Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 August 2009
INTRODUCTION
The case for vaccination as a means of tick control has been made repeatedly and deserves only brief reiteration here. Currently, tick control is heavily dependent on two approaches: the use of chemical pesticides and the use of tick-resistant animals. Chemical pesticides are increasingly problematic for a number of reasons. (1) Resistance to existing pesticides of many chemical classes is widespread and its incidence is increasing (see Chapter 18). The speed with which resistance appears after the release of each new class of chemical is clearly a deterrent to the companies developing such means of parasite control. (2) There is increasing concern about the use of chemicals in all forms of agriculture, both for their potential environmental impact and for their presence in food products. (3) Newer classes of pesticide have tended to be significantly more expensive than their predecessors, an additional deterrent to their application.
Genetically resistant animals, which show a heritable ability to become immunologically resistant to tick infestation, are a vital component of many tick control strategies. They are particularly important in the control of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (hereafter referred to as B. microplus) on cattle. However, this approach also has difficulties. For the hosts of many tick species, resistance may simply not develop. Even for B. microplus, it may be difficult to breed tick resistance while preserving other desirable production characteristics such as high milk yield in dairy cattle.
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