Investigating volatile semiochemical production from Bos taurus and Bos indicus as a novel phenotype for breeding host resistance to ixodid ticks

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Matika, O., Foster, S., Githaka, N., Owido, G., Ngetich, C., Mwendia, C., Brown, H., Caulfield, J. C., Watson, K., Djikeng, A. and Birkett, M. A. 2023. Investigating volatile semiochemical production from Bos taurus and Bos indicus as a novel phenotype for breeding host resistance to ixodid ticks. Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases. 14 (5), p. 102200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102200

AuthorsMatika, O., Foster, S., Githaka, N., Owido, G., Ngetich, C., Mwendia, C., Brown, H., Caulfield, J. C., Watson, K., Djikeng, A. and Birkett, M. A.
Abstract

Ticks and tick-borne diseases cause significant loss in livestock production with about 80% world's cattle at risk. The cost of chemical control is high and there is an ever-increasing tick resistance to chemical acaricides. Genetic selection as alternative long-term control strategy is constrained by laborious phenotyping using tick counts or scores. This study explored the use of host volatile semiochemicals that may be attractants or repellents to ticks as a phenotype for new tick resistance, with potential to be used as a proxy in selection programmes. Approximately 100 young cattle composed of Bos indicus and Bos taurus were artificially infested with 2,500 African blue tick, Rhipicephalus decoloratus larvae, with daily female tick (4.5 mm) counts taken from day 20 post-infestation. Volatile organic compounds were sampled from cattle before and after tick infestation by dynamic headspace collection, analysed by high-resolution gas chromatography (GC) and subjected to multivariate statistical analysis. Using 6-day repeated measure analysis, three pre-infestation GC peaks (BI938 - unknown, BI966 - 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one and BI995 – hexyl acetate) and one post-infestation GC peak (AI933 – benzaldehyde / (E)-2-heptenal) were associated with tick resistance (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05 respectively). The high correlation coefficients (r = 0.66) between repeated records with all volatile compounds support the potential predictive value for volatile compounds in selective breeding programmes for tick resistance in cattle.

KeywordsBos taurus and Bos indicus Cattle; Tick resistance; Semiochemical; Novel tick resistance phenotypes
Year of Publication2023
JournalTicks and Tick-Borne Diseases
Journal citation14 (5), p. 102200
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102200
Web address (URL)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X2300081X?via%3Dihub
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Funder project or codeDeveloping a New Tool for Phenotyping Tick Resistance in Cattle
BBS/E/D/30002275
Publisher's version
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online22 May 2023
Publication process dates
Accepted14 May 2023
ISSN1877-959X
PublisherElsevier

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