Studies on the ability of different strains or populations of female Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi (Acarina:Ixodidae) to produce paralysis in sheep.

Simultaneous infestation of 3-6 month-old Black-head sheep with 15 South African wild strains of Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi males and females as well as a strain from Rwanda clearly showed that all strains are capable of inducing paralysis. Assessment of the infestation-rate of engorging female ticks during the period that their mass ranged between 15 and 21 mg/kg sheep body mass indicated that toxicity is quantitatively identical and exhibits no intraspecific gradations. The period between the beginning of infestation to the manifestation of the first clinical symptoms is, however, strain dependent: 4 days for ticks from Warmbaths, and at least 5 days for all other strains.