Population dynamics of Ticks on Cattle in Asia and Africa

The highest prevalence (12%) of Hyalomma ticks and the lowest prevalence (3.1%) of Rhipicephalus was recorded in cattles from Rawalpindi, Multan, Lahore, Pakistan. In Layyah and Muzaffargarh of lower Punjab, Pakistan, the highest prevalence of tick infestation was found in sheep (75.1%) followed in order by goat (51.6%) and buffaloes (40.08%). Hyalomma anatolicum was the most abundant followed by Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Three species of bacteria viz. Staphylococcus pyogenes, Pasteurella multocida and Brucella abortus were isolated from different spaecies of ticks parasitizing livestock in Iran. A total of 1,345 Ixodes persulcatus ticks collected from North-Eastern China were investigated for the presence of Anaplasma phagocytophila and Borrelia burgdorferi. Sequence analysis of 919- basepair PCR amplicons revealed three types of A. phagocytophila. The dynamics and seasonal distribution of tick species in Rwanda in three agro- ecological zones namely high altitude (Gishwati), the mid altitude (Huye) and the lower altitude zones (Nyagatare) revealed that much of the variance in tick population is explained by the altitude and rainfall.