Epidemiology of ticks and molecular characterization ofRhipicephalus microplusin cattle population in North-Western Pakistan

摘要

The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of cattle ticks and molecular identification ofR. microplusin different ecological regions of North-Western Pakistan. A total of 1091 ticks were collected from 430 cattle followed by morphological identification of different species and confirmation ofR. microplususing polymerase chain reaction. Overall, 335 (77.9%) cattle were infested with ticks. Grazing system, lack of acaricide application, and age (with 86.0%, 55.8%, and 85.7% prevalence rates, respectively) were significantly (P <= 0.05) associated with higher tick infestation. Microscopic examination detected three different species of ticks includingR. microplus, Hyalomma anatolicum, andHyalomma marginatumat prevalence rates of 47.8%, 41.8% and 10.4%, respectively.Rhipicephalus microplusidentification was also confirmed by sequencing thesecond internal transcribed spacer(ITS2) andcytochrome oxidase I(COI) gene fragments. Phylogenetic analysis ofITS2revealed a single clade ofR. microplusand based on theCOInucleotide sequencing,R. microplusin the present study was assigned to clade C. This study showed a higher prevalence of cattle ticks in North-Western Pakistan and confirmedR. microplusas a major cattle tick species. These findings may be helpful in devising strategies for integrated control of ticks and tick-borne diseases in Northwestern Pakistan.