ISSN 2736-1756
Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research ISSN 2736-1756, Vol. 16 (3), pp. 001-007, March, 2022. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
An epidemiological survey on investigation of tick infestation in cattle at Chittagong District, Bangladesh
M. H. B. Kabir1, M. M. H. Mondal2, M. Eliyas3, M. A. Mannan3, M. A. Hashem4*, N. C. Debnath1, O. F. Miazi5, C. Mohiuddin6, M. A. Kashem1, M. R. Islam7 and M. F. Elahi7
1Department of Microbiology, Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU), Bangladesh.
2Department of Parasitology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
3Department of Anatomy and Histology, CVASU, Bangladesh.
4District Livestock Office, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
5Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Bangladesh
6Chittagong City Corporation, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
7Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, CVASU, Bangladesh.
Accepted 17 February, 2022
Abstract
Epidemiology of tick infestations was studied in cattle at different upazila of Chittagong District from November, 2008 to May, 2009 to know the prevalence of ticks in relation to age, sex, breed, management of cattle, seasons of the year, topography of the area and different body parts of the host. A total number of 380 cattle were examined, of which 138 (36.31%) cattle were found infested. Three species of ticks were identified namely Boophilus microplus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Haemaphysalis bispinosa. The range of tick burden was 1 to 7 per four square inch of heavily infested area of Chittagong District. Mean tick burden was also high in case of B. microplus (2.77 ± 0.18) followed by H. bispinosa (1.03 ± 0.12) and R. sanguineus (0.83 ± 0.10). Prevalence was significantly (p<0.01) higher in cattle of 1.5 years of age (46.28%) than in cattle of >1.5 years of age (27.80%). Infestation of tick was significantly higher (p<0.01) in female (59.37%) than the male (35.83%) cattle. Tick infestation was more prevalent in local (43.82%) cattle than the cross-bred (24.13%) cattle. Field grazing (41.96%) cattle were more susceptible (p<0.01) to tick infestation than the stall-feeding (24.8%) animals. Prevalence of tick infestation was significantly (p<0.01) higher in summer (41.66%) season followed by winter (31.5%) season. Ticks were widely distributed in different parts of the host body such as ear, neck, tail, mammary gland, udder, groin and perianal region of which groin (48.75%) was most affected parts of animal body and face and neck (30%) was the least. Prevalence of tick infestation was significantly (p<0.01) higher in hilly area (44.44%) followed by plain area (30.27%). It is concluded that B. microplus is the main tick species identified and threatening to the cattle population in Chittagong District irrespective of age, sex, breed of the animal, seasons of the year and topography of the study area.
Key words: Epidemiology, prevalence, survey, infestation, cattle, tick.