Prevalence of ticks in sheep and goats in Abeokuta and its environs

Abstract

This study evaluated The association of breed, sex, age and location of herd/flock (Village. peri-urban and sales point) with prevalence and distribution of ticks in sheep and goats in Abeokuta and its environs, A total of 300 sheep and 300 goats were randomly selected from the three locations. The estimated age, sex, and breeds of each animal were determined. Thereafter, they were examined for presence of ticks, Ticks were collected into universal bottles containing 1% formaldehyde The type, location and load on each animal were also recorded. The ticks were identified up to species level. Data on the animals, management factors and the prevalence of tick were processed into contingency tables to establish the association between the prevalence of tick and the age, sex, breed, and location using Chi-square (X) test statistics. Rhipicephalus evertsi and Boophilus spp were the tick species observed in the sheep. There were significant associations (P< 0.05) of prevalence of ticks, with age and location of goats, and breeds and location of sheep, respectively. It was thus concluded that animal factors of age, breed and location were significantly associated with tick infestation in sheep and goats. West African Dwarf (WAD) and O'uda breeds of sheep exhibited various levels of tick infestation while most of the Yankassa were tick-free. Tick infestation was more common with sheep of the sales point and village locations. It was therefore recommended that effective tick control measures should be instituted to prevent adverse effects of these parasites on the health and production of these animals.