Heloise Heyne

Ixodid Ticks Feeding on Humans in South Africa: with Notes on Preferred Hosts, Geographic Distribution, Seasonal Occurrence and Transmission of Pathogens

This paper records the identities of 558 ixodid ticks feeding on 194 humans in South Africa. These ticks belonged to 20 species in six genera and those most frequently encountered were Amblyomma hebraeum, Haemaphysalis leachi, Hyalommamarginatum rufipes, Hyalomma truncatum, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Rhipicephalus gertrudae and Rhipicephalus simus. With the exception of the larvae of R. appendiculatus, the incidents of these ticks feeding on humans correlated well with their seasonal occurrences on preferred hosts. Ticks were also collected at monthly intervals, for 14 consecutive months, from the clothing of a game-guard providing protection for field-workers engaged in the collection, by means of flannel strips, of free-living ticks from the vegetation of four localities in the southern region of the Kruger National Park. In addition, with the exception of 3 months when the particular worker was absent, ticks that fed on one of the field-workers were collected over the same 14-month period. A total of 54,429 free-living ticks belonging to 14 species and six genera were collected from the vegetation at the four localities during this time and 3751 ticks belonging to 11 species and six genera from the clothing of the game-guard. The larvae of A. hebraeum and Boophilus decoloratus were the most numerous of the immature ticks, and H. leachi and R. simus of the adults on both the vegetation and the guard’s clothing. Ticks fed on the field-worker on six occasions and 14 were collected, all of which were A. hebraeum larvae.

Parasites of domestic and wild animals in South Africa. XLVIII . Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting domestic cats and wild felids in southern Africa

Ticks collected from domestic cats (Felis catus), cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus),caracals (Caracal caracal), African wild cats (Felis lybica), black-footed cats (Felis nigripes), a serval (Leptailurus serval), lions(Panthera leo), and leopards (Panthera pardus) were identified and counted. Thirteen species of ixodid ticks and one argasid tick were identified from domestic cats and 17 species of ixodid ticks from wild felids. The domestic cats and wild felids harboured 11 ixodid species in common. The adults of Haemaphysalis elliptica, the most abundant tick species infesting cats and wild felids, were most numerous on a domestic cat in late winter and in mid-summer, during 2 consecutive years. The recorded geographic distribution of the recently described Haemaphysalis colesbergensis, a parasite of cats and caracals, was extended by 2 new locality records in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa.

The dynamics of questing ticks collected for 164 consecutive months off the vegetation of two landscape zones in the Kruger National Park (1988–2002). Part III. The less commonly collected species

Despite many studies regarding tick ecology, limited information on long-term changes in tick populations exist. This study assessed the long-term population dynamics of the less frequently collected questing ixodid ticks in the Kruger National Park (KNP). From 1988 to 2002, monthly dragging of the vegetation was performed in three habitats (grassland, woodland and gully) at two sites in the KNP (Nhlowa Road, Landscape Zone 17, and Skukuza, Landscape Zone 4). Amblyomma marmoreum and Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi were collected as larvae most commonly. Most A. marmoreum larvae were collected at Skukuza and numbers peaked from March to July. More R. evertsi evertsi larvae were collected at Nhlowa Road and numbers peaked in summer and in winter, while at Skukuza there was a single peak in spring. Haemaphysalis elliptica, Rhipicephalus simus and Rhipicephalus turanicus were collected as adults most commonly. More Ha. elliptica and R. turanicus were collected at Nhlowa Road than at Skukuza, while R. simus numbers from the two sites were approximately equal. Ha. elliptica were collected most often between February and June, and R. simus and R. turanicus during February and March. All three species were collected more frequently in gullies than in grassland or woodland. Their numbers increased in 1994/1995 following an eruption of rodents, the preferred hosts of the immature stages. The different host-seeking strategies of ticks largely determine the development stage at which they are likely to be collected during vegetation dragging and reflect a complex interaction between ticks, their hosts and the environment.

Distribution of endemic and introduced tick species in Free State Province, South Africa.

