ŝƐƚƌŝbƵƟŽn of Livestock Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens, Hosts, Habitat and Diseases in Kenya and Some Parts of Africa: A Mini Review

Abstract

Livestock Ticks and Tick Borne Diseases (TTBDs) and associated secondary ŝnĨĞctiŽnƐ adversely impede the development of the livestock industry worldwide. The occurrence of TTBDs is determined by a myriad of factors including, availability of relevant hosts, anthropogenic ĂctivŝtiĞƐ͕ environmental cŽnĚŝtiŽnƐ and cůŝmĂtic vĂrŝĂbŝůŝtiĞƐ͕ which ŝnŇƵĞncĞ host accessibility, vector richness and pathogen ĂcqƵŝƐŝtiŽn and transmission in a natural mode. The current review therefore is focused on ĞvĂůƵĂtinŐ the ĚŝƐƚrŝbƵtiŽn of ticŬ species in Kenya and some parts of Africa and their associated hosts, pathogens, diseases and habitats as predicted by ĚŝƐƚrŝbƵtiŽn model records in literature. The review evaluated more than 61 ticŬ species while ƉrĞƐĞntinŐ gaps in knowledge of some crŝticĂů ŝnĨŽrmĂtiŽn that may undermine the expected ƉrĞĚŝctivĞ power of the ĚŝƐƚrŝbƵtiŽn models for some of the ticŬ species evaluated. For instance, some ticŬ species did not have ƐƉĞcŝĮc hosts and/or host-range, type of life cycle, geographic range, their pathogens lacked vector range, ticŬ habitat, pathogens ƚrĂnƐmŝƩĞĚ and disease (s) caused by the ŝĚĞntiĮĞĚ pathogens. Therefore, building a ĚŝƐƚrŝbƵtiŽn model without such crucial ŝnĨŽrmĂtiŽn would be ŝnĞīĞctivĞ in its performance and not give the desired results. ŝƐƚrŝbƵtiŽn models should put into cŽnƐŝĚĞrĂtiŽnƐ the ĚrĂƐtic changes in geographic ranges, whereby the old ranges could be diminishing and/or expanding while new ones are being exploited. This cŽnƐŝĚĞrĂtiŽn shall have ĂccƵmƵůĂtivĞ impact in developing ƉrĂcticĂů frameworks for sustainable surveillance, control and management of TTBDs in endemic areas such as those of Africa. xŝƐtinŐ ƉrĞĚŝctivĞ models need therefore cŽntinƵŽƵƐ re-designing while ƉƵƫnŐ into cŽnƐŝĚĞrĂtiŽnƐ emerging factors that determine the occurrence and ĚŝƐƚrŝbƵtiŽn of TTBDs in order for the models to be relevant and serve the intended purposes.