Kifle T, Mathewos M, Fesseha H, Abate A, Wolde A. Study on Prevalence of Ixodid Ticks of Goats and Acaricide Utilization Practices of Herd Owners in Benatsemay District, South Omo Zone, South-Western Ethiopia.
Vet Med (Auckl) 2021;
12:225-233. [PMID:
34557393 PMCID:
PMC8453172 DOI:
10.2147/vmrr.s324484]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Introduction
Ticks are major health problems of goats that contribute to a significant economic loss in Ethiopia.
Methods
A cross-sectional study using a systematic random sampling technique was conducted to determine the prevalence, potential risk factors of hard ticks (Acarina: Ixodidae) of goats, and the acaricide utilization practice of herd owners in the Benatsemay district.
Results
Out of 285 examined goats, 85.26% of goats were found infested by Rhipicephalus and Amblyomma tick genera. The body condition score of goats was the only factor that was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with tick infestations. The frequently identified tick species were Rhipicephalus pulchellus (14.38%), Rh. decoloratus (11.22%), A. cohaerens (5.26%) and A. variegatum (4.21%), and mixed infestation (38.59%). Herd owner’s questionnaire survey revealed that 100% of interviewees responded that tick infestations were frequently encountered throughout the year and prevailed on aged goats (90%) and dry season (60%). Concurrent usage of ethnomedicinal plants and conventional acaricides were dominant practices to control tick infestation as responded by 60% of interviewees. Among the conventional acaricides, Diazinon and Ivermectin were the most practiced acaricides as replied by 90% of the respondents. Moreover, community animal health workers (CAHWs) (43.33%) and owners themselves (33.33%) were primarily responsible for acaricide application to tick-infested animals. About 66.67% of the livestock owner’s responses also disclosed that diazinon was the most effective acaricide followed by ivermectin (16.67%) and amitraz (6.67%). Finally, 56.57% of the respondents replied that acaricidal drugs from private veterinary drug shops were overpriced than the same acaricides from government veterinary clinics.
Conclusion
In this study, there was a high prevalence of hard ticks in goats, and irrational application of acaricides was noted in the Benatsemay district; thus, appropriate tick control measures should be taken to minimize tick burden through using acaricides.
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