Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026
A Capsule-Based Model for Immature Hard Tick Stages Infestation on Laboratory Mice
Published on: July 9, 2020
Characterising African tick communities at a wild-domestic interface using repeated sampling protocols and models
Eve Miguel1, Thierry Boulinier2, Michel de Garine-Wichatitsky3
1Cirad-ES,AGIRs, (Animal et Gestion Intégrée des Risques/Animal and Integrated Risk Management), Montpellier, France; CNRS-Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive - UMR 5175, Montpellier, France; Cirad-ES, AGIRs-RP-PCP, Harare P.O. Box 1378, Zimbabwe.
Wild and domestic animals sharing habitats can transmit diseases through ticks. This study mapped immature tick densities in Zimbabwe, finding higher concentrations near water in communal lands, suggesting potential disease transmission dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Entomology
- Disease Ecology
- Wildlife Health
Background:
- Habitat sharing between wild and domestic animals facilitates pathogen transmission via ectoparasites like ticks.
- Interfaces between protected and communal lands exhibit distinct host community compositions, densities, and diversity.
- Understanding tick ecology at these interfaces is crucial for managing disease transmission risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To map spatial variation in immature tick densities at a wild-domestic animal interface in Zimbabwe.
- To identify factors influencing tick density and detection probability at multiple spatial scales.
- To compare tick densities across distinct landscape compartments with varying host usage.
Main Methods:
- Utilized drag-sampling in vegetation around water pans across national park, mixed, and communal land compartments.
- Employed hierarchical repeated sampling protocols post-rainy season.
- Combined generalized linear mixed models with site occupancy models for robust density estimation.
Main Results:
- Amblyomma and Rhipicephalus were the most abundant tick genera.
- Small-scale: Ticks detected more in afternoons, abundant near water (Amblyomma, Rhipicephalus). Rhipicephalus density higher in grasslands/bushlands vs. woodlands.
- Large-scale: Tick density significantly higher near water in communal lands compared to park/mixed compartments.
Conclusions:
- Tick densities vary significantly with landscape compartment and proximity to water, particularly in communal lands.
- Observed higher tick densities in communal lands with lower host diversity align with a potential dilution effect.
- This study pioneers rigorous, multi-scale tick density estimation in African ecosystems using advanced statistical modeling.
