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Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Associated with Wildlife and Vegetation of Haller Park Along the Kenyan Coastline Author(S): W

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Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Associated with Wildlife and Vegetation of Haller Park Along the Kenyan Coastline Author(S): W Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Associated with Wildlife and Vegetation of Haller Park along the Kenyan Coastline Author(s): W. Wanzala and S. Okanga Source: Journal of Medical Entomology, 43(5):789-794. 2006. Published By: Entomological Society of America DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/0022-2585(2006)43[789:TAIAWW]2.0.CO;2 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/ full/10.1603/0022-2585%282006%2943%5B789%3ATAIAWW%5D2.0.CO %3B2 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/ terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. FORUM Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Associated with Wildlife and Vegetation of Haller Park along the Kenyan Coastline 1 W. WANZALA AND S. OKANGA Rehabilitation and Ecosystems Department, Lafarge Eco Systems Limited, P.O. Box 81995, Mombasa, Coast Province, Kenya. J. Med. Entomol. 43(5): 789Ð794 (2006) ABSTRACT This artcile describes the results obtained from a tick survey conducted in Haller park along the Kenyan coastline. The survey aimed at evaluating tickÐhost associations, assessing tick population density, and providing baseline information for planning future tick control and manage- ment in the park. Ticks (2,968) were collected by handpicking from eight species of wildlife and by dragging in 14 selected sites within the park. A considerable proportion of ticks were also collected from leaves, stems, and bark of most dominant trees, namely, Casuarina equisetifolia L. (Forst. & Forst.), Cocos nucifera L., Adansonia digitata L., Musa paradisiaca L., and Azadiracta indica Adr. Juss. Dragging was conducted in sites predominantly occupied by Cynodon dactylon L. (Pers.), Cenchrus ciliaris L., Stenotaphrum dimidiatum L. (Kuntze.) Brongn., and Brachiaria xantholeuca Hack. Ex Schinz Stapf. and Loudetia kagerensis K. Schum. Hutch. Eight tick species were identiÞed, and the collection included Rhipicephalus pravus Do¨nitz 1910, Rhipicephalus pulchellus Gersta¨cker 1873, Hyalomma marginatum rufipes Koch 1844, Amblyomma gemma Do¨nitz 1910, Amblyomma hebraeum Koch 1844, Amblyomma sparsum Neumann 1899, Amblyomma nuttalli Do¨nitz 1909, and Boophilus decoloratus Koch 1844. Given that the identiÞed tick species are known to parasitize humans as well as livestock, there exist risks of emergence of zoonotic infections mediated by tick vectors. In the recreational environment of Haller park, where tick vectors share habitats with hosts, there is a need to develop sustainable and effective tick control and management strategies to minimize economic losses that tick infestation may cause. KEY WORDS ticks, ectoparasites, Haller park wildlife, hosts, tick-host associations Haller park, along the Kenyan coastline, is an alluring, dae) and transmitted by ixodid ticks (Rhipicephalus tourism-based recreational ecosystem with an admi- pulchellus Gersta¨cker 1873, Hyalomma marginatum rable and considerable amount of biodiversity. It is a rufipes Koch 1844, Amblyomma hebraeum Koch 1844, newly created and protected park undergoing reha- Boophilus decoloratus Koch 1844, Amblyomma varie- bilitation and transformation processes geared toward gatum F. 1794, Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum Koch achieving ecological diversity, stability, and an eco- 1844, Hyalomma impeltatum Schulze & Schlottke nomically self-sustaining ecosystem. Each year, a con- 1930, and Hyalomma truncatum Koch 1844) is likely to siderable number of both local and international tour- be encountered (Anonymous 1993, Walker et al. ists spend their holidays at the park, thus contributing 2003). Another disease is the African tick typhus to KenyaÕs gross domestic product (Moran 1994; caused by Rickettsia conorii Brumpt 1932 and Rickett- Emerton 1997; Emerton 1998a, b; Odunga 2005). How- sia africae Kelly et al. 1996 that are transmitted by ever, one of the most serious problems recently noted Hyalomma spp. and Rhipicephalus spp., and A. heb- at the park has been livestock tick infestation on both reaum, respectively (Anonymous 1993, Walker et al. humans and animals (unpublished data). 