Tick-borne pathogens in Ghana: Emerging threat to animal and human health

Ticks continue to spread worldwide transmitting pathogens that affect animal production and human health. With the transboundary movement of herdsmen and their livestock through the borders into Ghana, there is likely to be the introduction of new tick species and their associated pathogens. This review provides information on the distribution of livestock ticks and tick-borne pathogens, emphasising the threat to both human and animal health. A search was done using terms about tick-borne pathogens and livestock ticks in Ghana from Google Scholar, PubMed and Scopus. This review examined information from 47 published papers on ticks and tick-borne pathogens infecting livestock and humans. Amblyomma variegatum is the predominant tick species mostly infesting cattle. However, recent studies have reported the presence of other species such as Rhipicephalus microplus, Hyalomma marginatum, Hyalomma dromedarii and Rhipicephalus turanicus. Diverse pathogens of zoonotic and veterinary importance such as Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV), Rickettsia africae, Coxiella burnetii and Anaplasma capra have been detected in ticks, livestock and abattoir workers. There is an increasing risk of tick-borne pathogen infections in the human and animal populations. The implementation of control methods aimed at efficiently managing tick populations and halting the spread of zoonotic tick-borne pathogens is urgently needed.