Prevalence, Intensity and Risk Factors of Tick Infestation of Cattle in Northwest Region Cameroon
Prevalence, Intensity and Risk Factors of Tick Infestation of Cattle in Northwest Region Cameroon
Marie Claire Komtangi, Paul Junior Detsi, Betrand Kiafon Nsah and Julius Awah-Ndukum*
ABSTRACT
There are increasing medical and veterinary attention on ticks due to their role as vectors of numerous pathogens. Ticks induce huge production and economic losses in livestock industry by creating serious animal health problems. Though different tick species of cattle are present in Cameroon, there is dearth of information on their characterization in the country. The study was done to identify ticks species and risk factors that affect the prevalence and intensity of tick infestation of cattle in Northwest region Cameroon. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select 341 study animals at the Bamenda municipal abattoir. The results showed the prevalence of tick infestation of cattle was 72.73% (95% CI: 67.62–77.32). Among the tick types Amblyomma variegatum (58.06%), Rhipecephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus (48.97%), Haemaphysalis spp. (3.52%), Hyalomma spp. (0.59%) and other Rhipecephalus (Boophilus) spp. (0.88%) were identified. Overall, breed, sex, age, body condition score, location of origin of the animals had no significant effect (P> 0.05) on the prevalence, but influenced (P< 0.05) the relative abundance of tick infestation of cattle. The perineal and thoraco-abdominal regions were the most (p<0.05) preferred site for ticks compared to other anatomical parts of the body of the animals. Also, the relative abundance was higher (P<0.05) for female (69.40%), Amblyomma variegatum (50.89%), and Rhipecephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus (47.63%) ticks compared to the male and other tick species, respectively. There were significant differences (p<0.05) between the prevalence of single tick species infestations (47.98% 95% CI: 41.64–54.38) and co-infestations of various associations of two (50.00%, 95%CI: 43.63–56.37) and three (2.02%, 95% CI: 0.75–4.91) tick types. Tick infestations of cattle were common problems in Northwest region of Cameroon. The study provides elements for elaborating appropriate strategic tick control methods and highlights the importance of enhancing the awareness of farmers about the impacts of ticks on livestock production and productivity.
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