Study on prevalence of ixodid tick infestation on bovines of Dehradun district, Uttarakhand

Reviewing the economic concussion of various tick species on livestock, the present study cum survey was undertaken to understand the epidemiological characteristics of ticks infesting bovines (cattle and buffaloes). The survey was conducted at various locations of Dehradun region of Uttarakhand state in India. A total of 490 bovines were examined on a random basis between the month of July 2017 and June 2018. Overall tick infestation rate was found to be 66.32%. The month of September showed the highest prevalence (52.32%), while the lowest rate was reported in January (39.73%). Similarly, the season-wise prevalence was recorded highest in rainy season (61.29%), followed by summer (51.62%) and lowest in winter (41.09%). Age-wise tick infestations were observed highest in Group I animals of less than 1 year age (60%), followed by Group II animals aged between 1 and 3 years (47.5%), and lowest in Group III animals of age greater than 3 years (32.25%). Sex wise, the females had higher infestation rate than the males (66.67% and 45.2%, respectively).