Tick communities of cattle in smallholder rural livestock production systems in sub-Saharan Africa

Parasites & Vectors

Table 5 Transhumance husbandry: Parameter estimates (± empirical standard error) from ecological models

		R. microplus Gh, Ni	H. truncatum Ni	H. rufipes BF	A. variegatum BF, Gh, Ni
Covariate
Weight (age proxy)	Prev	− 10.4 ± 4.8 10^–3*	33.8 ± 28.6 10^–4	38.5 ± 25.6 10^–4 ns	31.6 ± 14.6 10^–4*
	Load	− 14.0 ± 5.2 10^–3**	25.7 ± 26.6 10^–4	38.6 ± 17.1 10^–4 *	28.9 ± 14.6 10^–4*
Sex
Female vs. male	Prev	− 0.35 ± 0.22 ns	0.46 ± 0.31 ns	− 0.17 ± 0.23 ns	− 0.26 ± 0.13 ns
	Load	− 0.63 ± 0.17***	0.28 ± 0.32 ns	0.03 ± 0.21 ns	− 0.22 ± 0.08**
Body condition	Prev	0.18 ± 0.13 ns	0.28 ± 0.15 ns	0.07 ± 0.14 ns	− 0.04 ± 0.09 ns
	Load	0.24 ± 0.08**	0.21 ± 0.17 ns	− 0.28 ± 0.11 *	0.03 ± 0.07 ns
Parasiticide		Gh, Ni		BF	Gh, BF
< 1 month vs. never	Prev	0.34 ± 0.19 ns		− 1.61 ± 0.71 *	− 0.26 ± 0.27 ns
	Load	0.13 ± 0.13 ns		− 2.82 ± 0.62 ***	− 0.04 ± 0.17 ns
1–2 months vs. never	Prev	0.07 ± 0.65 ns		NA	1.16 ± 0.60 ns
	Load	0.05 ± 0.53 ns		NA	0.09 ± 0.25 ns
> 2 months vs. never	Prev	NA		0.11 ± 0.82 ns	− 0.38 ± 0.81 ns
	Load	NA		− 0.87 ± 0.66 ns	− 1.57 ± 0.71*
Treated vs. never vs. never	Prev	0.32 ± 0.20 ns		− 0.81 ± 0.59 ns	− 0.26 ± 0.25 ns
	Load	0.11 ± 0.14 ns		− 1.54 ± 0.40 ***	− 0.11 ± 0.15 ns

Numbers in bold are linked to 'statistically significant' effects
Generalised estimation equations that model the tick species’ prevalence (levels: 0, 1) and infestation loads in cattle of smallholder rural areas with transhumance husbandry (Burkina Faso: 15.7%, Ghana: 54.5% and Nigeria: 24.2% of the total number of animals investigated). For a given taxon, only countries with a prevalence of at least 10% were included. Individual body weight and body condition were mean-centered at farm level (nested within country districts). Effects of parasiticides were tested only in Ghana and Burkina Faso (80.5% and 26.1% of the animals treated, respectively) only. Pre(valence): model estimates reflect the probability that tick has level ‘1’ (logit link). Lo(ad): model estimates reflect the associations between number of ticks and a unit increase in explanatory variable (log link)
Bf Burkina, Gh Ghana, Be Benin, Ni Nigeria, Et Ethiopia, Ug Uganda, Ta Tanzania. NA not applicable, since no data available
***P < 0.001
**P < 0.01
*P < 0.05
ns P > 0.05

ISSN: 1756-3305