The effect of tick control on bovine dermatophilosis in a smallholder farming area of Zimbabwe

Three different methods of acaricide (Amitraz) application were tested on cattle in Sanyati smallholder farming area to determine the effectiveness of control of ticks on the prevalence of clinical dermatophilosis during a twelve-month period. The acaricide application methods were plunge dipping, hand spraying and a combination of the two. Throughout the twelve months, the cattle plunge dipped had a higher number of ticks (p < 0.05) compared to those using the other two methods. Amblyomma variegatum ticks accounted for 53% of the overall number of ticks counted on cattle. In addition, the occurrence of dermatophilosis was higher (p < 0.05) in cattle plunge dipped and hand sprayed in combination with plunge dipping compared to those hand sprayed only. These results indicate that hand spraying of acaricide might be the method of choice to reduce both tick infestations and the occurrence of dermatophilosis in smallholder cattle herds.