strychnine and Tick-Infestations

The efficacy of Solanum incanum and Strychnos spinosa aqueous fruit extracts was evaluated against cattle ticks in on-station experiments and laboratory tick bioassays. In the on-station experiment using cattle, fruit extracts were applied at three concentrations 5, 10, and 20 % (w/v) and compared with a commercial acaricide, Tickbuster (amitraz) spray (positive control) and no treatment (negative control). The treatments were applied at weekly intervals for 6 weeks as surface sprays on 32 Mashona cattle in a completely randomized design experiment. Ticks on individual cattle were identified, counted, and recorded daily. Peripheral blood samples were collected for parasite screening. In the laboratory, tick bioassays were conducted at four concentrations, 5, 10, 20, and 40% (w/v) fruit extracts compared to Tickbuster (amitraz) spray (positive control) and distilled water (negative control). The extracts were incubated with Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus tick larvae and mortalities for each treatment level recorded after 24 and 48 h. The 5% Solanum incanum treatment had higher efficacy ratio (P < 0.05) than the other fruit extract concentrations of the same plant species. Efficacy ratio was higher (P < 0.05) in the 5% S. spinosa-treated cattle than in the untreated control but lower (P < 0.05) than that for the amitraz treatment. The bioassays indicated that there was a high efficacy ratio for the lowest fruit extract concentrations when ticks were exposed to acaricidal treatments for 48 h compared to 24 h. Overall, the results indicate that Solanum incanum and Strychnos spinosa individually have some acaricidal effect.

Topics: Acaricides; Animals; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fruit; Larva; Plant Extracts; Rhipicephalus; Solanum; Strychnos; Tick Infestations; Toluidines

Diagnostic findings on 51 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from the southeastern United States examined from 1967 to 1995 were reviewed. Etiologic diagnoses included sarcoptic manage (n = 33), traumatic injury and associated complications (n = 5), suspected canine distemper (n = 2), capture myopathy (n = 1), congenital absence of guard hairs (n = 1), intradermal tick infestation (n = 1), otodectic manage (n = 1), and toxicosis (n = 1). The cause of morbidity was not determined for three of the foxes, and three others were classified as normal animals. Sarcoptic manage was diagnosed in 65% of the red foxes, was found in foxes submitted from four of the eight southeastern states represented, and was seen in 19 of 29 yr covered by this study.

Topics: Alopecia; Animals; Autopsy; Distemper; Female; Foxes; Male; Mite Infestations; Morbidity; Muscular Diseases; Poisoning; Poisons; Prevalence; Scabies; Seasons; Southeastern United States; Strychnine; Tick Infestations; Toxoplasmosis, Animal; Wounds and Injuries