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Exp Appl Acarol

Title:		Seasonal occurrence of the bont tick (Amblyomma hebraeum) in the southern lowveld of Zimbabwe
Author(s):		Norval RA; Andrew HR; Meltzer MI;
Address:		"Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611-0633"
Journal Title:		Exp Appl Acarol
Year:		1991
Volume:		13
Issue:		2
Page Number:		81 - 96
DOI:		10.1007/BF01193659
ISSN/ISBN:		0168-8162 (Print) 0168-8162 (Linking)
Abstract:		"The seasonal occurrence of the bont tick Amblyomma hebraeum was recorded over 2 years on 20 Brahman cattle held in a 240-ha paddock at Mbizi in southeastern Zimbabwe. The cattle were infested with all life cycle stages throughout the study period, and no clearly defined seasonal patterns were recorded. Males remained attached for up to about 6 months, and consequently accumulated on the cattle and outnumbered females considerably. The cattle did not acquire resistance to A. hebraeum and the abundance of the adults increased steadily over the 2 years of sampling. The occurrence of adults and nymphs on hosts appeared to be largely independent of weather, and these stages were active over the entire range of temperature and relative humidity recorded during the study period. It was concluded that unfed adults and nymphs are able to engage in host-seeking irrespective of weather conditions as they do not await hosts on the vegetation but emerge from protected microhabitats in response to specific stimuli from hosts, notably, carbon dioxide and the aggregation-attachment pheromone emitted by attached males. This behavior may explain the reported absence of a consistent pattern of seasonal occurrence of A. hebraeum at different locations in southeastern Africa"
Keywords:		Animals Cattle Cattle Diseases/*epidemiology/parasitology Feeding Behavior Female Humidity Male Nymph/growth & development/physiology Rain Seasons Temperature Tick Infestations/epidemiology/parasitology/*veterinary Ticks/growth & development/*physiology Z;
Notes:		"MedlineNorval, R A Andrew, H R Meltzer, M I eng Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. Netherlands 1991/12/01 Exp Appl Acarol. 1991 Dec; 13(2):81-96. doi: 10.1007/BF01193659"