Study on Prevalence of Ixodid Ticks of Goats and Acaricide Utilization Practices of Herd Owners in Benatsemay District, South Omo Zone, South-Western Ethiopia.

Introduction: Ticks are major health problems of goats that contribute to a significant economic loss in Ethiopia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using a systematic random sampling technique was conducted to determine the prevalence, potential risk factors of hard ticks (Acarina: Ixodidae) of goats, and the acaricide utilization practice of herd owners in the Benatsemay district.

Results: Out of 285 examined goats, 85.26% of goats were found infested by Rhipicephalus and Amblyomma tick genera. The body condition score of goats was the only factor that was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with tick infestations. The frequently identified tick species were Rhipicephalus pulchellus (14.38%), Rh. decoloratus (11.22%), A. cohaerens (5.26%) and A. variegatum (4.21%), and mixed infestation (38.59%). Herd owner's questionnaire survey revealed that 100% of interviewees responded that tick infestations were frequently encountered throughout the year and prevailed on aged goats (90%) and dry season (60%). Concurrent usage of ethnomedicinal plants and conventional acaricides were dominant practices to control tick infestation as responded by 60% of interviewees. Among the conventional acaricides, Diazinon and Ivermectin were the most practiced acaricides as replied by 90% of the respondents. Moreover, community animal health workers (CAHWs) (43.33%) and owners themselves (33.33%) were primarily responsible for acaricide application to tick-infested animals. About 66.67% of the livestock owner's responses also disclosed that diazinon was the most effective acaricide followed by ivermectin (16.67%) and amitraz (6.67%). Finally, 56.57% of the respondents replied that acaricidal drugs from private veterinary drug shops were overpriced than the same acaricides from government veterinary clinics.

Conclusion: In this study, there was a high prevalence of hard ticks in goats, and irrational application of acaricides was noted in the Benatsemay district; thus, appropriate tick control measures should be taken to minimize tick burden through using acaricides.