1
|
Leal LLLL, Ferreira LL, de Morais IML, Salvador VF, Trindade ASN, Pereira Neto O, Soares VE, de Almeida Borges F, Monteiro CMDO, Lopes WDZ. What is the optimal timing to initiate strategic control of Rhipicephalus microplus in taurine cattle in a tropical region? Exp Appl Acarol 2024; 92:217-232. [PMID: 38329588 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-023-00877-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Cattle tick control poses a significant challenge for livestock in tropical and subtropical regions. The objective of this study was to determine the most suitable timing to initiate a strategic tick control program and to identify the ideal number of acaricide treatments for adult taurine cattle (Bos taurus taurus) in a tropical region throughout the year. Three groups with 10 bovines each were performed: T01 (strategic treatment in late autumn/winter/late spring, every 28 days), T02 (strategic treatment to act in the "first tick generation" - early spring/summer/early autumn, every 28 days) and T03 (control). Tick counts (females 4-8 mm) were conducted every 14 days. If the tick burden in any group reached 30 or more during these counts, we applied an additional treatment. Over the course of a year, T02 required significantly fewer (p < 0.05) acaricide treatments than T01, with nine treatments for T02 and eleven for T01. Furthermore, during the tick counts, animals in T02 showed a lower tick burden compared to those in T01. Initiating the strategic tick control program in early spring, corresponding to the first tick generation, proved more effective than starting in autumn. This approach not only required fewer acaricide treatments but also resulted in a reduced tick burden. These benefits are particularly valuable in terms of animal welfare and managing acaricide resistance issues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luccas Lourenzzo Lima Lins Leal
- Centro de Parasitologia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Lorena Lopes Ferreira
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Igor Maciel Lopes de Morais
- Centro de Parasitologia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Ferreira Salvador
- Centro de Parasitologia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Artur Siqueira Nunes Trindade
- Centro de Parasitologia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | | | | | - Fernando de Almeida Borges
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Caio Marcio de Oliveira Monteiro
- Centro de Parasitologia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
- Departamento de Biociências e Tecnologia, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Welber Daniel Zanetti Lopes
- Centro de Parasitologia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
- Departamento de Biociências e Tecnologia, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|