Prevalence and diversity of ixodid tick fauna in domestic animals of Andhra Pradesh state, India

Tick infestation in domestic animals is one of the serious health problems throughout the globe, especially in tropical countries. The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence and diversity of ixodid tick fauna of domestic animals from all 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh state, India. The study was conducted from May 2019 to March 2020. A total of 870 cattle, 602 buffaloes, 736 sheep, 754 goats, and 492 dogs were examined and out of which 717 (82.41%), 441 (73.26%), 592 (80.43%), 604 (80.11%), and 382 (77.64%) cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, and dogs, respectively were infested with ixodid ticks with an overall prevalence rate of 79.21% (2736/3454). The most prevalent ixodid tick species is Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (54.28%), followed by Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus (13.23%), Hyalomma marginatum (10.25%), Hyalomma anatolicum (9.23%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (9.18%), Haemaphysalis bispinosa (2.03%), Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides (1.70%) and Amblyomma integrum (0.10%). The high prevalence of tick infestation in the current study alarms the field veterinarians to establish an effective preventive measure against ticks and tick-borne diseases in domestic animals of Andhra Pradesh state, India.