Abstract

A cross-section study was carried out in the Mono district in Benin to establish the different proportions of Babesia and Theleria in ticks and blood. Blood samples were collected between October and November, 2008, a period of relative abundance of ticks. The investigation covered nine herds (villages), including the farm of Kpinnou, in an agro-ecological zone where the people adhere to the same pastoral-farming tradition. In total, 756 ticks and 36 drops of blood on filter paper were taken from 36 bovines at a rate of 4 per village. Using morphological identification, identified 166 Rhipicephalus spp., 185 Amblyomma spp. and 405 Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus individuals were collected, corresponding to 53.57% of the vectors. Molecular diagnosis confirmed the results of the morphological identification. Molecular methods were also used for detecting Babesia and Theileria in the bovine blood samples. Different parasites have been identified in varying prevalences: Babesia bigemina (13.89%), Babesia bovis (5.56%), Theileria mutans (22.22%), Theileria ovis (5.56%) and other Babesia species (22. 22%). No data exists so far for the district, but the results of this study are very similar to those obtained in the neighboring districts.

Key words: Cattle, ticks, Rhipicephalus microplus, Babesia bigemina, Babesia bovis, Benin.