Cattle tick control in India: Current strategies and future directions.

Abstract

Ticks and tick-borne diseases (TTBDs) are among the most economically significant constraints to a sustainable cattle and buffalo production in India. Despite decades of chemical-based control strategies, indiscriminate and poorly regulated acaricide use has contributed to widespread resistance across multiple tick species and acaricide classes. This review discusses the development in respect of tick control practices, documents the prevalence and mechanisms of acaricide resistance and evaluates the integrated tick control strategies including host genetics, biological control and phyto-acaricides in India. It underscores the urgent need for a national tick surveillance and resistance management program supported by policy reforms, veterinary training and sustained investment to curb the menace of TTBDs in livestock sector. With a One Health perspective, this review advocates for a shift from the reactive drug-heavy interventions to a proactive and ecologically grounded tick management.