Do cattle exhibit avoidance behavior to Rhipicephalus(Boophilus) microplus in a highly infested pasture

Authors: Maestas, Lauren; HENDRICKS, BRIAN - West Virginia University; Garcia, Reyes; Zavala, Manuel; Goolsby, John

Submitted to: Livestock Insect Worker's Conference Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The relationship between animals, and their parasites and associated pathogens is one that predates modern science. The first recorded and recognized case of transmission of a disease agent, to livestock by a tick/insect vector was made in 1893. This case involved Texas Cattle Fever and cattle ticks Rhipicephalus (=Boophilus) annulatus. The coevolution of hosts and parasites leads to a continued state of evolutionary warfare for parasites or pathogens and their hosts. In addition to genetic and immune function for the avoidance of parasites, cultural or behavioral responses also exist. Host avoidance behaviors range from birds abandoning nests to raccoons avoiding latrines and cattle avoiding ticks. Our goal was to revisit and evaluate the importance of host avoidance behavior to the southern cattle fever tick. Six naïve Hereford cattle were released into a pasture that was parsed into twelve quadrants within a fenced pasture and were infested with lab reared Rhipicephalus (B.) microplus larvae, six quadrants were left uninfested. Game cameras were set up to monitor cattle behavior, and cattle use was monitored from photographs. Counts of cattle visits per plot per day were recorded for each animal and pictures were checked every 30 minutes per 24-hour period. Data will be analyzed using mathematical models to evaluate patterns in cattle feeding behaviors in the presence of ticks. Preliminary results indicate that proximity to other animals and introduction is more important to cattle behavior than tick presence, regardless of tick density and presence. We will discuss how these findings align with previous reports of cattle avoidance behavior and will expand on what patterns, if any, the models reveal.

Technical Abstract: Evolutionary warfare between parasites, such as the cattle fever ticks, and hosts is an ancient battle fought through the millennia. It is especially apparent to the livestock worker, who is dependent on livestock for their livelihoods and observes host parasite relationships and consequences of such interactions. In addition to genetic and immunological functionality for the avoidance of parasites, cultural or behavioral responses also exist. Host avoidance behaviors range from birds abandoning nests to raccoons avoiding latrines and cattle avoiding flies or ticks. Our goal was to revisit and evaluate the importance of host avoidance behavior to the southern cattle fever tick Rhipicephalus (=Boophilus) microplus. Six naïve Hereford cattle were released into a pasture that was parsed into twelve quadrants within a fenced pasture and pasture plots were differentially infested with lab reared Rhipicephalus (B.) microplus larvae – six quadrants were left uninfested. Game cameras were set up to monitor cattle behavior, and cattle use was monitored from photographs. During this study, we found that proximity to other animals is more important to cattle than tick presence, regardless of tick density, and vegetation availability. Slightly less than half of the observations made during this study were from uninfested plots, heavily infested plots had the fewest numbers of observations, but observations from plots with mid-infestation levels were numerous. Vegetation coverage changed over the course of the study due to grazing pressure and must be accounted for when evaluating host avoidance behavior. Here we discuss how these findings align with previous reports of cattle avoidance behavior and expand on what patterns, if any, the models revealed.