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PubMed1989

Neutralizing antibody responses to bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus serotypes in beef cattle.

Blood samples were obtained from sentinel beef cattle at monthly intervals, and the sera were tested for antibodies, using a bluetongue virus (BTV) immunodiffusion test (IDT) and virus-neutralization test (VNT), for 5 BTV serotypes (2, 10, 11, 13, and 17) and 2 epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) serotypes (1 and 2). The cattle tested were transported from Tennessee to Texas in 1984 and 1985. All cattle were seronegative by the BTV IDT at the initial bleeding in Texas in 1984 and 1985. In 1984, 16 of 40 (40%) cattle seroconverted as assessed by results of the BTV IDT. In the 16 seropositive cattle in 1984, neutralizing antibodies were detected to BTV serotypes 10 (n = 7), 11 (n = 3), and 17 (n = 11), and EHDV serotypes 1 (n = 1) and 2 (n = 7). In 1984, no cattle seroconverted to BTV-2 or BTV-13. In 1985, 10 of 36 (27.8%) cattle seroconverted as assessed by results of the IDT. Of the 10 seropositive cattle in 1985, neutralizing antibodies were detected to BTV serotypes 10 (n = 10), 11 (n = 10), 13 (n = 7), and 17 (n = 5), and EHDV serotypes 1 (n = 1) and 2 (n = 7). In 1985, no cattle seroconverted to BTV-2. Clinical diseases attributable to BTV or EHDV was not detected in these cattle in 1984 or 1985.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Blood from bovine leukemia virus-infected cattle: antigen production correlated with infectivity.

Leukocytes from 1 ml of blood from cattle seropositive to the bovine leukemia virus were cultured for 3 days and then tested by radioimmunoassay for antigen production. Infectivity of blood from each animal was also tested by calf inoculation and subsequent serologic detection of bovine leukemia virus transmission by agar-gel immunodiffusion. In a preliminary experiment, blood from each of 3 antigen-positive cattle was inoculated intracutaneously into 2 calves in volumes of 20 or 100 microliter. Blood from each of 4 antigen-negative cattle was similarly inoculated into 3 calves in volumes of 20, 100, or 500 microliter. At the termination of the experiment (8 weeks after inoculation), all 6 calves given blood from antigen-positive cattle had seroconverted, and 11 of 12 calves given blood from antigen-negative cattle had seroconverted. In a 2nd experiment, blood from each of 2 antigen-positive and 2 antigen-negative cattle was inoculated into pairs of calves in volumes of 1, 10, or 20 microliter. At the end of the experiment (12 weeks after inoculation), all calves inoculated with blood from antigen-positive cattle had seroconverted, but only 6 of 12 calves that had been given blood from antigen-negative cattle had seroconverted. The relative infectivity of blood was best illustrated by comparing results from the 1-microliter inoculations. At that volume, the 4 calves given blood from antigen-positive cattle were infected, whereas none of 4 calves given blood from antigen-negative cattle was infected.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Effects of tick infestation on Boran (Bos indicus) cattle immunised against theileriosis in an endemic area of Kenya.

Boran (Bos indicus) heifers were immunised by infection with local Theileria parva parva, T p lawrencei and T mutans stocks and treated with parvaquone and later exposed to natural tick and tick-borne disease challenge in the Trans-Mara Division of Kenya. The Theileria species parasites in the challenge were maintained in African buffalo and cattle and the tick vectors were supported by several species of wild Bovidae and domestic livestock present in the area. Thirty immune cattle were observed for 30 weeks while grazing on a ranch in the Trans-Mara Division. Of these, 15 were immersed in toxaphene at weekly or twice-weekly intervals while 15 cattle remained without acaricide application. Cattle which became pregnant were withdrawn from the experiment. There was no evidence of any clinical tick-borne disease in either group of cattle during the experiment. Five species of ixodid ticks infested the cattle during the experiment and cattle which were not treated with acaricide had far more ticks. Rhipicephalus appendiculatus was the most abundant tick species, with a mean infestation of 46 adults per animal in the undipped cattle. This tick also appeared to be the cause of the observed reduction in weight gains. Major haematological parameters did not differ significantly between the groups. Behavioural studies showed that the undipped cattle spent less time grazing and ruminating. This study has shown that, at the expense of some loss in productivity, zebu cattle, immunised against ticks and theileriosis, can be kept despite tick infestation.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Serologic and clinical responses of premunized, vaccinated, and previously infected cattle to challenge exposure by two different Anaplasma marginale isolates.

