Open AccessCattle infestation by lice in Northern Tunisia
Author(s) -
Mohamed Gharbi,
Wiem Labibi,
Mohamed Jedidi,
Mohamed Zouari
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
revue d'élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux/revue d'élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1951-6711
pISSN - 0035-1865
DOI - 10.19182/remvt.31860
Subject(s) - infestation , louse , veterinary medicine , biology , dorsum , zoology , medicine , agronomy , ecology , anatomy
The reported study was carried out from October 2014 to January 2015 and involved 622 cattle belonging to a dairy farm in North Tunisia. Each animal was examined once for the presence of lice. The infestation prevalence was estimated at 14.3% (89/622). Three louse species were collected: Linognathus vituli (2.7%), Haematopinus eurysternus (11.4%) and Bovicola bovis (0.8%). The co-infestation prevalence was 0.6% and concerned only B. bovis and L. vituli, collected from four calves (three males and one female). Calves were infested by the three species, L. vituli (17.5%), B. bovis (5.2%) and H. eurysternus (1.0%), whereas adults were only infested by H. eurysternus (13.3%). All H. eurysternus parasites were found on the tail of the animals, whereas L. vituli was present on the whole body. B. bovis infested the anterior body parts, mainly the dorsal region (60%) (p < 0.05). Clinical signs were observed only in calves under six months. The infested calves showed pruritus (63%) and depilation (37%).