INTRODUCTION

Worldwide cost for both the control of tick and tick borne diseases and losses is estimated at US $ 1318 per head of Cattle at 1996.
(de Castro, 1997).

A review by Norval (1990) on the effects of Amblyomma hebraeum and Rhipicephalus appendiculatus on meat and milk production in Zimbabwe using computer simulation. Models indicated that the reduction of live weight gain caused by a feeding session of each adult female tick was approximately 10g for A. hebraeum and 4 g for R. appendiculatus.

Effective strategies for exclusion or eradication of livestock pests must be based upon detailed knowledge of the pest's biology, host preference, and susceptibility to pesticides. In addition, those factors that limit the pest's distribution and methodologies for its surveillance must also be known

As a whole, ticks are the most versatile vectors, for they parasitize all vertebrate groups except fish. The tick-borne diseases that they transmit are among the most significant animal health deterrents to efficient livestock production. The methods of pathogen transmission employed by ticks are both mechanical and biological. In the case of soft ticks belonging to the family Argasidae, the ability of some individuals to survive for 3 years or more between blood meals permits them to assume the dual role of vector and reservoir, which is particularly important in the transmission of African swine fever virus.

Argas persicus is an external parasite of poultry and wild birds, and is also found on mammals. It is more common in warm climates, spends little time on host, and may also transmit Spirochaetosis and Pasteurella infection. These parasites are more likely to be a problem of small scale poultry production in the tropics, than in commercial poultry in temperate climates. 

Dermacentor variabilis is a dog tick found throughout the United States. The American dog tick is a three-host tick - each development stage feeds on a different host.

The female feeds for 7 to 10 days, drops to the ground, and after several days lays 4,000 - 6,500 ellipsoidal eggs over a 14 - 32 day period and then dies. It may transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Tularemia (hunter's disease).

Rhipicephalus sanguineus (The Brown dog tick or kennel tick) is exclusively a dog tick and one of the most widely distributed tick on the world. It is a putative vector of Ehrlichia canis, a blood protozoan parasite that causes canine Ehrlichiosis. Other pathogens are Rickettsia rickettsia, R. belli, R. rhipicephali, R. montana and Babesia canis, another protozoan parasite that causes canine Babesiosis. 

Rhipicephalus appendiculatus has been incriminated in the transmission of bovine babesiosis, other pathogens of the East Coast fever syndrome, louping ill, Nairobi sheep disease, and Kisenly sheep disease.

Ixodes ricinus, the European castor bean tick, is responsible for transmitting the causative agents of bovine babesiosis, bovine anaplasmosis, louping ill, and tick-borne fever of cattle, sheep, and goats. 

Deer tick transmits Lyme disease with symptoms like Rash, fatigue, muscle and joint pain 

Flea and lice may transmit Plague typhus which shows Fever, skin rashes 

Wood tick transmits the Rocky Mountain spotted fever where Chills, fever, rash, leg pain will be common symptoms. 

The louse fly, Hippobosca longipennis), which inflicts a painful bite, is an ectoparasite of all hairy animals, including livestock, dogs, cats, and wild game.

The southern cattle tick, Boophilus microplus, is a vector of bovine babesiosis, bovine anaplasmosis, and benign bovine theileriosis. This tick is found is the hotter and more humid parts of the world. B. annulatus, the cattle tick is a closely related species.

Amblyomma variegatum, the tropical bont tick is a common vector of Cowdria ruminantium, which is the etiological agent of heartwater that affects cattle, sheep and goats. A. hebraeum, the bont tick, is a common vector of heartwater 

Tsetse fly causes Sleeping sickness and attacks nervous system resulting in a prolonged sleep. Although tsetse flies are limited in their distribution to sub-Saharan Africa, the importance of the animal trypanosomiases (nagana of cattle) on that continent ranks tsetse as one of the world's major arthropod-vector groups. The very complex developmental cycle of the trypanosome within the tsetse vector is further complicated by several of other factors related to the biology of the vector, pathogen, and host. Not only are the various species of tsetse flies characterized by differences in their distribution, biology, and host preferences, but even within the same species environmental factors (especially humidity, temperature, and vegetation), densities and composition of mammalian hosts, and vector population densities affect their epidemiological role. In addition, there are wide intraspecific variations in both morphology and pathogenicity of trypanosomes. Certain parasite antigens that stimulate production of protective antibodies by the host change before the parasites are completely eliminated; new antibodies are then produced by the host, and the parasites change their antigenic constitution again to maintain themselves. 

The sheep scab mite, Psoroptes ovis

The New World screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax

Licking fly, Musca vitripennis are also important parasites on animals 

Ceratopogonidae (biting midges), Simuliidae (black flies), Oestridae (bot flies), Chloropidae (eye gnats), Sarcophagidae (flesh flies), Ixodidae (hard ticks), Tabanidae (horse flies and deer flies), Culicidae (mosquitoes), Muscidae (muscoid flies), and Cuterebridae (robust bot flies) are some other ectoparasites affecting animals.

Diagnosis

Identification of the presence of the parasites.

PREVENTION

Elimination of cracks and crevices in the animal housing.