Tick infestations in extensively grazed cattle and efficacy trial of high-cis cypermethrin pour-on preparation for control of ticks in Mvomero district in Tanzania

All the animals examined were infested with ticks. The identified ticks were Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (55%), Amblyomma variegatum (18%), R. (Boophilus) microplus (12.9%), R. (B) decoloratus (7.1%), R. evertsi evertsi (4.4%) and R. composites (2.6%). The overall mean (mean ± SEM) tick density on day zero was 63 ± 30 ticks per animal (ranging from 20–160). The mean tick density on day zero was 44.6 ± 25.4, 74.6 ± 30.3, 55.0 ± 26.2 and 77 ± 33.5 for groups one, two, three and four respectively. Post-treatment quantitative assessment of tick burden revealed that the TxRG 1 animals maintained a tick load throughout the study period. A significant decrease in tick load in animals in groups TxRG 2, 3 and 4 (P=0.0001) with increasing frequency of Ecotix？ application was recorded. There was however no significant difference in tick reduction between TxRG 3 and 4 (P=0.0986). Thus TxRG 3 would be sufficient for the monthly tick treatment and with this regime, the farmer would save up to 2.5 USD per animal during six months of dry season.The study revealed a high tick infestation among the TSHZ kept in extensive grazing systems in Mvomero district and that when treated with Ecotix？ as pour-on preparation using a two application regime per month, the tick control strategy was effective.Tick infestation, tick-borne diseases (TBDs) and tsetse-transmitted trypanososmosis constitute are the major problems in livestock production in the Sub-Saharan Africa [1,2]. TBD, namely, East Coast Fever, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and cowdriosis have been reported to affect the optimal livestock productivity in East African region [3,4]. For example, tick-borne diseases constitute over 72% of the annual cattle mortality in Tanzania [5,6]. Apart from acting as vectors for diseases (TBDs), ticks have been recognized as important ectoparasites of livestock. They are bloodsuckers, causing local necrosis which results to low-quality hides [2], secondary bacterial infections [7], lowered productivit