Emergence of fipronil resistant Rhipicephalus microplus populations in Indian states

The intensive usage of chemical acaricides for the control of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus has resulted in the development and establishment of multi-acaricide resistant populations. Fipronil, a phenylpyrazole insecticide, is currently marketed in India for the management of this important veterinary tick species. Here, we tested Indian isolates of R. microplus which have developed multi-acaricide resistance, for their susceptibility to fipronil. Twenty-five field isolates from five agro-climatic zones of the country were collected and tested by adult immersion test (AIT) and larval packet test (LPT). Sixteen isolates with resistance factor (RF) in the range of 1.56-10.9 were detected using LPT, whereas only 11 isolates with RF ranging from 1.05 to 4.1 were detected using AIT. A significant variation of RF between both tests was found, which raises doubt about the suitability of larva-based assays in screening of fipronil resistance. The data indicated possible cross-resistance between groups of acaricides in fipronil-resistant tick populations.