Two Anaplasma marginale isolates, one originating in Florida (FAM) and the other from Virginia (VAM), were compared immunologically by cross-challenge exposure of 14 Anaplasma carrier cattle, 8 previously infected cattle, and 6 splenectomized carrier calves. In addition, 28 cattle vaccinated with a commercially available adjuvant killed vaccine and 22 nonvaccinated cattle were challenge exposed with either FAM or VAM. A detectable clinical response was not produced by either FAM or VAM challenge exposure in carrier and previously infected cattle; however, evidence of A marginale growth as characterized by low percentages of parasitemia and increased serum complement-fixation titers was seen in carrier cattle given a heterologous challenge organism and in previously infected cattle inoculated with either homologous or heterologous organisms. Among splenectomized calves, there was virtually no cross protection to the heterologous challenge exposure, whereas a homologous challenge failed to elicit any detectable response. Vaccinated cattle were resistant to VAM exposure, but the clinical response to FAM exposure was severe with a 47% mortality. Most of these cattle displayed typical acute anaplasmosis that was only marginally less severe than that encountered in nonvaccinated cattle.

Anaplasma↗
PubMed1983

Abomasal ulcer disease in adult dairy cattle.

In a review of case records of all dairy cattle greater than or equal to 1 year of age admitted to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine in a 4-year-period, abomasal ulcer disease was diagnosed definitively in 42 (2.17%) of cattle. In 5 additional cattle, abomasal ulcers were secondary to lymphosarcoma. The mortality rate for cattle with confirmed abomasal ulcer disease was 50%. For cattle with ulcers causing severe blood loss or diffuse peritonitis, the mortality rate was 100%. Concurrent disease conditions were present in 76% of cattle with abomasal ulcer disease. Significant associations were observed between month of diagnosis and abomasal ulcer disease, and between lactation status and ulcer disease; however, no association between age and ulcer disease was observed. In 71% of all cattle with confirmed abomasal ulcer disease, at least 1 of the following clinical signs was observed: abdominal pain, melena, or pale mucous membranes. Cattle with ulcers causing severe blood loss typically had tachycardia and were anemic. Cattle with ulcers causing peritonitis had elevated concentrations of leukocytes in the peritoneal fluid. Hypochloremic, metabolic alkalosis was a common finding in cattle with each type of abomasal ulcer disease except those with ulcers causing diffuse peritonitis, when metabolic acidosis occasionally occurred.

Abomasum↗
PubMed1995

Characterization of functions of neutrophils from bone marrow of cattle with leukocyte adhesion deficiency.

Marked differences in bone marrow cellularity were observed between cattle affected with leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD) and control cattle. The number of nucleated cells in bone marrow was 2.9 to 8.8 times higher in cattle affected with LAD, compared with controls. The myeloid-to-erythroid ratio of bone marrow from 3 cattle affected with LAD ranged from 2.4 to 12. Deficient CD18 expression on neutrophils isolated from bone marrow of cattle with LAD was clearly detected by flow cytometric analysis. Neutrophils from bone marrow of cattle affected with LAD appeared round and not flat, after adherence to plastic wells under agarose, whereas neutrophils from bone marrow of clinically normal cattle were firmly spread on the surface of plastic wells. In the chemotaxis under-agarose assay, many pseudopodia were detected on bone marrow neutrophils from clinically normal cattle, but were not detected on bone marrow neutrophils from cattle with LAD. Activities of chemotactic movements and phagocytosis of neutrophils isolated from bone marrow of cattle affected with LAD were documented to be severely impaired.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Analysis of genetic diversity of domestic cattle in east and Southeast Asia in terms of variations in restriction sites and sequences of mitochondrial DNA.