2003). And recently, rickettsiae of unknown pathoge- In humans, livestock ticks cause paralyzes and tox- nicity and two new ehrlichiae of the Ehrlichia canis icoses, irritation and allergy, wounds, and hemor- Donatien and Lestoquard 1935 group have been iden- rhage, and they are vectors of a broad range of viral, tiÞed in Hyalomma spp., Amblyomma spp., and Rhi- bacterial, and protozoan pathogens (Estrada-Pe´na picephalus spp. in Africa (Parola et al. 2001). Trans- and Jongejans 1999). Disease such as Crimean-Congo mission of these pathogens by ticks occurs mostly in a hemorrhagic fever caused by Nairovirus (Bunyaviri- zoonotic cycle involving an interaction of wildlife, domestic animals, and humans, with wildlife and ticks as reservoir hosts (Pereira et al. 2000, Bechara et al. 1 International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Behavioural and Chemical Ecology Department (BCED), P.O. Box 2002, Bianchi and De Garine-Wichatitsky 2002). Be- 30772 Ð00100 GPO, Nairobi, Nairobi Province, Kenya. cause of the variety of pathogens ticks transmit and 0022-2585/06/0789Ð0794$04.00/0 ᭧ 2006 Entomological Society of America 790 JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY Vol. 43, no. 5 physical damage they cause on hosts (Balashov 1972, C. nucifera); 4) SQ grassland (open spacious reserve Jones et al. 1992), their harmful effects may take many land for quarrying); 5) main gate; 6) snake park; different forms, some going unnoticed, whereas others 7) reception; and 8) Þsh farm. Sites 4Ð8 consist of take long periods to manifest (Aeschlimann 1991). mainly grass lawns. This, coupled with limited knowledge on ticks in- North Quarry (NQ) (300 ha). Selected sites were volved in human parasitism and zoonotic infections 1) reception (grass lawns); 2) baobab tree (grass with (Michel 2002), is currently causing fear that the ever- Adansonia digitata L.); 3) maweni (primary grassland growing interaction of wild animals with domestic that has never been mined); 4) great lake (secondary animals and humans at the park may lead to the emer- grassland in quarry land; 5) boma [enclosure in which gence of new tickÐhost relationships and to the ex- eland (Taurotragus oryx Pallas, 1766) and fringe-eared change of pathogens between hosts and tick vectors oryx (Oryx gazella callotis de Blainville 1816) spend (Hoogstraal 1981). To avert the occurrence of zoo- the night]; 6) western water bodies (secondary notic epidemics that may affect tourism activities at C. equisetifolia forest interspersed with water bodies of the park, increased understanding of hosts, tick vec- varying sizes). tors, and pathogens as well as their associations is Because of the high level of interaction between necessary. It was on this basis that a tick survey was humans and the ecosystem in the southern part of the initiated at the park with the goals of 1) identifying park, eight sites in SQ were systematically selected for tick species present within the park; 2) analyzing the sampling compared with six sites in the NQ. identiÞed tick species in terms of their distribution, Tick Sample Collection. A1by1-m2 ßannel cloth abundance, prevalence, and tickÐhost associations; was dragged on the ground along a line transect for a and 3), using the generated information to plan for distance of 20 m, Þve times. Each dragging time, ticks future tick control and management at the park. This found on leaves, stems, and bark of trees along the line article describes a survey of tick species in Haller park transect were collected. Ticks picked off of the drag and their association with animal hosts and vegetation. cloth were immediately placed in 70% isopropyl al- cohol for preservation until identiÞcation (Pereira et al. 2000, Kollars and Oliver 2003). Tick density was Materials and Methods obtained by dividing the total number of ticks by the Study Area. The study area is located along the total area (square meters) dragged, excluding ticks coastline of Kenya, Ϸ10 km northwest of Mombasa collected from animal hosts. Sites with more than two town (3Њ 59 S, 39Њ 42 E). The area was divided into ticks per square meter were considered targets for tick north and south quarries, both of which are being control. transformed from a barren limestone quarry to an Wild Animal Hosts. Animals in the park consist of ecologically diverse and self-sustaining ecosystem. Se- freely roaming wild species whose movement is re- lection of 14 sampling sites was based on wildlifeÐ stricted within the boundaries of the park, whereas the human interaction and biodiversity restoration state. semidomesticated group is conÞned in localized areas South Quarry (SQ) (150 ha). Selected sites were 1) and cared for by park personnel. In many cases, ticks ziwa la ngÕombe (primary
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