Both soluble and cell-mediated components are involved in the innate immune response of arthropods. Injection of Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease agent, results in the secretion of defensin into the hemolymph of the ixodid tick, Dermacentor variabilis. The presence of the peptide is observed as early as 15 min post-challenge and remains present through 18 h post-challenge. As observed in ...

Vaal ribbok (Pelea capreolus), bontebok (Damaliscus dorcas dorcas) and scrub hares (Lepus saxatilis) were slaughtered in the Bontebok National Park at regular intervals and examined for arthropod parasites. Twelve species of ixodid ticks were recovered; the antelope each harboured 9 species and the hares 11. Rhipicephalus nitens was the most prevalent and most abundant tick. The vaal ribbok als...

Seventeen ixodid tick species or subspecies have been collected from Dorper sheep in South Africa. The diseases transmitted or the conditions caused by these ticks in sheep are discussed. Although Dorper sheep may be infested with the scab mite, Psoroptes ovis, this does not seem to cause production losses. These sheep may, however, serve as a source of mite infestation for woolled sheep. The m...

Seventy-three nyalas (Tragelaphus angasii) in the Umfolozi, Mkuzi and Ndumu Game Reserves in northeastern KwaZulu-Natal were examined for arthropod parasites during 1983 and 1984. In addition, six animals were examined during 1994. Ten ixodid tick species, two louse species and a louse fly species were recovered. The nyalas were good hosts of all stages of development of Boophilus decoloratus, ...

A survey of ectoparasites on feral pigs identified two commonly occurring ixodid tick species; Amblyomma triguttatum triguttatum and Ixodes australiensis. Molecular screening of A. t. triguttatum and I. australiensis for the presence of Rickettsia species detected the presence of rickettsiae belonging to the Spotted Fever Group (SFG) in 78.4% of screened A. t. triguttatum. None of the screened ...

Ticks were collected at irregular intervals from December 1995 to November 1996 from wildlife on Mtendere Game Ranch in the Chisamba District of Central Province, Zambia. Total collections were made from two species of ground-nesting birds and 20 species of small and large mammals. Thirteen species/subspecies of ixodid ticks were recovered. Rhipicephalus appendiculatus was the most abundant, fo...

In an effort to identify life-stage specific Boophilus microplus proteins that elicit a humoral response in cattle, soluble proteins were extracted from 10- to 14-day-old larvae and subsequently fractionated by size-exclusion chromatography and reverse-phase high pressure liquid chromatography. Several antigens were identified by Western blotting as potentially shared with other ixodid tick spe...

Bartonella spp. are facultative intracellular bacteria associated with several emerging diseases in humans and animals. B. henselae causes cat-scratch disease and is increasingly associated with several other syndromes, particularly ocular infections and endocarditis. Cats are the main reservoir for B. henselae and the bacteria are transmitted to cats by cat fleas. However, new potential vector...

Ixodid ticks were collected from 104 wild carnivores belonging to 23 species in various nature reserves and on several farms in all nine provinces of South Africa. Seven feral cats in a nature reserve were also examined. Twenty-four tick species belonging to seven genera were recovered and identified. Amongst these ticks we consider the adults of Haemaphysalis leachi, Haemaphysalis spinulosa, H...

Five species of ixodid ticks were found in a cross-sectional survey in which 200 sheep were examined for ticks in River Nile Province, Sudan. Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum was the predominant species (73.6%), whereas ticks belonging to the Rhipicephalus sanguineus group (14.7%), Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi (9.1%), Rhipicephalus simus (2%) and Hyalomma dromedarii (0.5%) were also found. The m...