Tick prevention at a crossroad: new and renewed solutions

Abstract

Ticks have major economic impact through diseases they transmit, direct losses due to their detrimental effect and the efforts invested in prevention measures directed against them. Chemical acaricides represent the main line of anti-tick defense in both humans and domestic animals, but increasing concerns regarding development of acaricide resistance, especially in the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus, and environmental safety issues indicate the need for other, less aggressive but equally efficient methods. This paper aims to evaluate the potential, the scientific and economical limitations and future research directions regarding different alternative methods of tick control and their use in integrated pest management, with a separate reference to the pet industry. New research data in each field is presented and the economical aspects for each approach are individually emphasized.