Introduction: 

Tick-borne diseases represent a major threat to both animal and human health globally. This study explores the prevalence of tick infestation and associated piroplasm infections specifically Theileria and Babesia species in cattle, in addition to evaluating the acaricidal effectiveness of Chrysanthemum extract (Dendranthema grandiflora) and neem oil emulsion (Azadirachta indica). 

Methods: 

Among 130 cattle examined, 61 were infested with ticks and subsequently screened for piroplasm infections. Molecular analysis identified infections caused by Theileria annulata and Babesia bigemina. 

Results: 

A strong association was found between tick infestation and Babesia species, while T. annulata infection showed a slight correlation. Hemolymph examination confirmed the critical role of ticks in the life cycle of piroplasm infection. Chrysanthemum extract and neem oil were tested for their acaricidal properties against adult ticks (Rhipicephalus annulatus). Chrysanthemum extract (0.5 mg/mL) caused tick mortality within 24 h. However, neem oil induced rapid and significant tick mortality at (20 mg/L) and (15 mg/L), achieving 100% mortality within the same time frame. Both treatments demonstrated high effectiveness, with results indicating strong dose-and time-dependent effects compared to controls. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed extensive morphological damage to treated ticks. This damage included destruction of the hypostome, loss of surface striations, wrinkling with pore formation, and cracking following exposure to neem oil and Chrysanthemum extract. 

Discussion: 

These findings highlight the potential of D. grandiflora extract and neem oil emulsion as effective natural acaricides for controlling tick infestations and reducing tick-borne diseases.

The Sustainable Development Strategy of Egypt Vision 2030 depends on the understanding of groundwater resources and thus requiring a more accurate quantification of groundwater reserves.
The horizontal expansion in the desert fringes around the Nile Valley is a key strategy for agricultural and urban development projects that necessitate, in some cases, a sole dependency on groundwater resources. The study area is located in the southern Western Desert and focuses on the areas proximal to the Nile Valley. The area is promising for future development projects and contains new reclaimed areas under the ongoing mega-projects. The Objective of this study is to better understand the recharge from the deep Nubian Aquifer System to the shallow aquifers via connectivity process. Shallow aquifers, economically, mean low cost well installations and low-cost extraction of groundwater. This study integrates remote sensing data, borehole data, geophysical techniques and stable isotopic analyses. Large-scale remote sensing data with aeromagnetic analyses enable the mapping of both shallow and deep faults and thus facilitating the structural connectivity between the deep and shallow aquifers and controlling the flow dynamics. Depth-to-basement map was constructed using aeromagnetic data and deep boreholes to deduce the thickness of the water-bearing formations which affects the connectivity process. Stable isotopic analyses for groundwater samples revealed the mixing between the aquifers and the contribution ratio from the Nubian aquifer to the shallow ones. These isotopic analyses were supported by the values of the total dissolved solids in the groundwater samples. The results of this study reveal that the southern and middle parts of the study area receive significant recharge from the deep Nubian Aquifer towards the shallow Aquifers. In contrast, these shallow aquifers in the northern part of the study area don’t receive significant recharge from the Nubian Aquifer and depend mainly on the Nile River. We constructed a tentative map for the feasible areas based on recharge from the deep Nubian Aquifer System to the shallow aquifers. These areas are represented on one hundred thousand feddans in west KomOmbo which is included in the 1.5 million feddans project, and this gives a positive indication for this area. This project also can be expanded by fifteen and twenty thousand feddans in West Qena and West Sohag respectively. This map can be presented to beneficiaries and Stakeholders to set up priorities for groundwater well exploitation needed for economic planning.

The economic development in Egypt and the rapid growth rate in various development sectors are dependent on the availability of water resources in the vast desert lands. Egypt has aquifer systems in desert lands that are exploited to reclaim these arid regions, three of the most important aquifers are the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS), Carbonate Aquifer System (CAS), and the Nile Bain Aquifer System (NBAS).
The interconnection between the mentioned aquifers has neither been broadly studied despite the extensive works that managed the study of these aquifers hydrogeologically nor mentioned obviously with evidence in the previous geologic works and kinds of literature. Hence This study attempts to find the interconnection among these aquifers which in turn will maintain more awareness and opens a new scope of understanding of charge, discharge, feeding and the interconnection process among them.
The study area is located in southern Egypt, extending from southern Egypt at latitude 24°15՛ to middle Egypt at latitude 26°30՛ N, and from the western borders of Kharga oasis at longitude 30° W to the eastern boarder of the Nile Valley at longitude 33° E.

The main methodological aspects here are Using of various geophysical methods consisting of the aero-gravitational and aeromagnetic data of the years 1984 and 1989 respectively owned by the Egyptian General Petroleum Company (EGPC) with the possible hydrogeologic and hydrochemical data in addition to acquiring some analyses during the study to maintain the geophysical data. The overall integrated output data are modelled to imagine the subsurface situation of the three groundwater aquifers to deduce to what extent the groundwater systems in the study area are connected.
The preliminary data interpretation shows that the main major subsurface structure zones are extending in NW-SE, N-S and W-E directions. The NW-SE structure zones are constituting the main pathways along which the groundwater flows in the NSAS, The N-S structural zones are the main pathways along which groundwater in both the CAS and NBAS flows from south to north. However, the W-E structure zones are the main pathways along which the groundwater flows between the three aquifer systems based on the groundwater levels and the hydrostatic pressures in the three aquifers. The isotope analysis of representative groundwater samples from the three aquifer systems will show the oldest aquifer and which is the main recharge for the others.