There are three major groups of domestic cattle in East and Southeast Asia: European cattle, Zebu cattle, and Bali cattle. Ten restriction enzymes were used to analyze restriction site variants in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in 178 individuals belonging to these three groups of cattle. The results indicate that each of the three groups has mtDNA with a specific haplotype. The sequence of the mitochondrial gene for cytochrome b in representative haplotypes of Zebu and Bali cattle was determined and was compared with that of European cattle in the literature. We calculated 51 pairwise nucleotide sequence differences between European and Zebu cattle and 91 between European and Bali cattle. Our results suggest that ancestral populations of Asiatic domestic cattle may have diverged into two lineages--Bali and European plus Zebu--more than 3 million years ago, and then the European and Zebu groups diverged more than 1 million years or so before domestication occurred.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Serological indication for persistence of bovine respiratory syncytial virus in cattle and attempts to detect the virus.

To identify putative persistent bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) infections in cattle, seven cattle that had experienced BRSV infections were treated with corticosteroids for two periods of 5 days. During the 5-day periods and the 3 weeks after treatment, attempts were made to isolate BRSV from lung lavage fluid and nasal swab specimens. Fluorescent antibody tests were used to detect BRSV antigen in lung lavage cells. A BRSV specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed, and was performed on lung lavage samples of all seven cattle as well as on various tissues of five of the cattle. In addition, nasal swabs of 74 over-one-year-old cattle, in a closed dairy herd were also assayed by PCR. The virus or its RNA was not detected in putative carriers, by any of the methods used, whereas all positive controls were positive. After corticosteroid treatment, three of the seven cattle showed a fourfold rise in antibody titre, suggesting induction of virus replication. BRSV-seronegative sentinel calves, that were housed together with each corticosteroid-treated animal, did not develop antibodies to BRSV indicating that BRSV was not shed by corticosteroid-treated cattle, or was shed at a very low level. In addition BRSV was not detected in seropositive cattle in a closed farm in summer. Although we consider the rises in antibody titres against BRSV an indication for persistence of BRSV in cattle, BRSV or its RNA was not detected in infected cattle.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Studies of tuberculosis in man in relation to infection in cattle.

A study has been made in Sweden to investigate whether the risk of tuberculous infection and its trend with time in man in different areas were related to varying prevalences of tuberculous infection in cattle. It was found that the level of the infection risk in man was related to the prevalence of tuberculous infection in cattle, varying from 3-4 per cent in 1935 at age 15 in counties with less than 2 per cent infected cattle to 5-8 per cent in counties with 20 per cent infected cattle or more. However, the downward trend to the risk of infection with time was not to found be associated with the prevalence of tuberculous infection in cattle. The correlation between the risk of infection in man and the prevalence of infection in cattle in the 24 Swedish counties was positive and highly significant (+0-79). The relationship between cattle tuberculosis and tuberculosis in man was further studied by correlating infection in cattle with tuberculosis mortality and morbidity in man. The correlation with mortality was negative and highly significant (-0-77), i.e. counties with little cattle tuberculosis had a high tuberculosis mortality in man, and vice versa. There were similar large negative correlations with measures of tuberculosis incidence. When variations between the counties in relevant environmental factors, namely capital, urbanization and overcrowding, were taken into account, a strong positive association remains between the prevalence of infected cattle and the risk of tuberculous infection in man, but the associations with tuberculous mortality and morbidity, though they remain negative, become weaker. It is suggested that the probable explanation of these findings is the long-term protection against adult infection with human tubercle bacilli conferred by bovine infection in childhood.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

The anamnestic response to Brucella abortus-infected and vaccinated cattle.

Fifty-four cattle were sensitised to Brucella antigens either by vaccination with Brucella abortus strain 19 (S19) or B. abortus 45/20 (S45/20) and 24 of these were challenged 12 weeks after mating with virulent B. abortus strain 544 (S544). A further 12 cattle which were not vaccinated were exposed to S544. After 40 weeks, all these cattle (66), together with 5 cattle which were not sensitised by vaccination or challenge were subsequently inoculated with one dose of S45/20 and the anamnestic response was measured by the complement fixation test. Ten to 15 weeks later the cattle were slaughtered and tissues cultured. Of the 52 (2 died) vaccinated cattle, 35 gave a positive anamnestic response and 20 of these were not challenged. Of the 17 unvaccinated cattle, one gave a positive response and this animal had been exposed to S544 prior to the inoculation with S45/20. The results indicated that the method had a level of sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 100% in serologically negative cattle that had been exposed previously to Brucella antigens. An evaluation of the method for detecting serologically negative, but infected cattle was not possible as the number of cattle suitable for examination in this study was too low.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Infectivity of bovine leukaemia virus infected cattle: an ELISA for detecting antigens expressed in in vitro cultured lymphocytes.

