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Background   Rhipicephalus microplus , an invasive tick species of Asian origin and the main vector of  Babesia  species, is considered one of the most widespread ectoparasites of livestock. The tick has spread from its native habitats on translocated livestock to large parts of the tropical world, where it has replaced some of the local populations of  Rhipicephalus decoloratus  ticks. Although the tick was reported in Uganda 70 years ago, it has not been found in any subsequent surveys. This study was carried out to update the national tick species distribution on livestock in Uganda as a basis for tick and tick-borne disease control, with particular reference to  R. microplus .    Methods  The study was carried out in Kadungulu, Serere district, south-eastern Uganda, which is dominated by small scale livestock producers. All the ticks collected from 240 cattle from six villages were identified microscopically. Five  R. microplus  specimens were further processed for phylogenetic analysis and species confirmation.    Results  The predominant tick species found on cattle was  Rhipicephalus appendiculatus  (86.9 %;  n  = 16,509). Other species found were  Amblyomma variegatum  (7.2 %;  n  = 1377),  Rhipicephalus evertsi  (2.3 %;  n  = 434 )  and  R. microplus  (3.6 %;  n  = 687). Phylogenetic analysis of the  12S  rRNA,  16S  rRNA and ITS2 gene sequences of  R. microplus  confirmed the morphological identification.    Conclusions  It is concluded that  R. microplus  has replaced  R. decoloratus  in the sampled villages in Kadungulu sub-county, since the latter was not any longer found in this area. There is currently no livestock movement policy in force in Uganda, which could possibly limit the further spread of  R. microplus  ticks. Future surveys, but also retrospective surveys of museum specimens, will reveal the extent of distribution of  R. microplus  in Uganda and also for how long this tick has been present on livestock without being noticed.

Invasive cattle ticks in East Africa: morphological and molecular confirmation of the presence of Rhipicephalus microplus in south-eastern Uganda