Survey of Hard Ticks (Ixodidae) Infesting Camels (Camelus Dromedarius) in Kano State, Nigeria

Abstract

To determine the prevalence and abundance of hard ticks infesting camels, 414 nomadic one - humped camels in Kano State, northwestern Nigeria were selected by random sampling and examined for the presence of ticks on their bodies between January and December 2007. Three species of ticks, Amblyomma variegatum, Hyalomma dromedarii and Rhipicephalus pulchellus were found to be common. H. dromedarii had the highest prevalence of 57.97%, followed by A. variegatum (42.03%) and R.  pulchellus (25.12%). Of the 10,178 ticks collected, 63.20% were H. dromedarii, while A. variegatum and R. pulchellus formed 28.30% and 8.50% respectively. Prevalence and tick load per camel was found to be influenced by sex and season of the year. However, irrespective of species, male ticks were more abundant, with these altogether representing 59.56% of the total ticks collected from the camels. The presence of H. dromedarii, A. variegatum and R. pulchellus on camels in the area has serious implication on animal and humans health, since these ticks serve as vectors of both human and animal diseases.