Participatory Epidemiology of Small Ruminants Ectoparasite Infestations with Prevalence Study on Tick Infestations at Two Selected Districts of Shabelle Zone in Somali Regional State of Ethiopia

Participatory Epidemiology of Small Ruminants Ectoparasite Infestations with Prevalence Study on Tick Infestations at Two Selected Districts of Shabelle Zone in Somali Regional State of Ethiopia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Participatory Epidemiology of Small Ruminants Ectoparasite Infestations with Prevalence Study on Tick Infestations at Two Selected Districts of Shabelle Zone in Somali Regional State of Ethiopia Ahmed Abdi Mohomed, Yehualashet Bayu, Sisay Alemu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8842688/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Ectoparasite infestations pose significant health challenges to animals and contribute to substantial economic losses in livestock production. A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2021 to July 2022 in selected districts of the Shabelle Zone, Somali Region, Ethiopia. The objectives were to identify and prioritize major ectoparasites of small ruminants, estimate the prevalence of tick infestations, assess associated risk factors, and determine the tick species involved. Participatory epidemiological methods including simple ranking, pairwise ranking, and seasonal calendars were used to prioritize common small ruminant ectoparasite infestations. Community participants ranked tick infestation as the most important ectoparasite problem, followed by lice, mange mites, fleas, and sheep keds. Using simple random sampling, a total of 495 small ruminants (265 sheep and 230 goats) were examined across two districts (Danan and Gode). Of these, 396 animals (200 sheep and 196 goats) were found infested, from which 885 adult ticks were collected and identified to species level under a stereomicroscope using standard morphological keys. The overall prevalence of tick infestation was 80.0% (396/495). Prevalence was higher in sheep (84.3%) than in goats (77.2%). By district, prevalence reached 77.1% in Danan and 85.6% in Gode. Seven tick species belonging to four genera were identified. The most abundant species was Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi (34.0%), followed by Hyalomma rufipes (17.4%), Hyalomma truncatum (16.2%), Amblyomma variegatum (12.1%), Rhipicephalus pulchellus (9.5%), Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus (8.4%), and Amblyomma gemma (2.5%). Among potential risk factors, only age group, herd size, and body condition score showed a statistically significant association with tick infestation (P 0.05). Prevalence was markedly higher in adults (46.3%) and older animals (29.9%) compared with young ones (3.8%); in moderate (53.1%) and large herds (23.2%) compared with small herds (3.6%); and in animals with poor (63.8%) or medium body condition (15.2%) compared with those in good condition (1.0%). Due to the high prevalence and economic impact of tick infestations on small ruminants in the study areas; urgent prevention and control strategies considering risk factors, ectoparasite mapping, community awareness, and targeted veterinary services for pastoral communities are strongly recommended. Ectoparasites Participatory Epidemiology Prevalence Risk factors Tick infestation Small Ruminants Somali Region Ethiopia Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8842688","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":589092105,"identity":"00d4ce13-33a4-444b-9264-8a04878a841e","order_by":0,"name":"Ahmed Abdi Mohomed","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA2UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACgwNAgreBQc6+vQHEtSBei7EBD4hlIEG8lsQNEgkgPjFazq8xe/B2hw3jdsnnVzf8KJBg4G/vTsCv5cYbc8O5Z9KYLWfnlN3sATpM4szZDQS0nDGT5m07zMZwOyftBg9Qi4FELlFa/vMw3DyTdvMPUVrO94C0HJAwuMF+7DZRtkjOYCuTnNuWbCDZk8N2W8ZAgoegX/j5D2+TeNtmV9/PfvzZzTd/bOT423vxa2GARAcI8BiASfzKwdYcgLHYHxBWPQpGwSgYBSMSAAACHUwy94nzjQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6217-0887","institution":"Jigjiga University, Ethiopia","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ahmed","middleName":"Abdi","lastName":"Mohomed","suffix":""},{"id":589092106,"identity":"e9e74eea-6333-484c-b2a7-69a167aa0d8d","order_by":1,"name":"Yehualashet Bayu","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9005-5237","institution":"Haramaya University, Ethiopia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yehualashet","middleName":"","lastName":"Bayu","suffix":""},{"id":589092107,"identity":"aca4727f-60f3-42b3-ba29-05fa60b5c822","order_by":2,"name":"Sisay Alemu","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9270-9281","institution":"Haramaya University, Ethiopia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sisay","middleName":"","lastName":"Alemu","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-10 15:32:51","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":true,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8842688/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8842688/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":102745631,"identity":"f13daf54-a0a3-4346-b7a2-749fced2fd6d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-16 08:52:57","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":690862,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"RevisedManuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8842688/v1_covered_423df25c-e49f-4608-bb48-36371b01f769.