Abstract
Amblyomma hebraeum differs from many ixodid tick species in that it is not susceptible to the direct effects of the host immune response. All stages of the life cycle are able to feed repeatedly on laboratory hosts and show no progressive declines in engorged weight. However, on cattle there are declines in the yield of engorged adult females over time, as animals become sensitized to the tick and grooming increases. In the field zebu, Bos indicus and sanga, B. indicus × B. taurus breeds of cattle become less heavily infested than B. taurus breeds. The apparent resistance of zebu and sanga breeds is the result of learned tick avoidance behaviour, skin sensitivity and the ability to dislodge ticks prior to attachment as well as grooming ability. Among other Amblyomma spp., the feeding of A. americanum is adversely affected by acquired host immunity, while that of A. variegatum is generally unaffected.
Résumé
A mblyomma hebraeum diffère de beaucoup d’espèces de tiques ixodides en ce sens qu’elle n’est pas susceptible aux effets directs de la réponse immune de l’hôte. Toutes les étapes du cycle de vie peuvent se nourrir à plusieurs reprises d’hôtes laboratoires et ne montrent pas de baisses progressives de poid quand elles sont pleines. Cependant, sur les boeufs il y a au cours du temps des déclins de rendement de femelles adultes pleines, comme les animaux se sensibilisent à la tique et le pansement s’augmente. Aux champs, les races de boeufs zebu, Bos indicus et les sanga, B. indicus × B. taurus deviennent moins infestés que les races B. taurus. La résistance apparente des races zebu et sanga est le résultat d’un comportement appris de l’évasion de tiques, de la sensibilité de la peau et de la capacité de détacher les tiques avant qu’elles ne s’attachent, de même que de l’habilité de se panser. Entre d’autres espèces d’Amblyomma, l’immunité acquise sur le part de l’hôte produit un effet défavorable sur le parasitisme d’A. americanum, tandis qu’en général elle ne produit aucun effet sur celui d’A. variegatum.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen J. R. (1987) Immunology, immunopathology, and immunoprophylaxis of tick and mite infestations. In Immune Responses in Parasitic Infections: Immunology, Immunopathology, and Immunoprophylaxis (Edited by Soulsby E. J. L.), pp. 141–174. Volume IV: Protozoa, arthropods, and invertebrates.CRC Press, Inc. Boca Raton, Florida.
Barre N. (1989) Biologie et ecologie de la tique Amblyomma variegatum (Acarina: Ixodina) en Guadeloupe (Antilles Francaise). Ph.D. dissertation, Universite de Paris-Sud, I.E.M.V.T., Paris.
Bonsma J. C. (1944) Hereditary heartwater-resistant characters in cattle. Farming Sth Afr. 19, 71–96.
Bonsma J. C. (1981) Breeding tick repellent cattle. In Tick Biology and Control (Edited by Whitehead G. B. and Gibson J. D.), pp. 67–77. Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
Brown S. J. and Knapp F. W. (1981) Response of hypersensitized guinea pigs to the feeding of Amblyomma americanum ticks. Parasitology 83, 213–223.
Brown S. J., Barker, R. W. and Askenase P. W. (1984) Bovine resistance to Amblyomma americanum ticks: An acquired immuneresponse characterized by cutaneous basophil infiltrates. Vet. Parasitol. 16, 147–165.
Fivaz B. H. and Norval R. A. 1. (1989) Observations on successive infestations of the rabbit host by the ticks Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and R. zambeziensis (Acari: Ixodidae). Exp. Appl. Acarol. 7, 267–279.
George J. E., Osbum R. L. and Wikel S. K. (1985) Acquisition and expression of resistance by Bos indicus and Bos indicus × Bos taurus calves to Amblyomma americanum infestation. J. Parasitol. 71, 174–182.
Heller-Haupt A., Varma M. R. G., and Langi A. O. (1981) Acquired resistance to ixodid ticks in laboratory animals. Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg. 75, 147–148.
Heller-Haupt A., Varma R. M. G., Rechav Y., Langi A. O. and Trinder P. K. E. (1987) Immunization of animals against the tick, Amblyomma variegatum using homogenates from unfed larval ticks. Med. Sci. Res. 15, 1371–1372.
Holley A. D. and Petney T. N. (1988) The use of domestic chickens as laboratory hosts of the larvae of the bont tick, Amblyomma hebraeum. Onderstepoort J. Vet. Res. 55, 75–76.
Jordaan J. O. and Baker J. A. F. (1981) Survival rate on the host and mating capacity of Amblyomma hebraeum (Koch) male ticks. In TickBiology and Control (Edited by Whitehead G. B. and Gibson J. D.), pp. 115–117. Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
Jongejan F., Pegram R. G., Zivkovic D., Hensen E. J., Mwase E. T., Thielemans M. J. C., Cosse A., Niewold T. A., El Said A. and Uilenberg G. (1989) Monitoring of naturally acquired and artificially induced immunity to Amblyomma variegatum and Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks under field and laboratory conditions. Exp. Appl. Acarol. 7, 181–199.
Latif A. A., Newson R. M. and Dhadialla T. S. (1988) Feeding performance of Amblyomma variegatum (Acarina: Ixodidae) fed repeatedly on rabbits. Exp. Appl. Acarol. 5, 83–92.
