The effects of aqueous root extract of Senna italica subsp. arachoides on the feeding performance of Hyalomma marginatum rufipes adults

The effects of aqueous root extracts of Senna italica subsp. arachoides on the feeding performance of adults of Hyalomma marginatum rufipes in three consecutive infestations of rabbits were studied under laboratory conditions. Rabbits were divided into treatment group (n = 3), fed aqueous root extracts and rabbit pellets while the control group (n = 3) was fed with rabbit pellets and given distilled water only. Ticks that infested the treatment rabbits fed poorly, taking significantly longer feeding periods (P < 0.05) to acquire the bloodmeal, and having significantly reduced engorgement weights (P < 0.05) compared to those that fed on the control rabbits during the first and second infestations. These results suggest that aqueous root extracts of S. italica subsp. arachoides reduced the feeding performance of H. marginatum rufipes adults.