Prevalence of Ticks infestation in Traditionally Managed Cattle in Mambilla plateau, Sardauna LGA, Taraba State, Northeastern Nigeria

Abstract

Ticks are known to be the most infamous hazard to cattle due to their ability to damage hides and spread diseases. As a result, continuous study of tick distribution on cattle is necessary. Four hundred cattle of determined breed, sex and age, wer e randomly sampled from five different livestock markets in Mambila Plateau, Sardauna Local Government Area (LGA), Taraba state, northeastern Nigeria in 2023. Collected ticks were identified to species level. Among the 400 cattle examined, 219 were male an d 181 were female. 387 (96.75%) cattle had ticks while 13 (3.25%) had no ticks. From the total 181 female cattle, 172 (44%) had ticks, while 215 (56%) males had ticks out of the total 219 male cattle sampled. The mean age of the cattle sampled was 3.0±1.0 years. Rhipicephalus spp was the most prevalent tick (76%), followed by Amblyomma spp (19%) and Hyalomma spp (5%). Due to the financial and /or economic impact of ticks on morbidity and mortality cause by the tick s infestation, it is necessary to implement effective tick control plan and technology as well as promote tick surveillance in the study area.