AS if cattle roaming on roads, in greenbelts and on residential verges was not enough cause for frustration among Richards Bay residents and motorists, one Wildenweide resident found a giant cattle tick in her garden.
About the size of a R2 coin, the tick, identified as an engorged female Boophilus or blue tick by CCS Vet Dr David Chelopo, sucks the blood of large animals, particularly cattle, for their reproductive requirements.
According to Afrivip.org, this tick transmits bovine babesiosis (causing Redwater) to cattle.
This infection is acquired by an adult of one generation of ticks and transmitted by the larvae of the next generation.
Once established in the tick host, the infection can be transmitted by many successive generations without their acquiring a new infection.
While domestic cattle are the only effective hosts of the blue tick, engorged females have been found on goats.
The blue tick requires moist, warm weather conditions and is found along the western and eastern cape coasts, throughout KZN, Mpumulanga, Gauteng, Limpopo, North West Province and the eastern Free State.
Both the Asian blue tick and African blue tick are found in South Africa, both requiring similar weather conditions to thrive.
The blue tick can have a significant impact on cattle production, with records of it contributing to a lower than average weaning weight on calves on a mixed bushveld farm in Mpumalanga.
According to a Farmer’s Weekly article, Redwater accounts for millions of Rands in losses annually.
Cattle of all ages can be immunised against Redwater but vaccinating calves between three and nine months of age is recommended.
