Ecology of Haemaphysalis wellingtoni in Red Junglefowl

The ecology of the parasitic stages of Haemaphysalis wellingtoni was studied in 30 Red Junglefowls in a farm in Jenderam Hulu, Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia. The free ranging Red Junglefowls are trapped using leg traps and individual bird was carefully examined for tick infestations. The ticks were collected from the neck, comb, and outer ear canal, counted and preserved in 70% ethanol. The identification of the tick species and their stages at each site was done through examination using a stereomicroscope and keys to tick identification. Tissue biopsies with ticks attached were also obtained to determine the pathology of tick-feeding sites. The comb tissues were processed with the standard histological technique and stained with hematoxylin and eosin to observe the cellular changes initiated by the ticks. Only one species of the tick was identified, which was Haemaphysalis wellingtoni. The mean of tick numbers in the outer ear canal was the highest (1.77± 0.193), followed by the dorsal aspect of the neck (1.32± 0.329) and the comb (0.72± 0.190). In this study, there are significant differences in stage of the ticks at different infestation sites suggesting that they have preferential site for different stages of their life-cycle. Generally, the mean count for tick stages (adult, nymph and larval) were almost similar on the dorsal part of neck and the outer ear canal. The mean numbers of nymph and larval stages in the neck and outer ear canal were similar, except for the adult stage which was 3.63 on neck and 3.33 in the outer ear canal. However, adult stage was absent on the comb while the mean of nymph stage was 0.16. The larval stage was lower in number in the comb (0.87) compared to the neck and outer ear canal (both 2.2). The cellular changes observed at tick feeding sites consisted of eosinophil and very high lymphocyte infiltrations which indicated chronic inflammation. The congestion, hyperkeratosis and detachment of the keratin layer were also observed at tick feeding sites.

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