TITLE:
Review of Important Cattle Tick and Its Control in Ethiopia
AUTHORS:
Abdela Nejash
KEYWORDS:
Acaricide, Argasidae, Ectoparasites, Ethiopia, Ixodidae, Ticks
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.3 No.3,
March
11,
2016
ABSTRACT: Ethiopia has the largest livestock
population in Africa,
but the contribution for the economic aspect of the country is still lowest amount and disease can be considered
as a major constrain. Ticks are the most important ectoparasites of livestock
in tropical and sub-tropical areas. Ethiopia is not exceptional and ticks are
responsible for severe economic losses both through the direct effects of blood
sucking and indirectly as vectors of pathogens and toxins. Feeding by large
numbers of ticks causes reduction in live weight gain and anaemia among
domestic animals, while tick bites also reduce the quality of hides. However,
the major losses caused by ticks are due to the ability to transmit protozoan,
rickettsial and viral diseases of livestock, which are of great economic importance
world-wide. This review concerns with general aspects of tick biology, the
taxonomy, pathogenic effects and methods for the control of ticks. ticks belong
to the suborder Ixodida, which contains a single super family, the Ixodoidea,
which is divided into two major families, Argasidae (soft ticks) and Ixodidae
(hard ticks), and the rare family Nuttalliellidae, with a single African species.
The main tick genera found in domestic animals of Ethiopia are Amblyomma, Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus, Haemaphysalis and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus).
Various breeds of cattle differ in their response to tick infestations. Bos
indicus pure breeds and
crossbreeds are reported to be more innately resistant than Bos taurus breeds. The conventional method of
controlling tick infestations in Ethiopia is
application of acaricide, either by hand spraying, by hand dressing. Therefore,
to minimize tick adverse effect appropriate and timely strategic control
measures are crucial.