Khamassi Khbou Médiha, Rekik Syrine, Romdhane Rihab, Sassi Limam, Bergmann Felicitas, Groschup Martin H, Rekik Mourad, Gharbi Mohamed
Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Zoonoses, and Sanitary Regulation, Institution of Agricultural Research and Higher Education, National School of Veterinary Medicine of Sidi Thabet, University of Manouba, Sidi Thabet 2020, Tunisia.
Laboratory of Parasitology, Zoonoses, and Sanitary Regulation, Institution of Agricultural Research and Higher Education, National School of Veterinary Medicine of Sidi Thabet, University of Manouba, Sidi Thabet 2020, Tunisia.
Vet Sci. 2024 Dec 26;12(1):2. doi: 10.3390/vetsci12010002.
Ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) are a threat to human and animal health worldwide. A structured questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge, attitudes/practices, and perceptions (KAP) of 86 farmers of extensive sheep farming systems across different agro-ecological areas in Tunisia. The response rate was about 91.3%. Overall, 68.5% of the questions referring to knowledge and perceptions were answered correctly. Indeed, about half of the respondents were aware that ticks infest animals, with weight loss given as the major consequence. However, more than half of the farmers were unaware of the transmission and vectorial role of ticks. Those who knew that ticks are vectors cited microbes and icterus as the main concerns. A broad majority of farmers (70.9%) stated that they removed the attached ticks manually and 45.3% crushed them. As acaricides were perceived to be efficient for fighting ticks, according to 97.7% of the sheep farmers, they were used for both the animals and their sleeping areas. Although the toxicity of acaricides is known, 59.3% of the respondents did not use personal protection equipment when applying these products. Taken together, gaps in KAP among sheep farmers were identified. It can be used to better design awareness communication tools for TBPs.
蜱虫和蜱传病原体（TBPs）对全球人类和动物健康构成威胁。采用结构化问卷对突尼斯不同农业生态区86位粗放式养羊系统的农民的知识、态度/行为及认知（KAP）进行评估。回复率约为91.3%。总体而言，68.5%涉及知识和认知的问题回答正确。的确，约一半的受访者知晓蜱虫会寄生在动物身上，并认为体重减轻是主要后果。然而，超过一半的农民不了解蜱虫的传播及媒介作用。那些知道蜱虫是媒介的人提到微生物和黄疸是主要担忧因素。绝大多数农民（70.9%）表示他们会手动清除附着的蜱虫，45.3%的人会将蜱虫碾碎。由于97.7%的养羊农民认为杀螨剂对防治蜱虫有效，所以他们会在动物及其睡眠区域使用。尽管杀螨剂的毒性是已知的，但59.3%的受访者在使用这些产品时未使用个人防护装备。综合来看，已确定养羊农民在KAP方面存在差距。这可用于更好地设计针对蜱传病原体的宣传沟通工具。
