An investigation on species diversity and distribution of ticks in camels, sheep, and goats of Nehbandan district, South Khorasan Download PDF

The family Ixodidae is considered to be one of the largest families of domestic animal ticks, of which 13 genus and 650 species have been reported in five subfamilies up to now. Ticks are considered as one of the most important carriers of pathogens in humans and animals. They are the most important external parasites that cause severe economic losses in ruminants and also they place a role in transmission of viral, rickettsia, bacterial and protozoal agents. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the spread of contamination caused by different species of hard ticks in ruminants quantitatively, as well as determining the species diversity of ticks found in Nehbandan district. Method: This study was conducted from spring of 2015 up to summer of 2016 in villages around Nehbandan city on 69 camels, 181 sheep, and 279 goats. The ticks were collected from all parts of the animal’s bodies and after labeling, samples were stored in vials containing 70% alcohol and 5%glycerin, then the samples were diagnosed using morphological diagnostic keys. Chi-square test was used to analyze the data. SPSS software (version 18) was used to perform statistical evaluations. The significance level was considered as (P <0.05). Results: The ratio of the isolated ticks to each animal was 10.7 in camels, 9.2 in sheep and 6.8 in goats. The distribution of ticks in camels was mainly behind tail (23.1%), and ears were the main location of distribution in sheep (38%) and goats (42.4%), the Statistical frequency of distribution in the body has significant differences. The prevalence of contamination in camels, sheep, and goats was 79.24%, 24.09%, and 17.02% respectively. The results indicated that at least 14 species of ticks from the families Ixodidae and Argasidae are found in Nehbandan area. Of the 1329 ticks collected, 3 genera of hard ticks (Hyalomma 81.11%, Rhipicephalus 15.5%, and Haemaphysalis 2.6%) and one genus of soft tick (Ornithodoros 0.79%), including 5 species in camels, 9 Species in sheep and 12 species in goats were detected. The dominant species in camel was Hyalomma dromedary (52.1%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus in sheep (21.1%) and Rhipicephalus turanicus (24.7%), and the difference of frequency among them is statistically significant. Final conclusion: The results of this study indicate the presence of a diversity of hard ticks with a significant prevalence in ruminants in the area. These ticks can play an important role in the transmission of diseases to humans and livestock and from one region to another.