Rhipicephalus microplus poses a substantial threat to livestock health and agricultural economies worldwide. Its remarkable adaptability to diverse environments and hosts is a testament to its extensive genetic diversity. This review delves into the genetic diversity of R. microplus, employing three pivotal genetic markers: the cytochrome c oxidase I (COX1) gene, ribosomal genes, and microsatellites. The COX1 gene, a crucial tool for genetic characterization and phylogenetic clustering, provides insights into the adaptability of ticks. Ribosomal genes, such as internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS-1 and2) as well as 18S and 28S, are routinely utilized for species differentiation. However, their use is limited due to indels (insertions and deletions). Microsatellites and minisatellites, known for their high polymorphism, have been successfully employed to study populations and genetic diversity across various tick species. Despite their effectiveness, challenges such as null alleles and marker variations warrant careful consideration. Bm86, a well-studied vaccine candidate, exhibits substantial genetic diversity. This diversity directly influences vaccine efficacy, posing challenges for developing a universally effective Bm86-based vaccine. Moreover, the review emphasizes the prevalence of genes associated with synthetic pyrethroid resistance. Identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms in the acaricide-resistant genes of R. microplus has facilitated the development of molecular markers for detecting and monitoring resistance against synthetic pyrethroids. However, mutations in sodium channels, the target site for synthetic pyrethroid, correlate well with the resistance status of R. microplus, which is not the case with other acaricide target genes. This study underscores the importance of understanding genetic diversity in developing effective tick management strategies. The choice of genetic marker should be tailored based on the level of taxonomic resolution and the group of ticks under investigation. A holistic approach combining multiple markers and integrating additional molecular and morphological data may offer a more comprehensive understanding of tick diversity and relationships. This research has far-reaching implications in formulating breeding programs and the development of vaccine against ticks and tick-borne diseases (TTBDs) as well as strategies for the management of resistant ticks.

The immunoprophylactic management of ticks is the most effective option to control tick infestations and counter spread the acaricide resistance problem worldwide. Several researchers reported an inconsistent efficacy of the single antigen-based immunization of hosts against different tick species. In the present study, to develop a multi-target immunization protocol, proteins from Rhipicephalus microplus BM86 and Hyalomma anatolicum subolesin (SUB) and tropomyosin (TPM) were targeted to evaluate the cross-protective potential. The sequence identities of the BM86, SUB, and TPM coding genes amongst Indian tick isolates of targeted species were 95.6–99.8%, 98.7–99.6%, and 98.9–99.9%, respectively, while at the predicted amino acid level, the identities were 93.2 to 99.5, 97.6 to 99.4, and 98.2 to 99.3%. The targeted genes were expressed in the eukaryotic expression system, pKLAC2-Kluyveromyces lactis, and 100 µg each of purified recombinant protein (Bm86-89 kDa, SUB-21 kDa, and TPM-36 kDa) mixed with adjuvant was injected individually through the intramuscular route at different sites of the body on days 0, 30, and 60 to immunize cross-bred cattle. Post-immunization, a statistically significant (p < 0.001) antibody response (IgG, IgG1, and IgG2) in comparison to the control, starting from 15 to 140 days, against each antigen was recorded. Following multi-antigen immunization, the animals were challenged twice with the larvae of R. microplus and H. anatolicum and theadults of H. anatolicum, and a significant vaccine efficacy of 87.2% and 86.2% against H. anatolicum larvae and adults, respectively, and 86.7% against R. microplus was obtained. The current study provides significant support to develop a multi-antigen vaccine against cattle tick species.

A total of 480 suspected blood samples were collected from cattle (n=254) and buffaloes (n=226) during the study period from September 2011 to December 2014 for determination of prevalence of haemoprotozoan parasites from South Western Gujarat (Junagadh). The conventional optical microscopy of Giemsa stained blood smears revealed that 37% of cattle and 38.93% of buffaloes were infected with haemoprotozoan parasites including Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bigemina, Trypanosoma evansi and Theileria annulata. The animals infected with haemoprotozoan diseases showed lower total erythrocyte count (TEC), haemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and higher total leukocyte count (TLC) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV). Incidence of haemoprotozoan infection between the breeds differed significantly (P<0.05). Haemoprotozoan infections were recorded significantly higher (P0.05). The prevalence of B. bigemina in bovines was associated with various risk factors namely age, season and breed (p£0.05). Sex wise females recorded apparently higher infection rates than males. The multivariate logistic regression models showed that the risk of babesiosis was significantly higher in rainy season (OR=5.18, P=0.003) followed by summer (OR=3.9, P=0.019) compared to winter season. Conversely, in buffaloes, the risk of babesiosis was significantly higher in summer season (OR=9.0, P=0.004) followed by rainy (OR=7.43, P=0.008) compared to winter season. The risk for anaplasmosis in buffaloes increased by 3.46 times (OR=3.64, p=0.027) in non descriptive breed compared to well defined breed.