A survey of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting donkeys in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran

Abstract

Donkeys ( Equus asinus ) are economical for use in small-scale farming and are handy in third world countries with a poor infrastructure. Ticks are one of the most important external parasites which affecting the equine industry with high economic impact. The main objective of this study was to determine the tick species of donkeys that occur in the Northwest of Iran as possible risk for tick-borne diseases. The study was conducted during the four seasons in 2013 in 15 villages of West Azerbaijan province. During four seasons a total of 455 Ixodidae ticks were collected comprising 3 genera of hard ticks including Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus and Dermacentor . These 3 genera included four species . The main species were Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum, Hyalomma marginatum, Rhipicephalus bursa and Dermacentor marginatus. Although the parasite did occur throughout the year, there was a seasonal variation in the prevalence of ticks. Some of the collected ticks may play an important role for transmission of vector borne disease to donkeys; therefore, there is a need to investigate the potential tick vectors involved in the transmission of heamoparasites in donkeys in this region.