Theileria spp. in free ranging giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) in Zambia
Theileria parasites were detected in five apparently healthy free-ranging giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis Linnaeus, 1758) captured for translocation on a game ranch located approximately 60 km south west of Lusaka. Giemsa-stained blood smears examined under a light microscope showed characteristic oval and rod shaped intra-erythrocytic piroplasms. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products targeted on the 18S rRNA […]
Tanzania: Tanapa Worried By Giraffe Ear Disease
WILDLIFE SCIENTISTS in Tanzania are investigating a severe infectious ear disease that is reported to have affected up to 30 per cent of an estimated 300 giraffes in Mikumi National Park, 300 km southwest of Dar es Salaam. The tick-borne disease, known scientifically as otitis media, was first observed in the park in October 1999 […]
Arthropod parasites of springbok, gemsbok, kudus, giraffes and Burchell’s and Hartmann’s zebras in the Etosha and Hardap Nature Reserve, Namibia
A total of 48 springbok, 48 gemsbok, 23 kudus and 6 giraffes were examined for ticks and lice, while 9 Burchell’s zebras and 6 Hartmann’s mountain zebras were examined only for ticks. Springbok and gemsbok were shot in both the Etosha National Park in the north and the Hardap Nature Reserve in the south of […]
Protozoan and bacterial pathogens in tick salivary glands in wild and domestic animal environments in South Africa
A total of 7364 ticks belonging to 13 species was collected from 64 game animals (belonging to 11 species) and from 64 livestock animals (cattle and sheep) living in close vicinity at 6 localities in 3 South African Provinces (Free State, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo). The geographic distribution of all tick species was congruent with the […]
Characterising African tick communities at a wild-domestic interface using repeated sampling protocols and models
The sharing of habitat by wild and domestic animals may result in pathogen transmission, notably via ectoparasite vectors such as ticks. Interfaces between protected and communal lands constitute sharp transitions between areas occupied by host communities that are extremely contrasted in terms of composition, diversity and density. Empirical characterizations of tick communities and of their […]