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.