Prevalence and Species Identification of Ixodid Ticks of Small Ruminants in Benadir Region, Somalia

Abstract

Ixodid ticks are one of the major health constraints on small ruminant productivity and contribute to significant economic losses in Somalia. An across-sectional study was conducted from November 2019 through December 2020 to identify hard tick species and determine the prevalence of tick infestation in small ruminants in the Benadir region, Somalia. Ticks were identified at the genera and species level by using morphological identification keys under a stereomicroscope. During the study period, a total of 384 small ruminants were examined for the presence of ticks through purposive sampling. All visible individual adult ticks were collected from the bodies of 230 goats and 154 sheep. A total of 651 Ixodid adult ticks were collected, of which 393 were male and 258 were female. The overall prevalence of tick infestation in the study area was 66.15% (254/384). The prevalence of tick infestation in goats and sheep was found to be 76.1% (175/230) and 51.3% (79/154), respectively. In the present study, nine species of hard ticks, which were grouped into three genera, were identified. The most abundant species found in this study were Rhipichephalus pulchellus (64.97%), Rhipichephalus everstieversti (8.45%), Rhipichephalus pravus (5.53%), Rhipichephalus lunulatus (5.38%), Amblyomma lepidum (5.22%), Amblyomma gemma (3.38%), and Hyalomma truncatum (2.62%) according to predominance. Rhipichephalus bursa (2.46%) and Rhipichephalus turanicus (1.99%) were the minor species observed in both species in the study area. The difference in the prevalence of tick infestation was found to be a statistically significant variation ( $p<0.05$ ) between species groups but not sex groups. In all cases, male ticks dominated female ticks. In conclusion, the findings of this study suggest that ticks were the most prevalent ectoparasites of small ruminants in the study areas. Therefore, the increasing threat of ticks and tick-borne pathogens of small ruminants warrants the urgent strategic application of acaricides and the creation of awareness among livestock owners to prevent and control tick infestations of sheep and goats in the study area.