Identification and Distribution of Tick Species in Cattle in Eastern Bhutan
Date
2020-11-04
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Abstract
Tick infestation is the most reported parasitological problem in cattle in Bhutan. Its negative impacts on the health and production of cattle affect the livelihoods of resource-poor subsistence farmers. However, the current knowledge of tick species diversity, infestation prevalence, geographic distribution, and farmers’ perception on tick prevention and control practices is limited. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to 1) determine the presence, diversity and infestation prevalence of tick species in cattle in two districts of eastern Bhutan using a targeted field survey; 2) model the habitat suitability of selected tick species identified in these two districts using the MaxEnt modeling approach; and 3) assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) among cattle farmers in a selected area of eastern Bhutan. In May and June 2019, 3600 live adult ticks were collected from 240 cattle and morphologically identified to the species level. In June 2019, 246 cattle owners were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Four genera and six species of ticks were found. These were Rhipicephalus microplus (Canestrini) (70.2%), Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides Supino (18.8%), Haemaphysalis bispinosa Neumann (8.2%), Haemaphysalis spinigera Neumann (2.5%), Amblyomma testudinarium Koch (n=7), and an unidentified species of Ixodes (n=1). For all tick species except A. testudinarium and Ixodes sp., the high altitude northeastern part and the low altitude southernmost part of the study area were predicted as areas with a very low probability of tick(s) presence. The KAP study identified only 52% of the farmers with adequate knowledge about ticks as vectors of diseases and 36% with a favorable attitude toward tick control programs. The findings from this research are expected to guide the planning and implementation of effective tick prevention and control measures in Bhutan.
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Keywords
ticks, cattle, habitat suitability modeling, MaxEnt, knowledge, attitude, and practices, Bhutan
Citation
Namgyal, J. (2020). Identification and Distribution of Tick Species in Cattle in Eastern Bhutan (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.