Kouam Marc K, Dongmo Jarvis B
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 188, Dschang, Cameroon; Center for Research on Filariases and other Tropical Diseases (CRFilMT), P.O. Box 5797, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 188, Dschang, Cameroon.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2018 Dec;14:131-136. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2018.10.003. Epub 2018 Oct 17.
Ticks are the cause of economic loss in animal husbandry and a cause of concern in public health. Therefore this study was carried out to identify the tick species occurring in indigenous small ruminants and investigate factors influencing their occurrence in Dja et Lobo in the South Region of Cameroon. Ticks were collected from 397 animals (sheep and goats) from 90 farms and identified morphologically. Data on potential risk factors were also collected. 6.5% (26 out of 397) of animals were infested with three adult, ixodid tick species: Amblyomma variegatum (6.5%), Rhipicephalus evertsi (3.5%) and R. sanguineus (1.5%). The infestation rate was significantly higher (p < .05) in A variegatum than in R. evertsi and R. sanguineus infestations. The relative abundance for A. variegatum, R. evertsi and R. sanguineus was 72.22%, 19.44% and 8.33% respectively. The mean tick load was low (0.36 ± 1.45). The mean load of A. variegatum was 3.71 and 8.66 times significantly higher (p < .05) than that of R. evertsi and R. sanguineus respectively. The frequency of acaricide use significantly affected the tick load of animals; animals irregularly treated for tick infestation had higher tick load than untreated animals. All other factors (animal species, gender and age, location of farms and farmer's knowledge of tick) were not significant. Such a practice (irregular treatment) needs to be corrected for better productivity of small ruminants in the Region. Because of the presence of A. variegatum in the area, introduction of new genetic materials (exotic breeds) should be well thought of and handled with care.
蜱虫是畜牧业经济损失的原因，也是公共卫生领域令人担忧的问题。因此，开展本研究以鉴定喀麦隆南部地区贾河和洛博地区本土小型反刍动物身上出现的蜱虫种类，并调查影响其出现的因素。从90个农场的397只动物（绵羊和山羊）身上采集蜱虫，并进行形态学鉴定。还收集了潜在风险因素的数据。6.5%（397只中的26只）的动物感染了三种成年硬蜱：杂色花蜱（6.5%）、埃氏扇头蜱（3.5%）和血红扇头蜱（1.5%）。杂色花蜱的感染率显著高于埃氏扇头蜱和血红扇头蜱（p < 0.05）。杂色花蜱、埃氏扇头蜱和血红扇头蜱的相对丰度分别为72.22%、19.44%和8.33%。平均蜱虫负荷较低（0.36 ± 1.45）。杂色花蜱的平均负荷分别比埃氏扇头蜱和血红扇头蜱高3.71倍和8.66倍，差异显著（p < 0.05）。杀螨剂的使用频率显著影响动物的蜱虫负荷；不定期治疗蜱虫感染的动物比未治疗的动物蜱虫负荷更高。所有其他因素（动物种类、性别和年龄、农场位置以及农民对蜱虫的了解）均不显著。为提高该地区小型反刍动物的生产力，需要纠正这种（不定期治疗）做法。由于该地区存在杂色花蜱，引入新的遗传材料（外来品种）应慎重考虑并谨慎处理。
