Seasonal activity of ixodid ticks, parasites of cattle in two bioclimatic areas of Northeastern Algeria

Abstract

Monthly monitoring of the infestation by ticks of 48 cattle head in six farms was performed in the wilayas (districts) of Mila (semiarid climate) and El Tarf (humid climate) in Algeria, between April 2006 and March 2007. In total, 7024 ticks belonging to four genera and ten species of Ixodidae were collected: Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus (62.7% of collected ticks) R. turanicus (13.6%), Hyalomma scupense (13.6%), Rhipicephalus bursa (7.7%), H. marginatum (4.7%), H. excavatum (3.9%), H. anatolicum (2.3%), Haemaphysalis punctata (1.5%), Ixodes ricinus (0.7%), and Hyalomma lusitanicum (0.4%). R. annulatus (77.7%) was the most frequent species in El Tarf, whereas H. scupense (39.2%) and R. bursa (17.7%) were dominant in Mila. Many Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus species had a continuous activity throughout the year, with maximum intensity in summer for R. annulatus and H. Scupense, and from spring to fall for R. bursa. The abundance of mesophilic species was low, with winter activity for I. ricinus (exclusively present in El Tarf), and fall activity for Hae. punctata (exclusively present in Mila). The intensity of infestation was significantly higher in adult cattle than in calves under one year old. Tick phenology sometimes differed depending on neighboring countries, showing thus the highly adaptive capability of ticks and the need to carry out regional studies before implementing any control program against ticks or the pathogens they transmit.