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eParticipatory Epidemiology of Small Ruminants Ectoparasite Infestations with Prevalence Study on Tick Infestations at Two Selected Districts of Shabelle Zone in Somali Regional State of Ethiopia\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Jigjiga University, Ethiopia","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Ectoparasites, Participatory Epidemiology, Prevalence, Risk factors, Tick infestation, Small Ruminants, Somali Region, Ethiopia","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8842688/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8842688/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eEctoparasite infestations pose significant health challenges to animals and contribute to substantial economic losses in livestock production. A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2021 to July 2022 in selected districts of the Shabelle Zone, Somali Region, Ethiopia. The objectives were to identify and prioritize major ectoparasites of small ruminants, estimate the prevalence of tick infestations, assess associated risk factors, and determine the tick species involved. Participatory epidemiological methods including simple ranking, pairwise ranking, and seasonal calendars were used to prioritize common small ruminant ectoparasite infestations. Community participants ranked tick infestation as the most important ectoparasite problem, followed by lice, mange mites, fleas, and sheep keds. Using simple random sampling, a total of 495 small ruminants (265 sheep and 230 goats) were examined across two districts (Danan and Gode). Of these, 396 animals (200 sheep and 196 goats) were found infested, from which 885 adult ticks were collected and identified to species level under a stereomicroscope using standard morphological keys. The overall prevalence of tick infestation was 80.0% (396/495). Prevalence was higher in sheep (84.3%) than in goats (77.2%). By district, prevalence reached 77.1% in Danan and 85.6% in Gode. Seven tick species belonging to four genera were identified. The most abundant species was \u003cem\u003eRhipicephalus evertsi evertsi\u003c/em\u003e (34.0%), followed by \u003cem\u003eHyalomma rufipes\u003c/em\u003e (17.4%), \u003cem\u003eHyalomma truncatum\u003c/em\u003e (16.2%), \u003cem\u003eAmblyomma variegatum\u003c/em\u003e (12.1%), \u003cem\u003eRhipicephalus pulchellus\u003c/em\u003e (9.5%), \u003cem\u003eRhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus\u003c/em\u003e (8.4%), and \u003cem\u003eAmblyomma gemma\u003c/em\u003e (2.5%). Among potential risk factors, only age group, herd size, and body condition score showed a statistically significant association with tick infestation (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). No significant differences were observed by animal species, sex, or study districts (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Prevalence was markedly higher in adults (46.3%) and older animals (29.9%) compared with young ones (3.8%); in moderate (53.1%) and large herds (23.2%) compared with small herds (3.6%); and in animals with poor (63.8%) or medium body condition (15.2%) compared with those in good condition (1.0%). Due to the high prevalence and economic impact of tick infestations on small ruminants in the study areas; urgent prevention and control strategies considering risk factors, ectoparasite mapping, community awareness, and targeted veterinary services for pastoral communities are strongly recommended.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Participatory Epidemiology of Small Ruminants Ectoparasite Infestations with Prevalence Study on Tick Infestations at Two Selected Districts of Shabelle Zone in Somali Regional State of Ethiopia","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-11 13:51:13","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8842688/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"45838b9b-fb33-42e1-b290-46aab254ada2","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 11th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-11T13:51:13+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-11 13:51:13","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8842688","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8842688","identity":"rs-8842688","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}