Abstract The distributions of endemic tick vector species as well as the presence of species not endemic to Free State Province, South Africa, were determined during surveys or opportunistic collections from livestock, wildlife and vegetation. Amongst endemic ticks, the presence of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus was confirmed in the north of the province, whilst Rhipicephalus decoloratus was collected at 31 localities mostly in the centre and east, and Ixodes rubicundus at 11 localities in the south, south-west and centre of the province. Amongst the non-endemic species adult Amblyomma hebraeum were collected from white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) on four privately owned farms, whilst the adults of Rhipicephalus microplus were collected from cattle and a larva from vegetation at four localities in the east of the province. The collection of Rhipicephalus evertsi mimeticus from a sheep in the west of the province is the second record of its presence in the Free State, whereas the presence of Haemaphysalis silacea on helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris) and vegetation in the centre of the province represents a first record for this species in the Free State. The first collection of the argasid tick, Ornithodoros savignyi, in the Free State was made from a domestic cow and from soil in the west of the province. The localities at which the ticks were collected have been plotted and the ticks’ role in the transmission or cause of disease in domestic livestock and wildlife is discussed.

First Description of the Immature Stages and Redescription of the Adults of Cosmiomma hippopotamensis (Acari: Ixodidae) With Notes on Its Bionomics

ABSTRACT Cosmiomma hippopotamensis (Denny, 1843) is one of the most unusual, beautiful, and rare tick species known to the world. All stages of this species possess a unique morphology, on the one hand making them easy to identify, while on the other they exhibit similarities to certain species of Amblyomma Koch, 1844, Dermacentor Koch, 1844, and Hyalomma Koch, 1844. Adults of C. hippopotamensis have been collected on only two occasions from their hosts, namely Hippopotamus amphibius L. and Diceros bicornis (L.), and have been recorded from only a few widely separated localities in East and southern Africa. Here, the larva and nymph are described and illustrated for the first time, while the male and female are illustrated and redescribed. Data on hosts, geographic distribution, and life cycle of C. hippopotamensis are also provided.

The Ixodid Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of Southern Africa

of Agricultural Statistics (2013) Directorate: knowledge and information management. Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Pretoria Aeschlimann A (1967) Biologie et écologie des tiques (Ixodoidea) de Côte d’Ivoire. Acta Trop 24:281–405 Alahmed AM, Kheir SM (2003) Life cycle and survival of Hyalomma dromedarii (Acari: Ixodidae) under laboratory conditions. Agric Mar Sci 8:11–14 Anderson PC, Kok OB (2003) Ectoparasites of springhares in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa. S Afr J Wildl Res 33:23–32 Apanaskevich DA, Horak IG (2006) The genus Hyalomma Koch, 1844. I. Reinstatement of Hyalomma (Euhyalomma) glabrum Delpy, 1949 (Acari, Ixodidae) as a valid species with a redescription of the adults, the first description of its immature stages and notes on its biology. Onderstepoort J Vet Res 73:1–12 Apanaskevich DA, Horak IG (2008a) The genus Hyalomma Koch, 1844. V. Re-evaluation of the taxonomic rank of taxa comprising the H. (Euhyalomma) marginatum group of species (Acari: Ixodidae) with redescription of all parasitic stages and notes on biology. Int J Acarol 34:13–42 Apanaskevich DA, Horak IG (2008b) The genus Hyalomma. VI. Systematics of H. (Euhyalomma) truncatum and the closely related species, H. (E.) albiparmatum and H. (E.) nitidum (Acari, Ixodidae). Exp Appl Acarol 44:115–136 Apanaskevich DA, Horak IG (2008c) Two new species of African Haemaphysalis ticks (Acari: Ixodidae), carnivore parasites of the H. (Rhipistoma) leachi group. J Parasitol 94:594–607 Apanaskevich DA, Horak IG, Camicas J-L (2007) Redescription of Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) elliptica (Koch, 1844), an old taxon of the Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) leachi group from East and southern Africa, and of Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) leachi (Audouin, 1826) (Ixodida, Ixodidae). Onderstepoort J Vet Res 74:181–208 Apanaskevich DA, Schuster A, Horak IG (2008) The genus Hyalomma Koch, 1844. VII. Redescription of all the parasitic stages of H. (Euhyalomma) dromedarii Koch, 1844 and H. (E.) schulzei Olenev, 1931 (Acari: Ixodidae). J Med Entomol 45:817–831 Apanaskevich DA, Horak IG, Matthee CA, Matthee S (2011) A new species of Ixodes (Acari: Ixodidae) from South African mammals. J Parasitol 97:389–398 Apanaskevich DA, Walker JB, Heyne H, Bezuidenhout JD, Horak IG (2013) First description of the immature stages and redescription of the adults of Cosmiomma hippopotamensis (Acari: Ixodidae) with notes on its bionomics. J Med Entomol 50:709–722. https://doi.org/10.1603/ ME12271 Arthur DR (1960) Ticks. A monograph of the Ixodoidea. Part V. On the genera Dermacentor, Anocentor, Cosmiomma, Boophilus and Margaropus. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 197–204