A simple ELISA is described for quantifying expression of bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) antigens in short-term cultures of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) isolated from infected cattle. The PBL-ELISA demonstrated that antigen expression levels in infected cattle could vary by more than 50-fold. Inoculation of sheep with dilutions of lymphocytes from two BLV-infected cattle, differentiated in the PBL-ELISA by 50 to 100-fold, suggested that antigen expression levels were correlated with infectivity. Haematological data indicated that increased antigen expression in PBL cultures was associated with an increased number of circulating B-lymphocytes, irrespective of whether or not an animal had lymphocytosis. This supported the hypothesis that BLV-infected cattle that are PBL-ELISA positive are more infectious and may present a greater risk of transmitting the disease. The applicability of the PBL-ELISA to a field situation was assessed with 98 BLV-infected cattle from three commercial dairy herds with infection prevalences of 11%, 23% and 47%. Similar percentages (49%, 50% and 52%) of PBL-ELISA positive cattle were identified among those infected cattle available for testing in the three herds. An additional 22 infected cattle from an experimental herd were tested to assess the stability of antigen expression levels over an 8 month period. Fewer (27%) of these cattle were identified as PBL-ELISA positive and antigen expression levels were generally lower than those observed in the commercial herds. Antigen expression levels in the experimental herd remained stable over the period of the study. The potential of the PBL-ELISA to assist in BLV eradication programs by identifying those seropositive cattle with the greatest potential to transmit infection is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Ancient Mongolian aurochs and cattle genomes reveal population shifts associated with the expansion of herding.

Humans hunted aurochs (Bos primigenius) for millennia in Mongolia prior to the introduction of domestic cattle sometime after ca. 5,000 years ago. Here, we present genomic data from Mongolian aurochs and domestic cattle at key points in Mongolia's prehistory to understand changes in population history associated with the adoption of domestic taurine cattle (B. taurus). We compare these low-coverage genomes with other cattle genomes worldwide and make comparisons about the nature of bovine populations before and after the adoption of domestic cattle. Individuals dating to before the introduction of taurine cattle have shared ancestry with North Asian aurochs, and individuals dating after the introduction of taurine cattle are related to other ancient East Asian cattle from archaeological sites such as Shimao in the Ordos region. We identify unique connections between ancient Mongolian aurochs and cattle and modern cattle breeds from Central China and Tibet.

Bos primigenius↗
PubMed1997

Increased resistance to Anaplasma marginale infection in cattle chronically infected with Theileria buffeli (syn. T. orientalis).

Calves chronically infected with the benign haemoprotozoan parasite Theileria buffeli (syn. T. orientalis) and T. buffeli-free calves were experimentally infected with virulent Anaplasma marginale. The daily mean maximum parasitaemia in the T. buffeli-carrier calves was lower and delayed relative to that of the Theileria-free calves. Anaemia was less marked in the Theileria infected calves, although this difference was not statistically significant. The susceptibility of Theileria-carrier and Theileria-free older cattle to virulent A. marginale infection was also investigated. The mean maximum parasitaemia observed in the Theileria-infected cattle was significantly lower than that of the Theileria-free cattle and the time to maximum parasitaemia was increased significantly in the Theileria-infected relative to the Theileria-free cattle. Of the Theileria-carrier cattle, 33% exhibited maximum parasitaemias of less than 0.1% infected erythrocytes and no clinical anaemia as a result of A. marginale infection. In contrast, the lowest maximum parasitaemia observed in the Theileria-free cattle was 7%. The percentage of cattle requiring treatment to prevent mortality due to anaemia was 50% and 91% in the Theileria-infected and Theileria-free cattle respectively. For the duration of increasing A. marginale parasitaemia, the level of Theileria in carrier cattle was significantly depressed or undetectable. Following the resolution of peak A. marginale parasitaemia, the level of Theileria parasites increased rapidly to become significantly higher than that prior to infection and then decreased gradually to a level similar to that prior to infection. The mechanism of the increased resistance to A. marginale infection conferred by T. buffeli-carrier state is unknown, but is likely to involve non-specific cell-mediated immunity, as no serological cross-reactivity exists between these two highly divergent parasite species. The susceptibility of relatively mature cattle to clinical anaplasmosis under field conditions is likely to be significantly affected by the widespread distribution and common occurrence of T. buffeli throughout the range of A. marginale in Australia, Africa and southeast Asia.

