Tick infestation in livestock and density in grazed pastures as influenced by local environmental factors and farm management practices in Salikneta Farm, Bulacan

• Main Author: Flores, Mary Jane C.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: Ticks—Philippines—Bulacan; Livestock—Parasites—Philippines—Bulacan; Farm management—Philippines—Bulacan; Biology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/5217
• Institution: De La Salle University

Salikneta farm, located in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, is a 63-hectare field practical laboratory of De La Salle Araneta University. Approximately a little over 10% of the land is utilized for the said purpose. The farm generally maintains small to medium-sized to large animals. The proponent recently observed heavy infestation primarily of ticks among cattle and water buffaloes reared in the farm for milk production. Tick-transmitted diseases such as babesiosis has likewise been diagnosed hematologically in the same animals. Ticks and tick-borne diseases are major health impediments to efficient livestock production and productivity which subsequently cause large economic losses due to decreased milk production, poor animal growth and mortality, blood losses with debilitating effects of anemia, damage to hides alongside the transmission of devastating and fatal livestock diseases. The proposed study aims to assess the level of infestation with ticks in cattle and water buffaloes and density of tick contamination in the grazed pastures. Considering all developmental stages of ticks are capable of transmitting diseases and greater part of their lives are spent off host, aside from being non-specific to hosts, local environmental conditions such as air temperature and humidity, soil type, soil temperature and pH, and vegetation cover should be monitored to establish their possible influence with infestation rate. Current farm management practices will be evaluated and data obtained from this proposed study will then be used to recommend a modification of the existing farm practices. Improvement of farm management must be given priority attention to properly address problems and concerns and to recommend ecologically sound strategies in controlling ticks in livestock and potential risk of both animals and humans to tick-transmitted diseases.