Infestations by Amblyomma cajennense on horses grazing in a pasture (pasture 1) under natural conditions were evaluated quantitatively before and after acaricide treatments performed at seven day-intervals on the horses during the period of A. cajennense larvae and nymphs predomination on the horses (April to October). Horses grazing in another area (pasture 2) were subjected to acaricide treatments every seven days however, only during the larval predominating period (April to July). Acaricide treatments were performed using a commercial alfametrin (Pyrethroid) composition. The reduction of A. cajennense adult tick loads on horses after the acaricide treatments was 89.7 and 58.6% for horses from pastures 1 and 2, respectively. The reduction values of adult female ticks were even greater (95.4 and 69.0% for horses from pastures 1 and 2, respectively). The results comprove the efficacy of a strategic control protocol of A. cajennense on horses which is based in acaricide treatments every seven days during the periods when infestations by A. cajennense larvae and nymphs predominate on the horses.
Amblyomma cajennense; strategic control; equids