Anaplasma↗
PubMed2003

Pattern and manipulation of follicular development in Bos indicus cattle.

Bos indicus cattle are widespread in tropical regions due to their adaptation to these environments. Although data on reproductive performance have indicated both inferior and superior results for B. indicus cattle, there is little doubt that B. indicus cattle are superior than Bos taurus cattle when they are both kept in tropical or subtropical environments, where stressors like hot temperatures, humidity, ectoparasites and low quality forages are greater. Reproductive endocrinology and oestrus behaviour of the B. indicus cattle have been studied for over 30 years; however, the application of technologies such as real time ultrasonography and Heat-Watch systems has expanded our knowledge on the ovarian follicular-wave dynamics during the oestrous cycle and the time of ovulation. Ovarian follicular dynamics in B. indicus cattle is characterised by the occurrence of two, three or sometimes four waves of follicular development. While dominance is similar to that in B. taurus cattle, maximum diameters of the dominant follicle and CL are smaller than those reported in B. taurus and are probably due to a lower capacity for LH secretion than in B. taurus. Duration of oestrus is approximately 10 h and the interval from oestrus to ovulation is about 27 h. However, the variability in response to prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF) treatments and the difficulty for oestrus detection in B. indicus cattle have limited the widespread application of artificial insemination (AI) and emphasizes the need for treatments that control follicular development and ovulation. Follicular-wave development in B. indicus cattle can be controlled mechanically by ultrasound-guided follicle ablation, or hormonally by treatments with GnRH or oestradiol and progestogen/progesterone in combination. Treatments with GnRH plus PGF and a second GnRH (synchronization protocol known as Ovsynch) or oestradiol benzoate (known as GPE) have resulted in acceptable pregnancy rates after fixed-time AI (FTAI) in cycling cows, but results were lower in heifers and cows in postpartum anoestrus. Alternatively, treatments with oestradiol and progestogen/progesterone releasing devices resulted in synchronous emergence of a new follicular wave, and a second oestradiol or GnRH treatment after device removal resulted in synchronous ovulation and acceptable pregnancy rates to FTAI. Furthermore, oestradiol and progesterone treatments combined with eCG (given at the time of device removal) increased pregnancy rates in suckled B. indicus cows and may be useful for the treatment of cows in postpartum anoestrus. In summary, exogenous control of luteal and follicular development facilitates the application of assisted reproductive technologies in B. indicus cattle by offering the possibility of planning AI programs without the necessity of oestrus detection and without sacrificing the overall results.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Peanut by-products fed to cattle.

Peanut by-products supply substantial quantities of feedstuffs to beef cattle grown in the same region where peanuts are produced. Included in the list of products fed to cattle are peanuts and peanut meal, peanut skins, peanut hulls, peanut hay, and silages. Residual peanut hay is by far the most widely used peanut by-product fed to beef cattle, and if it is properly harvested with minimal leaf shatter, it is comparable to good-quality grass hays in nutrient content. Peanut skins are often included in small quantities in cattle and pet foods, supplying both protein and energy. High tannin content of peanut skins can cause severe performance depressions in beef cattle if peanut skins are included at levels higher than 10% of the diet, unless diets contain relatively high CP (above 15% CP), or additional N sources are added such as ammonia or urea. Because dairy cattle diets are often above 16% CP in the total dietary DM, peanut skins may increase milk production when added at levels up to 16% of the dry matter. Peanut hulls are effectively used as a roughage source at levels up to 20% of beef finishing diets, for bedding in dairy cattle loafing sheds (if tested and found to contain low aflatoxin levels), and in a variety of manufactured products. Peanut hulls are economically priced because of their quantity, their inherent high fiber, and low CP content, and they should not be fed as a primary feedstuffs for beef cattle. Peanut by-products are generally priced below other by-products, and they can be incorporated into a variety of supplements and diets for cow herds, growing-finishing cattle, and dairy cattle.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed2001

Risk factors associated with the occurrence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania.