Parasites of domestic and wild animals in South Africa. L. Ixodid ticks infesting horses and donkeys

The aim of the study was to determine the species spectrum of ixodid ticks that infest horses and donkeys in South Africa and to identify those species that act as vectors of disease to domestic livestock. Ticks were collected opportunistically from 391 horses countrywide by their owners or grooms, or by veterinary students and staff at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria. Ticks were also collected from 76 donkeys in Limpopo Province, 2 in Gauteng Province and 1 in North West province. All the ticks were identified by means of a stereoscopic microscope. Horses were infested with 17 tick species, 72.1% with Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, 19.4% with Amblyomma hebraeum and 15.6% with Rhipicephalus decoloratus. Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi was recovered from horses in all nine provinces of South Africa and R. decoloratus in eight provinces. Donkeys were infested with eight tick species, and 81.6% were infested with R. evertsi evertsi, 23.7% with A. hebraeum and 10.5% with R. decoloratus. Several tick species collected from the horses and donkeys are the vectors of economically important diseases of livestock. Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi is the vector of Theileria equi, the causative organism of equine piroplasmosis. It also transmits Anaplasma marginale, the causative organism of anaplasmosis in cattle. Amblyomma hebraeum is the vector of Ehrlichia ruminantium, the causative organism of heartwater in cattle, sheep and goats, whereas R. decoloratus transmits Babesia bigemina, the causative organism of babesiosis in cattle.

Detection of zoonotic agents and a new Rickettsia strain in ticks from donkeys from South Africa: Implications for travel medicine

BACKGROUND In rural South Africa, people are in close contact with tick-infested donkeys. This study aimed to investigate the presence of spotted fever group Rickettsia, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia and Coxiella species in these arthropods. METHOD 376 ticks (7 species) from donkeys from Limpopo Province (South Africa) were pooled and analyzed using PCR assays for the bacterium detection. RESULTS Rickettsia africae was amplified in 6 Amblyomma hebraeum, 1 Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and 5 Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi pools. Rickettsia aeschlimannii was found in 1 Hyalomma rufipes, 1 Rh. appendiculatus and 2 Rh. e. evertsi pools. Three Rhipicephalus simus specimens were infected with a new Rickettsia strain that showed low identity with any validated Rickettsia species. Ehrlichia canis was detected in 2 Rh. e. evertsi pools and in one of them Anaplasma bovis was amplified. An Am. hebraeum pool showed infection with Anaplasma ovis and another with Coxiella burnetii. CONCLUSION South African donkeys are involved in the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens and other associated agents such as C. burnetii with Health importance. A potential new Rickettsia species, with unknown pathogenic potential, has been detected in the anthropophilic Rh. simus.

Sources of Information and Methods

This section provides a brief overview of the countries of Southern Africa and the physiography, climate and biomes of the region. A recommended source of detailed information on the countries and data related to agricultural resources can be accessed on the website http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/agpc/doc/counprof/‘country’/‘country’.htm. This section also includes notes on the nomenclature used for ticks and for host animals, as well as on host specificity and the various methods of tick collection.

Hosts and Host and Vegetation Tick Lists

The habits of some of the domestic and wild hosts of ixodid ticks in Southern Africa are briefly discussed in relation to their vulnerability to infestation. Extensive host/tick lists including domestic animals, wild mammals, birds and reptiles for South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho and Maputo Province, Mozambique are provided.