TABLE OF CONTENTS
Tick Control and Treatment in Animals: Mechanical, Chemical, Biological & Other Methods
Ticks are important ectoparasites of domestic animals and can cause blood loss, skin damage, irritation, and transmission of several pathogens. Effective tick management requires an integrated approach that may include mechanical removal, chemical acaricides, biological control, host resistance, vaccination, and other control measures.
Treatment and control of ticks can be achieved by the following methods:
- Mechanical Control
- Chemical Control
- Biological Control
- Miscellaneous Control
1. Mechanical Control
Ticks can be controlled to a certain extent by mechanical methods (hand picking), especially in pet animals.
2. Chemical Control
Since ticks are firmly attached to the body, animals are made to walk through a narrow passage where insecticides are sprayed forcefully onto the animal through nozzles fixed at regular intervals throughout the passage (called the spray race method).
- Synthetic Pyrethroids: They serve as contact insecticides. (e.g.) Flumethrin – 1%, Cypermethrin – 150 ppm as a dip or spray, Deltamethrin – 2 mL per litre of water as a spray.
- Isoxazolines: Isoxazolines are a newer class of systemic ectoparasiticides with potent activity against ticks and other ectoparasites. Important drugs in this class include fluralaner, afoxolaner, sarolaner, and lotilaner. They are available in oral and/or topical formulations depending on the drug and animal species and provide prolonged tick control.
- Ivermectin: This is a fermentation product of Streptomyces avermitilis, administered at 200 µg/kg body weight, SC.
3. Biological Control
Prolonged use of insecticides leads to the development of resistant strains, in addition to polluting the environment, and biological control seems to be a solution. It is a natural phenomenon wherein the populations of plants and animals are regulated by their natural enemies. There are three types of biological control.
- Parasitism: Use of parasitoids to destroy ticks. E.g., parasitism by Hunterellus hookeri (now generally referred to as Ixodiphagus hookeri) and other Ixodiphagus spp. Female parasitoids lay their eggs inside tick nymphs. The larvae that emerge develop within and eventually kill the tick.
- Predation: Chicks are reared along with cattle, where the chickens peck at ticks on cattle and help control tick infestations. Ants, lizards, and birds are also known to destroy ticks.
- Botanical Insecticides: The increasing cost of drugs and insecticide pollution has resulted in the use of plant derivatives to control ticks. E.g., the tropical legume Stylosanthes sp. is capable of immobilizing the larvae of Boophilus annulatus (Rhipicephalus annulatus) by a sticky secretion and killing them.
4. Miscellaneous Control
- Genetic Control: Alteration of genetic makeup so that the progeny is less fecund, less vigorous, or genetically sterile. E.g., hybrid male progeny obtained by mating B. microplus with B. annulatus are sterile. Female hybrids produce sterile males for three backcross generations.
- Host Resistance: Certain breeds are resistant to ticks. E.g., Zebu and Brahman cattle and their crosses. Exploitation of natural host resistance through selection and breeding of tick-resistant crosses can help control major tick species.
- Tick Vaccine: Vaccines comprising parasite gut wall antigens show the greatest promise, particularly for ticks.
- BM 86: A recombinant antigen vaccine against Boophilus microplus (Rhipicephalus microplus) in cattle. This vaccine is prepared from the tick’s midgut wall. It was commercially available as “TICKGARD” in Australia. Vaccinated cattle develop antibodies directed against the parasite’s gut wall, and the ticks ingest these antibodies during blood feeding, resulting in tick damage and death.
- Pheromones: They are natural chemicals released by animals to influence the behavior of other individuals of the same species. They function as attractants and can be used in tick control.
- Assembling pheromones
- Aggregation and attachment pheromones
- Sex pheromones