A study was conducted in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania to determine the prevalence of bovine tuberculosis and the risk factors associated with the occurrence of the disease in cattle of different categories and in different climatic zones. The overall prevalence of the disease was 13.2%, and 51% of the herds tested contained reactor cattle. Assessment of risk factors was based on comparisons of the reactivity of the cattle in the single comparative intradermal tuberculin test (SCITT). Older cattle were more affected by the disease than yearlings and calves (p<0.0001). There were significant differences between male and female cattle (p<0.05) and between cattle with exotic blood compared to indigenous Short Horn Zebu (SHZ) cattle (p<0.05). The castrated bulls, often used for draught power, were more frequently (p<0.01) affected than the entire bulls, mainly used for breeding. Reactivity to tuberculin did not appear to be influenced by the reproductive status of the animal. The reactivity to tuberculin of pregnant cattle was not significantly different from that of the rest of the cows (p>0.05). However, significantly more (14.6%) lactating cattle reacted in the SCITT than did non-lactating cows (12.0%) (p<0.05). There was a highly significant difference (p<0.001) between reactivity in the SCITT among cattle grazing in the hot and dry lower lands (14.0%) and that in those grazing in the cool and wet highlands (8.7%).

Age Factors↗
PubMed2003

TYRP1 is associated with dun coat colour in Dexter cattle or how now brown cow?

Tyrosinase related protein 1 (TYRP1), which is involved in the coat colour pathway, was mapped to BTA8 between microsatellites BL1080 and BM4006, using a microsatellite in intron 5 of TYRP1. The complete coding sequence of bovine TYRP1 was determined from cDNA derived from skin biopsies of cattle with various colours. Sequence data from exons 2-8 from cattle with diluted phenotypes was compared with that from non-diluted phenotypes. In addition, full-sib families of beef cattle generated by embryo transfer and half-sib families from traditional matings in which coat colour was segregating were used to correlate TYRP1 sequence variants with dilute coat colours. Two non-conservative amino acid changes were detected in Simmental, Charolais and Galloway cattle but these polymorphisms were not associated with diluted shades of black or red, nor with the dun coat colour of Galloway cattle or the taupe brown colour of Braunvieh and Brown Swiss cattle. However, in Dexter cattle all 25 cattle with a dun brown coat colour were homozygous for a H424Y change. One Dexter that was also homozygous Y434 was red because of an "E+/E+" genotype at MC1R which lead to the production of only phaeomelanin. None of the 70 remaining black or red Dexter cattle were homozygous for Y434. This tyrosine mutation was not found in any of the 121 cattle of other breeds that were examined.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Efficiency and cost of strategic use of acaricide for tick control in N'Dama cattle in The Gambia.

The efficiency of strategic and strategic/selective applications of flumethrin spray formulation for controlling ticks were assessed, respectively, in two groups of fourteen N'Dama cattle (Group S and Group S/S) by comparison of the number of feeding ticks with thirteen untreated N'Dama cattle (Group U) over a period of 11 months (June 1996 to April 1997). During the expected peak of tick abundance, acaricide was applied fortnightly on the whole body in animals in Group S and only on the most infested body areas in cattle in Group S/S. Weight changes and skin lesions, directly associated with tick attachment, were recorded in cattle in the three groups. The costs of the two tick control schemes were estimated. Maximum level of ticks, all species together, feeding on cattle was observed in the rainy season. Both in Group S/S and Group S, cattle carried a lower (P < 0.001) number of feeding ticks than animals in Group U over the whole study period. Percentage of tick control, over the entire period of tick investigation, was satisfactory in both acaricide-treated groups, reaching 61.2 and 75.2% in Groups S/S and S, respectively. However, the proportion of control varied according to tick species or genus. Significantly lower prevalence of skin lesions was observed on the ano-genital and udder region in cattle in Group S/S (P < 0.05) and Group S (P < 0.01) in comparison with cattle in Group U. Mean amount of acaricide solution used and relative estimated cost of treatment in cattle in Group S/S were, respectively, 25- and 14-fold lower than those in cattle in Group S. At the end of the study, animals in Groups S/S and S were, respectively, 7.2 and 15.9 kg heavier than animals in Group U. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.02) only between Groups S and U. However, the efficiency, low cost and derived benefits of the strategic/selective acaricide application scheme indicated that it might be the most cost effective.

Animals↗