Ticks and tick-borne diseases of bovines in Pakistan

Abstract

Ticks and tick-borne diseases (TTBDs) impact the health and production of livestock in tropical and subtropical countries, such as Pakistan, where the majority of the rural population is dependent upon production animals for their livelihood. Several tick species are known to infest bovines in Pakistan, and can transmit various tick-borne diseases (TBDs), including anaplasmosis, babesiosis and theileriosis. Despite the substantial adverse socioeconomic impact of TTBDs, little is known about the epidemiology of these diseases in Pakistan. This thesis – comprising six chapters – aimed at investigating some key epidemiological aspects of TTBDs in bovines from different agro-ecological zones (AE..