A study on tick-borne rickettsiosis was developed in the county of Santa Cruz do Escalvado, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, where a clinical case of the disease, confirmed by necropsy, had been reported. Of the 1,254 ticks collected, 1,061 belonged to the Amblyomma genus, 57 to the Rhipicephalus sanguineus species, 81 to Boophilus microplus, and 46 to Anocentor nitens. The hemolymph test associa...

The southern cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Bm) is a vector of bovine babesiosis and anaplasmosis. Tick resistance to organophosphate (OP) acaricide involves acetylcholinesterase (AChE) insensitivity to OP and metabolic detoxification. Sequencing and in vitro expression of Bm genes encoding AChE allowed biochemical characterization of three BmAChEs expressed in tick synganglio...

The southern cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, is no doubt the most economically important ectoparasite of cattle globally. The inappropriate use of chemical acaricides has driven the evolution of resistance in populations of R. (B.) microplus. Anti-tick vaccines represent a technology that can be combined with acaricides in integrated control programs to mitigate the impa...

Ticks are rich sources of serine protease inhibitors, particularly those that prevent blood clotting and inflammatory responses during blood feeding. The tick Rhipicephalus (Boophlus) annulatus is an important ectoparasite of cattle. The aims of this study were to characterize and purify the serine protease inhibitors present in R. (B.) annulatus larval extract. The inhibitors were characterize...

Ticks and the diseases they transmit cause great economic losses to livestock in tropical countries. Non-chemical control alternatives include the use of resistant cattle breeds, biological control and vaccines. However, the most widely used method is the application of different chemical classes of acaricides and macrocyclic lactones. Populations of the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) m...

Reports on ectoparasites on dogs in Central America are scarce. The aim of this study was to identify flea, louse and tick species infesting dogs in home environments on the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica, and determine their frequency and coexistence. Ectoparasites were collected from dogs in 83 rural homes at five study sites. Specimens were identified and separated according to species. Fleas...