Abstract

CUESY LEON, Mariana; MOLINA GARZA, Zinnia Judith; MERCADO HERNANDEZ, Roberto  and  GALAVIZ SILVA, Lucio. Body distribution of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae and Argasidae) associated with Odocoileus virginianus (Artiodactyla: Cervidae) and Ovis canadensis (Artiodactyla: Bovidae) in three northern Mexican states. Rev. mex. de cienc. pecuarias [online]. 2021, vol.12, n.1, pp.177-193.  Epub Sep 20, 2021. ISSN 2448-6698.  https://doi.org/10.22319/rmcp.v12i1.5283.

Ticks are important vectors of medical and veterinary importance pathogens in Mexico; however, the taxonomic studies of abundance, prevalence, intensity, and body distribution in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) are limited. This study aimed to fill this knowledge gap in the Mexican states of Sonora, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. The area of study included authorized game farms where hunting is practiced. A total of 372 ticks [21 nymphs (5.65 %) and 351 adults (94.35 %); 41% female and 59 % male] were collected from 233 O. virginianus and four O. canadensis. The ticks collected from O. virginianus were identified as Otobius megnini, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, and Dermacentor (Anocentor) nitens. Dermacentor hunteri was the only species collected from O. canadensis. Ears were the most infested region (83 females, 70 males, and 21 nymphs, 46.77 %), and the least infested body parts were the legs (10 males and nine females, 5.1 %). This study reports for the first time the abundance, intensity, and prevalence of ticks in O. virginianus in northern Mexico, particularly in the states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo León, since the O. canadensis ticks had already been reported in Sonora. These results show that although ungulates are kept semi-captive, it is essential to control tick infestation by applying acaricide treatments on their preferred adherence sites to avoid the transmission of pathogens.

Keywords : White-tailed deer; Bighorn sheep; Ticks; Rhipicephalus microplus; Otobius megnini; Dermacentor nitens; Dermacentor hunteri.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English | Spanish     · English ( pdf ) | Spanish ( pdf )