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Effects of acaricide treatment and host intrinsic factors on tick acquisition and mortality in Boran cattle

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Abstract

Ticks and associated pathogens pose serious threats to the health of livestock. To assess the efficacy of acaricide dip treatment (cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos, piperonyl butoxide, citronella), we assessed post-treatment tick acquisition and tick mortality of free-ranging Boran cattle inhabiting a wildlife-cattle ranch in Northern Tanzania. Because host intrinsic variables and exposure to ticks may substantially affect tick acquisition, we incorporated host sex, body mass, health condition, and distance traveled in models of tick acquisition. Using generalized linear mixed models that accounted for non-independence of individuals, we found that tick species richness increased with host body mass but was not significantly related to other factors. In contrast, tick abundance increased with time since acaricide treatment, was positively correlated with host body mass, and was higher in female than male cattle. Distance traveled and health condition did not predict tick acquisition. Overall, these patterns were similar when separately analyzing acquisition of the more common tick species (Rhipicephalus pulchellus, R. sanguineus sensu lato, and R. praetextatus). Logistic regression models suggested that tick mortality was high for a few days after acaricide dip treatment but declined steeply post-treatment; 3.5 days after treatment, only 50% of ticks were dead, and mortality declined further thereafter. Our results provide new information regarding tick acquisition patterns in this system including female-biased tick parasitism and support for the hypothesis that increased host body mass provides greater resources and thus supports higher ectoparasite abundance and species richness. The limited acaricide duration of action and effectiveness on all tick species calls for adjusting tick management practices.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the management of the Manyara Ranch Conservancy for continued support, allowing access to their cattle and their herders for assisting in data collection. We thank the staff of the School for Field Studies, Center for Wildlife Management Studies for assisting in project logistics. Thanks to two anonymous reviewers who provided constructive comments and to N. Diplock for help with editing. This study was carried with permission from TAWIRI/COSTECH, permit No. 2015-169-ER-2013-191.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA

    Emily Grzeda

  2. Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, USA

    Taylor Maurer

  3. Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, USA

    Clara Dannemann

  4. Manyara Ranch Conservancy, Arusha, Tanzania

    Lemaly Ole Kibiriti

  5. The School for Field Studies, Center for Wildlife Management Studies, PO Box 304, Karatu, Tanzania

    John Kioko & Christian Kiffner

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  1. Emily Grzeda
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  2. Taylor Maurer
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Correspondence to Christian Kiffner.

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Fig. 4
figure 4

Frequency histograms of tick species richness and tick abundance on the head, ears, and neck of Boran cattle in Manyara Ranch, Tanzania

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Grzeda, E., Maurer, T., Dannemann, C. et al. Effects of acaricide treatment and host intrinsic factors on tick acquisition and mortality in Boran cattle. Parasitol Res 116, 3163–3173 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-017-5633-5

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