Tick burden and tick species prevalence in small ruminants of different agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Pakistan

Authors: KHAN, ADIL - Abdul Wali Khan University; MITCHELL, ROBERT - US Department Of Energy; ALI SHAH, SAJJAD SAID - Non ARS Employee; NASREEN, NASREEN - Abdul Wali Khan University; NIAZ, SADAF - Abdul Wali Khan University; AYAZ, SULTAN - Abdul Wali Khan University; NAEEM, HUMA - University Of Veterinary And Animal Sciences; KHAN, LUQMAN - Non ARS Employee; Perez De Leon, Adalberto - Beto

Submitted to: International Journal of Acarology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/30/2019
Publication Date: 9/11/2019
Citation: Khan, A., Mitchell, R.D., Ali Shah, S., Nasreen, N., Niaz, S., Ayaz, S., Naeem, H., Khan, L., Perez De Leon, A.A. 2019. Tick burden and tick species prevalence in small ruminants of different agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Pakistan. International Journal of Acarology. 45(6-7):374-380. https://doi.org/10.1080/01647954.2019.1663930.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01647954.2019.1663930

Interpretive Summary: A large proportion of the inhabitants of Pakistan rely on raising livestock for a source of income. Damage caused by ticks and tick-borne diseases severely limits the profits that can be generated from raising livestock in Pakistan, especially in small ruminants like sheep and goats. The aim of this study was to collect ticks from goats and sheep of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) region of Pakistan to determine what species were present and which ones were most abundant. This type of study is critical in determining the risk for tick-borne diseases that may be passed on to livestock, and what preventative measures can be taken to prevent these diseases in the future. This is also the first time this type of study was completed in the FATA region since parts of it are remote. Further studies will enhance the ability to identify and control ticks and tick-borne diseases, which cause significant economic loss annually to small ruminant farmers in Pakistan.

Technical Abstract: The agricultural industry is a critical component of the economy in Pakistan and is a source of income for nearly half of the country’s population. However, damage caused by ticks and tick-borne diseases is severely hampering ruminant production. Tick bites damage animal hides and tick-transmitted pathogens can cause devastating diseases like babesiosis and anaplasmosis that can severely harm or even kill livestock and humans in some cases. The aim of this study was to collect ticks from goats and sheep of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) region of Pakistan to determine what species were present and which ones were most abundant. Out of 1,450 ticks collected from 290 animals, representing six agencies of the FATA region, we found that Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Haemaphysalis sulcata were the two most abundant species on small ruminants in the region. More broadly, we observed that ticks of the species Rhipicephalus were more abundant (57.2%) than Haemaphysalis (27.6%) and Hyalomma (15.2%) from our sampling. We also found that location and month of the year were two important factors in predicting tick infestations in goats and sheep at our study sites. Knowledge gleaned from this study can be used by tick control programs in the FATA region to target specific species at times of the year when they are most prevalent. However, more research is needed to validate our findings in the region and additional studies of this type must be conducted in other regions of Pakistan to generate an accurate countrywide tick infestation model.