Partial characterization of the voltage-gated sodium channel gene and molecular detection of permethrin resistance in Rhipicephalus annulatus (Say, 1821).

The cattle tick, Rhipicephalus annulatus (Say) is a vector of bovine babesiosis and responsible for direct and indirect losses to cattle producing areas located in temperate and subtropical dry regions. Resistance against pyrethroids has been reported for this species in Asia and Africa, but never before in North America. An outbreak strain, Rio Lado, collected close to the border between Mexico and the United States, in Maverick County, Texas, showed low level of resistance to permethrin, a pyrethroid pesticide.