Abstract:
Ticks and tick-borne disease cause severe skin damage on livestock mortifying animal health and byproduct for manufacturing industries. Management of ticks by conventional acaricidal is environmentally and economically unaffordable in Tanzania. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a novel entomopathogenic fungi Aspergillus oryzae (against three species of ticks (Acari: Ioxididae); Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Hyalomma anatolicum and Amblyomma gemma by spraying 0.2 mL/tick of 1x106,1x107, 1x108 conidia/mL of A. oryzae and control (water and 0.5% triton x-100) in 35.5oC and 85% RH repeated at 20.5oC and 70% RH in the laboratory conditions at Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha. Results showed that at 1x108 conidial/mL, A. oryzae caused high mortality rate averaging 88.2%, 72.5% and 67.9% within 6.25±0.75 days, 7.55±0.59 days and 11.9±0.65 days in H. anatolicum R. appendiculatus and A. gemma respectively whereas in control the highest mortality rate reached 12.5%, 11.0% and 6.5% after 22.50 ±1.2, 24.6 ± 0.9 and 28±2.9 days in R. appendiculatus, H. anatolicum and A. gemma respectively at 20.5OC and 70% RH. It was also revealed that at 1x108 conidial/mL of A. oryzae reduced oviposition rate in A. gemma whereby 94.8±10.74 eggs/female were laid compared to control that laid 354.15±42.65 egg/female. Again, eggs averaging 166.20±7.5 eggs/female were laid in H. anatolicum treated with A. oryzae at 1.0x108 conidia/mL compared to control that laid eggs averaging 416.25±21.71/female in cold. This study revealed that A. oryzae is effective for control of ticks could be applied in pastoral and protected areas for protection of animals and human.
