Individual host variations in tick infestations of cattle in a resource-poor community

Relative resistance levels of cattle against tick infestations in the communal grazing area of Botshabelo in the south-eastern Free State were determined. The objective was to establish whether differences in resistance can be exploited to contribute to tick control methods used by small-scale farmers in resource-poor environments. Ten cows (Bos taurus crosses) between the ages of 18 months and four years were used and tick counts were conducted once a month over a period of 12 months to compare their total tick burdens. Tick burdens of the various animals were compared mutually as well as with the mean tick burden of the group as a whole. Tick numbers varied throughout the year on all individuals but some animals consistently tended to have either higher or lower numbers than the mean of the group. Tick burdens on cattle classified as having a relatively low resistance to tick infestations increased eleven-fold from January to June 1996 compared to a six-fold increase on cattle categorized as belonging to the high resistance group. Twenty-eight percent of the cattle in the total study group carried 50% of the ticks collected (60,079). It is recommended that farmers in the region visually assess B. decoloratus burdens, the most abundant tick species, and sell or cull the most susceptible animals first in their normal program of utilization of the animals. This should eventually result in the direct improvement of the overall tick resistance of their cattle herds.