Preliminary study on the susceptibility of jersey and Holstein Friesian cattle breeds to the infestation of Haemaphysalis and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) Ixodid ticks in Bugudanahalli Village, Tumkur, Karnataka

Ticks are vectors and, more interesting, ectoparasites that cause significant economic loss to livestock and adversely affect livestock hosts in several ways. The study was taken out in the Bugudanahalli village of Tumkur district, Karnataka, from February to April. It was found that the tick load is increased because of the availability of favorable conditions (an agro-climatic region with an annual rainfall of 592.9 to 900mm), which led to embryonic development and increased larval activity for the infestation in cattle. The study was carried out to assess the infestation of ticks on different anatomical regions of these two breeds. The necessary data collected during the survey is recorded separately for each week to analyze the result statistically using datasheets. For the ticks per animal, the factors considered were tick genera, cattle breed, cattle anatomy region, the severity of ticks, etc. In the present study, 1324 ticks were collected from both the cattle breeds, and the two identified tick genera are Haemaphysalis and Rephicephalus (Boophilus). The severity of tick load in various anatomical regions of these two breeds varied significantly. Holstein Friesian is more infested when compared to Jersey breed due to its less resistance to the infestation of ticks. This study suggests the farmers and livestock owners in the selecting the tick-resistant cattle; age-wise, breed-wise, and season-wise.