Integrated tick control: Creating partnerships to transfer solutions from lab to farmer.

Maritz-Olivier, C.*

Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria

The African continent is plagued by malnutrition and poverty. Currently, malnutrition remains a leading cause of mortality for children under five, with the lack of dietary protein as a major contributor. The slow rate at which research solutions are translated and implemented is placing a burden on food security, agricultural productivity, and improvement of the socio-economic standing of small-scale livestock farmers. In Africa, we urgently need to address poor genetic cattle breeds, inadequate feed supply and strategies to combat the spread of infectious diseases. Ticks are second only to mosquitoes in the number of vector-borne diseases transmitted. As such, ticks pose an immediate risk to sustainable livestock farming, aggravated by the rapid development of acaricide resistance, adaptation to new geographical areas due to climate change, the spread of high mortality tick-borne diseases and finally the overuse of antibiotics to treat secondary infections. Our translational research is aimed at providing practical solutions to livestock farmers. Rapid high-throughput assays for the detection of acaricide resistance and pathogens allow for knowledge-based decisions on early mitigation strategies for farmers and at governmental level. Looking to the future, our vaccine targeting Rhipicephalus microplus ticks offers a highly significant reduction in tick load and offspring fecundity. Ongoing expansion of our African ticks sequence database (both RNA and genome level) is driving the identification of cross-protective vaccine targets, while our understanding of the intricate interplay between ticks and the bovine immune response is laying the foundation for optimal vaccine formulations to overcome tick-mediated immune-suppression. Furthermore, the lessons learned during the development of a vaccine for Africa in Africa will be highlighted to emphasize the need for multi-disciplinary research, industry-government-academia partnerships and high quality education.

Keywords: cattle, ticks, disease, farming, Rhipicephalus microplus