), respectively. This study showed the existence of a variety of tick species, most of them being of veterinary importance. Therefore, strategic planning and cost-effective tick control measures should be implemented in order to reduce losses caused by ticks and tick borne diseases in the study area.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Abundance and distribution of Ixodid tick species infesting cattle reared under traditional farming systems in Tanzania

Kerario¹,

Muleya²,

Chenyambuga³

et al. 2017

Afr. J. Agric. Res.

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“…Like other parasites, ticks are found on only a subset of all apparently suitable hosts (Randolph, 2004), and which host characteristics drive ecological patterns in tick parasitism remains poorly resolved. While some studies have found clear relationships between intraspecific host traits and tick burdens (Tälleklint and Jaenson, 1997, Hughes and Randolph, 2001, Harrison et al., 2010, Vor et al., 2010, Kiffner et al., 2011a, Kiffner et al., 2011b, Anderson et al., 2013, Heylen et al., 2013), others have not (Brunner and Ostfeld, 2008, Pollock et al., 2012). These earlier studies, however, largely focused on a single tick species, mostly from the Ixodes ricinus species complex, and its distribution across one or two host species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Host body size and the diversity of tick assemblages on Neotropical vertebrates

Esser

Foley

Bongers

et al. 2016

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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Identifying the factors that influence the species diversity and distribution of ticks (Acari: Ixodida) across vertebrate host taxa is of fundamental ecological and medical importance. Host body size is considered one of the most important determinants of tick abundance, with larger hosts having higher tick burdens. The species diversity of tick assemblages should also be greater on larger-bodied host species, but empirical studies testing this hypothesis are lacking. Here, we evaluate this relationship using a comparative dataset of feeding associations from Panama between 45 tick species and 171 host species that range in body size by three orders of magnitude. We found that tick species diversity increased with host body size for adult ticks but not for immature ticks. We also found that closely related host species tended to have similar tick species diversity, but correcting for host phylogeny did not alter the relationships between host body size and tick species diversity. The distribution of tick species was highly aggregated, with approximately 20% of the host species harboring 80% of all tick species, following the Pareto principle or 20/80 Rule. Thus, the aggregated pattern commonly observed for tick burdens and disease transmission also holds for patterns of tick species richness. Our finding that the adult ticks in this system preferentially parasitize large-bodied host species suggests that the ongoing anthropogenic loss of large-bodied vertebrates is likely to result in host-tick coextinction events, even when immature stages feed opportunistically. As parasites play critical roles in ecological and evolutionary processes, such losses may profoundly affect ecosystem functioning and services.

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“…Measures of the immune function have seldom been causally related to ectoparasite burdens and rarely for a tick species on a wild host (Anderson et al 2013). However, it is expected that a weakened immune function of hosts affects positively parasite fitness (Krasnov et al 2005;Beldomenico and Begon 2010;Anderson et al 2013). Here, a negative association between I. loricatus NN and WBC became apparent in individuals with moderate to high burdens of A. triste.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The factors evaluated included those known to have the potential to influence ectoparasite burdens (i.e. host sex, age, physiological condition and immune response; season; host abundance) (Hughes and Randolph 2001;Soliman et al 2001;Brunner and Ostfeld 2008;Kiffner et al 2011;Nava et al 2011;Anderson et al 2013), environmental variables that result from dominant human activities in the study area (cattle and implanted forests), and also the often ignored accompanying ectoparasite community.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecology of the interaction between Ixodes loricatus (Acari: Ixodidae) and Akodon azarae (Rodentia: Criceridae)

et al. 2015

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The present study explores associations of different factors (i.e. host parameters, presence of other ectoparasites and [mainly biotic] environmental factors) with burdens of Ixodes loricatus immature stages in one of its main hosts in Argentina, the rodent Akodon azarae. For 2 years, rodents were trapped and sampled monthly at 16 points located in four different sites in the Parana River Delta region. Data were analysed with generalized linear mixed models with a negative binomial response (counts of larvae or nymphs). The independent variables assessed were (a) environmental: trapping year, presence of cattle, type of vegetation, rodent abundance; (b) host parameters: body length, sex, body condition, blood cell counts, natural antibody titers and (c) co-infestation with other ectoparasites. Two-way interaction terms deemed a priori as relevant were also included in the analysis. Most of the associations investigated were found significant, but in general, the direction and magnitude of the associations were context-dependent. An exception was the presence of cattle, which was consistently negatively associated with both larvae and nymphs independently of all other variables considered and had the strongest effect on tick burdens. Mites, fleas and Amblyomma triste were also significantly associated (mostly positively) with larval and nymph burdens, and in many cases, they influenced associations with environmental or host factors. Our findings strongly support that raising cattle may have a substantial impact on the dynamics of I. loricatus and that interactions within the ectoparasite community may be an important-but generally ignored-driver of tick dynamics.

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Tick infestation patterns in free ranging African buffalo (Syncercus caffer): Effects of host innate immunity and niche segregation among tick species

Cited by 38 publications

References 96 publications

Abundance and distribution of Ixodid tick species infesting cattle reared under traditional farming systems in Tanzania

Abundance and distribution of Ixodid tick species infesting cattle reared under traditional farming systems in Tanzania

Host body size and the diversity of tick assemblages on Neotropical vertebrates

Ecology of the interaction between Ixodes loricatus (Acari: Ixodidae) and Akodon azarae (Rodentia: Criceridae)

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