Lice(Haematopinus tuberculatus)in water buffalo farms from central Italy

First record of natural infection with Anaplasma marginale in sucking lice infesting the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in Mexico

The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is an Asian species of bovine which was introduced in Mexico in 1992, as an alternative for milk and meat production. However, little is known about its associated ectoparasites, in particular about their lice. As a part of a project to identify the diversity and prevalence of Anaplasma in cattle and water buffaloes in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, we visited a ranch in the downtown area in which 42 buffaloes were visually inspected for the presence of ectoparasites. Lice were manually recovered, and morphologically identified using taxonomic keys. They were also molecularly identified by the amplification of a fragment of the cytochrome oxidase C subunit I gene (COX1). As a result, we recovered 20 lice from eight animals. All lice were identified as Haematopinus tuberculatus, and the recovered sequences exhibited a similarity of 99.7% with those of the same species deposited in GenBank. Additionally, we detected the presence of Anaplasma marginale in 70% (14/20) of the analysed samples. Our results represent the first record of this exotic ectoparasite for the country.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with ectoparasite infestation of buffaloes in an Amazonian ecosystem

Background

The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is well adapted in some regions of the Amazon. Of all Brazilian states, Pará contains the largest number of this species, with 510,000 animals, approximately 38% of the Brazilian buffaloes. Despite the socioeconomic importance of bubaline farming in the northern region, little is known about the prevalence of ectoparasites that affect buffalo herds. This study aimed to identify the species of buffalo ectoparasites in the municipality of Santarém, Pará, and to determine possible risk factors related to ectoparasitic infestation. A cross-sectional study was conducted by sampling 60 rural properties and 621 buffaloes for ectoparasites. When present, ectoparasites were collected for subsequent identification.

Results

Of all the animals sampled, 18.5% (115/621) had ectoparasites, 7.8% (49/621) had ticks from the species Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus and Amblyomma cajennense (sensu stricto), and 11.5% (72/621) had lice from the Haematopinus tuberculatus species. Six animals presented mixed infestations of ticks and lice. Among the sampled farms, 51.6% (31/60) had at least one animal infested with ectoparasites. The prevalence of ticks and lice on buffaloes was associated with the farm site, with higher prevalence (11.5% ticks, 15.4% lice) in animals at dry land (OR: 16.7 and 5.7 for ticks and lice, respectively) when compared with floodplains (0.5% ticks, 3.4% lice). Buffaloes aged 1 to 12 months had more ticks whereas buffaloes aged 13 to 24 months had more lice (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Buffaloes bred in the municipality of Santarém present different levels of tick and lice infestation according to the direct influence of Amazon ecosystem characteristics. The floodplain environment, widely used for buffalo farming, contributes toward minor ectoparasite infestations in these animals.

The efficacy and safety of alphacypermethrin as a pour-on treatment for water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) infested with Haematopinus tuberculatus (Phthiraptera: Haematopinidae)

The sucking louse Haematopinus tuberculatus (Burmeister 1839) is an ectoparasite of buffaloes, cattle, camels, and American bison. Alphacypermethrin (ACYP) is a pyrethroid insecticide commonly used to control arthropods of veterinary and public health interest. Therapeutics, such as antiparasitic compounds, is often administered to buffaloes based on dosage and intervals recommended for cattle because very few drugs have buffalo-specific label indications. A trial was conducted on 20 louse-infested buffaloes at a farm to assess the efficacy and safety of ACYP pour-on, at the manufacturer's recommended dose for cattle, on buffaloes naturally infested by H. tuberculatus. Ten animals were assigned to ACYP-treated group (ACYP-group) and ten to untreated control group (C-group). On day 0, all ACYP-group buffaloes received alphacypermethrin pour-on. Louse counts were performed on days -1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, and 56 at eight predilection sites on the skin of each buffalo. ACYP was completely effective (100%) at day 7, highly effective (99.8%) at day 14, and completely effective (100%) from day 21 until the end of the study (day 56 post-treatment). During the trial, ACYP was well tolerated by all animals as there were no observed clinically adverse reactions. The results of this trial suggest that ACYP is an effective, safe, and user-friendly compound suitable for treatment of buffaloes with natural louse infestations.