Ticks and tick-borne diseases of livestock belonging to resource-poor farmers in the eastern Free State of South Africa

• Published in: Experimental & applied acarology 2002-01, Vol.28 (1-4), p.217-224
• Main Authors: Mbati, P.A, Hlatshwayo, M, Mtshali, M.S, Mogaswane, K.R, De Waal, T.D, Dipeolu, O.O
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anaplasma; Anaplasma - isolation & purification; Anaplasmosis - blood; Anaplasmosis - epidemiology; Anaplasmosis - microbiology; Animal diseases; Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial - blood; Babesia - isolation & purification; Babesia bigemina; Babesiosis - blood; Babesiosis - epidemiology; Babesiosis - microbiology; Babesiosis - veterinary; Cattle; Cattle Diseases - epidemiology; Cattle Diseases - microbiology; Cattle Diseases - parasitology; disease prevalence; disease vectors; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - veterinary; epidemiological studies; Farmers; Female; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect - veterinary; Goat Diseases - epidemiology; Goat Diseases - microbiology; Goat Diseases - parasitology; Goats; Humans; Ixodidae; Ixodidae - microbiology; limited resource farmers; Livestock; Male; Rural Population; seasonal variation; Seroepidemiologic Studies; seroprevalence; Sheep; Sheep Diseases - epidemiology; Sheep Diseases - microbiology; Sheep Diseases - parasitology; South Africa - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Theileria; tick infestations; tick-borne diseases; Tick-Borne Diseases - blood; Tick-Borne Diseases - epidemiology; Tick-Borne Diseases - microbiology; Tick-Borne Diseases - veterinary; Winter
• ISSN: 0168-8162; 1572-9702
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1025306701803

The paper provides a summary of three studies conducted in the eastern Free State of South Africa between 1998 and 2000. In a questionnaire-based study approximately 21% of interviewed resource-poor farmers (n = 150) indicated that they experienced problems with ticks and tick-borne diseases. About 56% of farmers indicated that tick-related problems were most severe in summer, while 32% indicated that the most problems were encountered in winter. About 12% indicated that the tick problems were experienced throughout the year. Farmers also indicated that the highest tick burdens were experienced between spring and early winter. The principal ticks infesting cattle (n = 30) were found to be Boophilus decoloratus (53.1%). Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi (44.7%), Rhipicephalus follis (1.0%), Rhipicephalus gertrudae (0.7%) and Rhipicephalus warburtoni (0.4%). On small stock (n = 188), R. evertsi evertsi (68%) and B. decoloratus (32%) were recorded as the main ticks in the study area. A sero-epidemiological survey of cattle (n = 386) showed that 94% of cattle were seropositive for Babesia bigentina by IFAT, while 87% were sero-positive for Anaplasma by indirect ELISA. All the animals were sero-negative for Babesia bovis and this is probably because the tick vector, Boophilus microplus, is not present in the study area. All sheep and goats were sero-positive for Theileria species by IFAT while 85% of sheep and 100% of goats tested positive for Anaplasma species by competition inhibition ELISA. The high incidence of positive serological results for B. bigemina and Anaplasma in cattle, and Theileria and Anaplasma in sheep and goats and the absence of clinical cases would indicate that this area is endemically stable for these diseases.