Prevalence of cattle and buffalo ticks in northern Kerala

The prevalence of ticks was assessed in cattle and buffaloes in Kasargod, Kannur and Kozhikode districts of northern Kerala during southwest monsoon season. Out of the 342 animals, 20.5% were infested with ticks with higher infestation in cattle (22.4%) than buffaloes (12.8%). The species of ticks identified from these regions were Haemaphysalis bispinosa, H. spinigera, H. intermedia, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus, R. (B.) microplus, R. (B.) decoloratus, Amblyomma integrum in which R. (B.) annulatus and H. bispinosa were most prevalent.