McGowan M. J. (1985) Relationship between skinsensitizing antibody production in the snowshoe hare, Lepus americanus, and infestations by the rabbit tick, Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (Acari: Ixodidae). J. Parasitol. 71, 513–515.
McTier T. L., George J. E. and Bennett S. N. (1981) Resistance and cross-resistance of guinea pigs to Dermacentor andersoni Stiles, D.variabilis (Say), Amblyomma americanum (Linnaeus) and Ixodes scapularis Say. J. Parasitol. 67, 813–822.
Morrison W. I. (1989) Immunological control of ticks and tick-borne parasitic diseases of livestock. Parasitology 98, 569–585.
Norval R. A. I. (1974) The life cycle of Amblyomma hebraeum Koch, 1844 (Acarina: Ixodidae). J. Entomol.Soc. Sth. Afr. 37, 357–367.
Norval R. A. I. (1978) Repeated feeding of Amblyomma hebraeum (Acarina: Ixodidae) immatures on laboratory hosts. Host effects on tick yield, engorged weight and engorgement period. J. Parasitol. 64, 910–917.
Norval R. A. I., Floyd R. B. and Kerr J. D. (1988a) Ability of adults of Amblyomma hebraeum (Acarina: Ixodidae) to feed repeatedly on sheep and cattle. Vet. Parasitol. 29, 351–355.
Norval R. A. I., Sutherst R. W., Kurki J., Gibson J. D. and Kerr J. D. (1988b) The effect of the brown ear-tick Rhipicephalus appendiculatus on the growth of sanga and European breed cattle. Vet. Parasitol. 30, 149–164.
Norval R. A. I., Andrew H. R. and Yunker C. E. (1989a) Pheromone-mediation of host-selection in bont ticks (Amblyomma hebraeum Koch). Science 243, 364–365.
Norval R. A. L, Sutherst R. W., Jorgensen O. G., Gibson J. D. and Kerr J. D. (1989b) The effect of the bont tick (Amblyomma hebraeum) on the weight gain of Africander steers. Vet. Parasitol. 33, 329–341.
Norval R. A. I., Barrett J. C., Perry B. D. and Mukheli A. W. (1992) Economics, epidemiology and ecology: A multidisciplinary approach to the planning and the appraisal of tick and tick-borne disease control in southern Africa. In Tick Vector Biology, Veterinary and Medical Aspects (Edited by Fivaz B. H. and Petney T. N.), Springer Verlag Press, (in press).
Randolph S. E. (1979) Population regulation in ticks: The role of acquired resistance in natural and unnatural hosts. Parasitology 79, 141–156.
Rechav Y., Parolis H., Whitehead G. B. and Knight M. M. (1977) Evidence for an assembly pheromone(s) produced by mates of the bont tick, Amblyomma hebraeum (Acarina: Ixodidae). J. Med. Entomol. 14, 71–78.
Rechav Y. and Zeederberg M. E. (1986) Tick populations of two breeds of cattle under field conditions, with a note on blood components related to host resistance. In Morphology, Physiology and Behavioral Biology of Ticks (Edited by Sauer J. R. and Hair J. A.), pp. 445–456. Ellis Horwood Ltd., Chichester.
Spickett A. M. (1992) Breed or genetic resistance of animals to vectors and disease. In Infectious Diseases of Livestock in Southern Africa (Edited by Coetzer J. A. W., Kriek N. P. J., Thompson G. R. and Tustin R. C.). Oxford University Press, Cape Town (in press).
Strother G. R., Burns E. C. and Smart L. I. (1974) Resistance of purebred Brahman, Hereford, and Brahman x Hereford crossbred cattle to the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (Acarina: Ixodidae). J. Med. Entomol. 11, 559–563.
Sutherst R. W. (1981) Is the Australian pest management approach to tick control relevant to Africa? In Tick Biology and Control (Edited by Whitehead G. B. and Gibson J. D.), pp. 79–85. Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
Sutherst R. W., Floyd R. B., Bourne A. S. and Dallwitz M. J. (1986) Cattle grazing behavior regulates tick populations. Experientia 42, 194–196.
Tatchell R. J. (1986) Interactions between ticks and their hosts. In Proceedings of the 6th International Congress of Parasitology (Edited by Howell M. J.), pp. 597–606. Australian Academy of Sciences, Canberra.
Theis J. H. and Budwiser P. D. (1974) Rhipicephalus sanguineus: sequential histopathology at the host-arthropod interface. Exp. Parasitol. 36, 77–105.
Wikel S. K. and Whelen A. C. (1986) Ixodid-host immune interaction. Identification and characterization of révélant antigens and tick induced host immunosuppression. Vet. Parasitol. 20, 149–174.
Willadsen P. (1980) Immunity to ticks. Adv. Parasitol. 18, 293–313.
Willadsen P. (1986) Immunological approaches to the control of ticks. In Proceedings of the 6th International Congress of Parasitology (Edited by Howell M. J.), pp. 671–677. Australian Academy of Sciences, Canberra.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Norval, R.A.I. Host Susceptibility to Infestation with Amblyomma Hebraeum. Int J Trop Insect Sci 13, 489–494 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400016064
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400016064