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Nellore cattle (Bos indicus) and ticks within the Brazilian Pantanal: ecological relationships

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Abstract

Pantanal is a huge floodplain mostly in Brazil, and its main economic activity is extensive cattle raising, in farms characterized by an extremely wildlife-rich environment. We herein describe tick infestations of cattle and of the natural environment in Pantanal of Nhecolândia in Brazil, at areas with and without cattle during both dry and wet seasons. Environmental sampling resulted in three tick species: Amblyomma sculptum (423 nymphs and 518 adults), Amblyomma parvum (7 nymphs and 129 adults), Amblyomma ovale (3 adults) as well as three clusters and two individuals of Amblyomma sp. larvae. A significantly higher number of adult A. sculptum ticks was found in areas with cattle in the wet season. From 106 examinations of bovines 1710 ticks from three species were collected: Rhipicephalus microplus (55.7 % of the total), A. sculptum (38 %) and A. parvum (4.1 %), as well as 32 Amblyomma sp. larvae. A significant similarity was found between Amblyomma tick fauna from environment and on cattle during both seasons. All A. sculptum females on bovines were flat whereas many of A. parvum females and A. sculptum nymphs were engorging. Although R. microplus was the most abundant tick species on cattle, overall highest tick prevalence on bovines in the dry season was of A. sculptum nymphs. Lack of R. microplus in environmental sampling, relationship between cattle and increase in adult A. sculptum numbers in the environment as well as suitability of bovine for the various tick species are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—CAPES (scholarship to V.N. Ramos), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico—CNPq (Academic Career Research Fellowship to M.P.J. Szabó). Authors acknowledge Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária—EMBRAPA and Universidade Federal de Uberlândia for logistic support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-doutorado, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP, CEP 05508-270, Brazil

    Vanessa N. Ramos

  2. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária - Embrapa Pantanal, Corumbá, MS, Brazil

    Ubiratan Piovezan

  3. Prefeitura Municipal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil

    Ana Helena A. Franco

  4. Programa de Pós-graduação em Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil

    Vinicius S. Rodrigues

  5. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela, Santa Fe, Argentina

    Santiago Nava

  6. Laboratório de Ixodologia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil

    Matias P. J. Szabó

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  1. Vanessa N. Ramos
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  2. Ubiratan Piovezan
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  3. Ana Helena A. Franco
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  4. Vinicius S. Rodrigues
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  5. Santiago Nava
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  6. Matias P. J. Szabó
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Correspondence to Vanessa N. Ramos.

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All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted (Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Uberlândia). Permits and Approvals (no 116/10) are on file in the office of M.P.J.S.

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Ramos, V.N., Piovezan, U., Franco, A.H.A. et al. Nellore cattle (Bos indicus) and ticks within the Brazilian Pantanal: ecological relationships. Exp Appl Acarol 68, 227–240 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-015-9991-3

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