Investigation On Seasonal Dynamics Of Hard Ticks And The Anaplasma Carrying Situation Of Hard Ticks And Goats

Ticks can transmit a variety of pathogens,such as Theileria,Babesia,Rickettsia,and Anaplasma,causing diseases in humans and a variety of animals.In recent years,with the comprehensive development of forestry and animal husbandry resources and social and economic development in China,people have more opportunities to be exposed to ticks,leading to an increase in the incidence of tick-borne diseases.In particular,the deaths caused by tick bites in recent years have caused panic among the people and caused widespread concern about ticks and tick-borne diseases.Anaplasma is a Gram-negative bacteria that is obligately parasitic in cells and is transmitted by ticks,which can cause diseases in humans and many animals,and seriously threatens the health of our people and the development of aquaculture.Therefore,understanding the species,distribution and seasonal fluctuation of the tick in some parts ofour country,as well as the Anaplasma carrying conditions of ticks and goats,is conducive to assess the risk of hard ticks and Anaplasmosis and ensure the healthy development of sheep industry.1.Identification of tick species and investigation of seasonal fluctuations in parts of ChinaMorphological and molecular biological methods were used to identify the tick species of 1074 ticks collected from 4 regions in Yuncheng City,Shanxi Province,Linyou County.Shaanxi Province,Guiyang City,Guizhou Province,and Yiyang City,Henan Province from April 2018 to 2019.In addition,the number of ticks was counted monthly in Linyou County,Shaanxi Province to investigate the seasonal fluctuation of ticks.All collected ticks were identified as H.longicornis belonging to the Haemaphysalis genus.The results of the investigation of seasonal fluctuations indicated that H.longicornis occurs frequently in Linyou County of Shaanxi Province from April to August.In this study,the distribution of H.longicornis in some areas of China and the seasonal fluctuation pattern in linyou county of shaanxi province were investigated,which provided a reference for the prevention and control of H.longicornis.2.Investigation on the prevalence status of Anplasma in ticks and goats in parts of ChinaPCR method and Giemsa staining method were applied to test the prevalence status of Anplasma of 371 tick pool samples collected from Yuncheng City,Shanxi Province,Linyou County,Shaanxi Province,Guiyang City,Guizhou Province,and Yiyang City,Henan Province,and 491 goats blood samples from Linyou County,Shaanxi Province and Guiyang City,Guizhou Province.The results showed that the total A nplasma positive rate of hard ticks was 25.88%(96/371),and that of goats was 88.59%(435/491).There were significant differences in Anplasma carrying condition in different regions(P<0.05).The Anplasma carrying condition of H.longicornis in Shaanxi,Guizhou,Shanxi,and Henan were 18.29%(32/1 75),43.59%(68/156),11.1%(1/9)and 45.2%(14/31),respectively.There were significant differences in Anplasma infection rates of different sex ticks(P<0.05).The Anplasma infection rates of male and female ticks were 39.2%(51/1 30)and 26.97%(65/241),respectively.There were no significant differences in Anplasma infection rates of goats in different regions(P>0.05).The Anplasma infection rates of goats in Guizhou and Shaanxi were 100(36/36)and 87.69%(399/455),respectively.There were significant differences in the A nplasma infection rates of goats in different feeding methods(P<0.05).The A nplasma infection rates of goats in the three feeding modes of house feeding,house feeding+grazing and grazing were 83.73%(247/295),93.44%(114/122)and 100%(74/74),respectively.There were significant differences in Anplasma infections among goats of different sexes(P<0.05).The rate of Anplasma infections in ewe(91.45%,310/339)is higher than that in rams(82.24%,125/152).There were significant differences in Anplasma infections of goats in different seasons(P<0.05).The Anplasma infection rates of goats in spring,summer,autumn and winter were 78.23%(97/124),98.52%(133/135),85.45%(94/110)and 90.98%(111/122),respectively.The H.longicornis and goats were infected with two or more Anplasma at the same time were 6.2%(23/371)and 62.12％(305/49 1),respectively.In this study,we found out the Anplasma carrying status of ticks and goats in some areas of China,which enriched the epidemiological data of Anaplasmosis in China and provided reference for the prevention and control of Anaplasmosis.