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Rising tick pesticide resistance threatens South Africa’s cattle industry

14 August 2024 | Story Martinette Brits | Photo Supplied

Ticks that feed on South Africa’s cattle are developing resistance to the only effective pesticides, making them increasingly difficult to control. If this issue is not addressed, the spread of these parasites and their resistance to pesticides could significantly impact farmers' incomes and food security.

According to a study by Dr Luther van der Mescht, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Zoology and Entomology, many tick populations in South Africa are resistant to at least two of the three main types of acaricides (chemical classes) used in the country.

Dr Van der Mescht notes that with around 12 million cattle in South Africa, these ticks not only lower meat and milk production but also carry pathogens that can cause potentially fatal diseases. He estimates that the economic losses from tick-borne diseases and the use of acaricides could reach up to R670 million annually in the cattle industry alone.

He adds that South Africa's agricultural sector is unique due to its dual farming system, which includes both subsistence and commercial farmers, amplifying the impact of ticks. “The country is also home to a wide variety of tick species that transmit numerous pathogens across a diverse range of habitats and climates in which cattle are farmed. Consequently, the effects of ticks and tick-borne diseases in South Africa may be more severe compared to those in developed countries.”

Dr Van der Mescht highlights that ticks are developing resistance primarily due to poor farm management practices, such as underdosing, overdosing, and excessive use of acaricides. “Additionally, insufficient government support in educating farmers and managing resistance exacerbates the problem.”

Managing acaricide resistance

Dr Van der Mescht explains that while ticks will inevitably develop resistance to acaricides, this usually happens much slower if pesticides are used strategically. To slow the development of resistance, several measures can be implemented:

• Minimise the number of acaricide treatments.

• Assess tick diversity and acaricide resistance at the farm level and monitor it regularly. The study found that acaricide resistance was highly variable across South Africa, likely due to different farm management practices; hence it should be assessed at the farm level.

• Quarantine animals when transferring them to a new farm, ensuring they are free of ticks before releasing them.

• Rotate acaricides from different chemical classes, with a gap of at least two years between applications.

• Government veterinary services should raise awareness about acaricide resistance and provide support, particularly to under-resourced farmers. Establishing acaricide resistance testing laboratories would help monitor resistance and offer guidance to farmers.

Expert in parasitology

Dr Van der Mescht is particularly fascinated by the fact that most animals on earth follow a parasitic way of life. He graduated with a PhD in Conservation Ecology from the Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology at Stellenbosch University in 2015, focusing on rodent parasites.

Career highlights include receiving the Wilhelm Neitz Memorial Scholarship in Parasitology from the Parasitological Society of Southern Africa (PARSA) for study abroad, and the Blaustein Centre for Scientific Cooperation Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2016 from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, to conduct research on the experimental evolution of host specialisation. He also received the Claude Leon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2019 to study the cat flea at Stellenbosch University’s Department of Botany and Zoology.

With over four years of experience in the industry at a contract research organisation, he has conducted more than 40 clinical studies for international pharmaceutical companies and published over 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles.

Making research visible, impactful, and relevant to society

Dr Van der Mescht recently published an article for The Conversation and participated in interviews with eNCA, Newzroom Afrika, and Cape Talk to discuss his research. “This effort aligns with the Vision 130 strategy of being a regionally engaged university and supports one of the key pillars of research development at the University of the Free State (UFS), which is to make our research visible, impactful, and relevant to society.”

He also highlighted the significance of popular science, noting that it helps scientists communicate their research to a broader audience, build their professional reputation, enhance their funding opportunities, and improve their research outcomes.

News Archive

Ensure your place at the UFS

2010-10-27

The University of the Free State (UFS) appeals to all prospective South African students who want to come and study at the UFS in 2011 to submit their applications no later than Tuesday, 30 November 2010.

The UFS is aware of the fact that learners will not have received their final Grade 12 results by Tuesday, 30 November 2010; therefore provisional admission will be granted based on learners’ most recent Grade 12 results. Final admission will take place upon receipt of the final Grade 12 results, which will be available early in January 2011.

Prospective students can obtain application forms for admission at the following places:

The UFS’s web site at www.ufs.ac.za,
The Information Office (Unit for Prospective Students) at the Thakaneng Bridge on the UFS’s Main Campus in Bloemfontein,
You may also send an e-mail to info@ufs.ac.za or
Phone 051 401 3000 and the necessary forms will be posted to you.

Senior undergraduate students (that is all students who were registered up to and during 2010 at the UFS) as well as post-graduate students, must self-register electronically on-line from Monday, 1 November 2010 until Tuesday, 4 January 2011. This includes master’s and doctoral students.

In order to encourage senior students to register online, the UFS offers 20 laptops as incentives for the senior students who successfully register online from 1 November 2010. These laptops will be handed over to the winners after the registration process in 2011.

Registration of first-year students:

The Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Jonathan Jansen, will welcome first-year students on Friday, 14 January and Saturday, 15 January 2011, respectively, in the Callie Human Centre. The Faculties of Economic and Management Sciences, the Humanities and Education will be welcomed on 14 January 2011 and the students of the Faculties of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Law and Theology shall be welcomed on 15 January 2011. The compulsory orientation programme for new first-years will also then commence.

From 17 to 21 January 2011 first-year students will receive academic advice at the Callie Human Centre, whereafter they will be referred for self-registration. These processes will take place according to the set timetable. This timetable is available in the Kovsie Guide that will be sent to learners as soon as we have received their applications, as well as on the web site of the UFS at www.ufs.ac.za/register2011.

First-year students’ fees must be paid prior to arrival on 14 and 15 January 2011.

Registration of senior students:

Senior students who experience problems with the electronic on-line self-registration process have the opportunity to resolve problems within a programme on campus from Wednesday, 5 January until Wednesday, 12 January 2011. This programme will be sent out to students and is also available at www.ufs.ac.za/register2011. The specific scheduled day for senior students to resolve problems is the last and only day to resolve the problem.

Senior students can also contact 051 401 9111 for more information in this regard.

Students may register for prescribed modules for 2011, even though the November 2010 examination results are not yet available. Changes resulting from examination results that are made available later can be done up to and including 28 January 2011.

In terms of applications for senior students, only students who have interrupted a calendar year of study need to re-apply for admission.

Registration of students at the UFS’s Qwaqwa Campus:

Senior and first-year students of the UFS’s Qwaqwa Campus register from Wednesday, 12 January until Friday, 28 January 2011 in the Nelson Mandela Hall on this campus.

Registration of students at the UFS South Campus:

First-year students from the UFS’s South Campus in the University Preparation Programme and the Extended Programme (only Natural and Agricultural Sciences) register from Monday, 24 January till Friday, 28 January 2011 in the Arena Hall on the South Campus.

Students who have successfully completed the University Preparation Programme register with the first-year students on the UFS Main Campus on Friday, 14 and Saturday, 15 January 2011 – according to faculties (cf. paragraph 6).

Lectures for all students shall commence on Monday, 24 January 2011.

MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (actg)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za
26 October 2010

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