Researchers investigating chemical resistance ask farmers to send them live cattle ticks
Guilherme Klafke and Hannah Siddle are calling for graziers to send them live cattle ticks from their properties. (Supplied: Megan Pope, UQ)
In short:
Queensland researchers are trying to understand growing resistance to the chemicals used to kill cattle ticks.
They are asking Queensland graziers to support their efforts by sending live cattle ticks to study.
What's next?
Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett has ordered a review into tick management in Queensland.
Most people want blood-sucking cattle ticks dead, but researchers are asking farmers to keep them alive — part of an effort to protect the nation's $17.7 billion cattle industry.
A microscopic view of a tick laying eggs (Supplied: Megan Pope, University of Queensland)
Researchers at the University of Queensland are asking cattle producers across the state to collect ticks and send them in for testing, as part of a new effort to understand growing resistance to the chemicals used to kill them.
"I know they're awful, but we want your ticks," said UQ research fellow Hannah Siddle.
"We would like producers to send us ticks, even if they're not particularly worried about resistance, because we want to test as broadly as possible to gain understanding of chemical resistance in Australia."
Cattle ticks cost the industry an estimated $160 million each year by reducing weight gain and spreading tick fever.
Producers rely heavily on chemical treatments to control them, but those treatments can stop working if overused and resistance builds up.
"Resistance to common chemical groups is a growing problem," Dr Siddle said.
Resistance is a problem that could make the parasites harder and more expensive to manage.
Hannah Siddle is a University of Queensland research fellow. (Supplied: Megan Pope, University of Queensland)
Rapid results
Researchers will test the ticks using a rapid kit that can deliver results within a day — far faster than the six-week turnaround for standard diagnostic testing.
The research will also analyse the DNA of ticks to look for genetic markers linked to resistance.
Scientists hope this could eventually lead to quicker and cheaper tests for farmers.
Dr Siddle said the scale of chemical resistance across Australia's tick range was still unclear, so they want to test the ticks and map where resistance may be developing.
Understanding where resistant ticks are appearing could help farmers make more informed decisions — particularly in areas where authorities are trying to prevent the parasite from spreading.
These rapid test kits can deliver results within a day (Supplied: Megan Pope, University of Queensland)
One of the main tools used to manage that risk is the "tick line" — an invisible boundary separating tick-infested areas of north-eastern Australia from the tick-free south-west.
According to the government, there are currently 229 "restricted places" — properties infested with ticks — in the tick-free zone, the vast majority of which are in the Toowoomba and South Burnett local government areas.
International collaborator Guilherme Klafke, from Brazil's State Centre for Diagnosis and Research in Animal Health, said resistance has already become a major challenge in some parts of the world, including in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande Do Sul.
"More than 80 per cent of our populations of ticks that we analysed were resistant to all the six classes available," Dr Klafke said.
He said diagnostic testing helps farmers choose the most effective treatment and design better tick-control strategies.
"The basis of good resistance management and tick control is a diagnostic of a situation," he said.
Cattle tick review ordered
Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett last week ordered a review of cattle tick management after concerns were raised about a fresh outbreak in Central Queensland.
In January, cattle ticks were reported on four properties in the Taroom area, 470 kilometres north-west of Brisbane.
Mr Perrett said he was particularly worried about ticks building up resistance.
"I've been treating cattle ticks for decades on my property in the tick zone, and I am greatly concerned about ticks developing resistance to the existing products," he said.
Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett recently ordered a review of cattle tick management. (ABC Rural: Brandon Long)
The Department of Primary Industries will undertake research separate from UQ into the resistance of cattle ticks to known commercial chemical treatments.
The review will also look at the process for clearing cattle for transport, with some producers expressing concerns about livestock agents performing this role.
"The accredited certifier system must maintain its integrity. I share concerns regarding potential conflicts of interest in certain cases, which is why an internal review is currently underway," Mr Perrett said.
He added that 37 of the 100 promised biosecurity officers had been hired since last August and would monitor graziers attempting to transport tick-infested cattle into tick-free zones.
"Biosecurity officers will be actively patrolling, so producers sending cattle to saleyards with ticks should be aware they are on notice," he said.