Abstract:
Ticks are responsible for blood loss, damage to hides and skins, and ticks worry through,
injection of toxins and transmit a number of pathogenic organisms. Tick resistance to acaricides
is an increasing problem in the world and poses a real economic threat to livestock husbandry.
The relevant information on acaricide efficacy is scarce in the study area but there are very few
studies on tick species and tick-borne diseases. A cross- sectional study design was conducted
from March 2022 to June 2023 to asses hard tick infestation, tick-borne diseases in cattle and to
determine the efficacy of Amitraz 12.5% and Diazinon 60 % EC acaricides against Ixodid ticks
using Adult Immersion Test (AIT) in Jimma town, Ethiopia. Of 384 examined cattle, 235 (61.2%)
were found infested with ticks. Three species (Amblyomma cohaerence 59.2%, Boophilus
decoloratus 38.9% and Rhipicephlus evertsi 1.9%) belonging to three genera were identified in
the study area. Of the risk factors, body condition score and sex were significantly associated
with tick infestation (p = 0.002, p < 0.05 and p =0.000, p < 0.05) respectively. Of 70 cattle
examined for haemoparasites, 26 (37.1%) cattle had haemoparasites. The haemoparasites
identified were Anaplasma centrale, Anaplasma merginale and Theilaria mutans with
prevalence of 46.2%, 26.9% and 26.9% respectively. Amblyomma cohaerence and Boophilus
decoloratus ticks treated with Amitraz 12.5% at field recommended concentration died and did
not lay eggs while some of Amblyomma cohaerence and Boophilus decoloratus treated with
Diazinon 60% at field recommended concentration survived and as a result few baches of eggs
were laid following seven days incubation time. There was significant variation (p < 0.05)
between the two acaricides in the overall oviposition inhibition. Further large scale investigation
might be necessary to assess tick distribution, tick-borne diseases and tick resistance to
acaricides.
