Year: 2018 | Month: August | Volume 8 | Issue 4
A Cross Sectional Study on the Prevalence and Identification of Major Ixodid Tick Parasites of Cattle in Gozamin Woreda, East Gojjam, Ethiopia
Abstract:
A cross- sectional study was conducted from November 2015 to June 2016 in Gozamin Woreda with the objective to estimate the prevalence of ticks, to investigate their genera and assessing association with the different risk factors such as breed, sex, age, body condition scores, and management system. Adult ticks were collected from 384 cattle from local and cross-breed cattle. Out of the total of 384 cattle examined, 197(51.3%) were found to be infested by one or more genera of tick parasites. A total of 919 adult ticks, which belongs to four genera of ticks were collected and identified using stereomicroscopy. In this study Rhipicephalus, Hyalomma, Amblyomma, and Boophilus were identified as 27.3%, 26.3%, 25.3%, and 21.1% respectively. More numbers of Rhipicephalus was collected. The prevalence of male and female animals was found to be 91 (45.96%) and 106 (57%) respectively. According to their management variation animals kept in extensive and intensive farming system were infested with 162 (36.07%) and 35 (30.97%) respectively. The prevalence in local and cross breed was 135(57.69%) and 62 (41.3%) respectively. The prevalence in young and adult animals was found to be 59 (40.69%) and 138 (57.74%) respectively. Based on their body condition score of animals, poor 117 (51.09%), medium 58(61.70%) and good body condition 22(36.07%). In this study breed, body condition score, management and age did not indicate statistical significant association with the infestation rate but there was statistically significant association of infestation rate with the sex of the animals (P<0.05) and x2 = 9.328. Special attention should be given to the control and prevention of ticks, since they cause severe damage to hides and thereby reduce the foreign exchange of the country; besides they also transmit many diseases to cattle which cause economic loss to the farmers.
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