Ticks (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae and Argasidae) abundance and associated risk factors for animals in the natural habitat of Sanandaj suburb, Iran

Abstract

Ticks have been reported as the most abundant ectoparasites infesting domestic ruminants in Iran. This study reports tick diversity, fauna and seasonal distribution on the domestic ruminants and close surrounding of them in the natural habitat of Sanandaj suburb, Iran, from March 2009 to February 2010. A total number of 1140 ruminants (398 cattle, 508 sheep and 234 goats) in four seasons were randomly selected. Argasid ticks were also collected randomly from 100 distinct sites. Of all animals examined, 37.19% (424/1140) were infested with a total of 1144 ixodid ticks. Of 1360 soft ticks, four species of argasid ticks of two genera (Argas and Ornithodoros) were identified. The ixodid tick infestation in the north was significantly higher than in other parts of the region. The highest numbers of hard ticks were collected from sheep in the region. The ixodid tick indices were 2.92, 2.2 and 3.34 for cattle, sheep and goats, respectively. There was no significant difference between an animal's sex and tick prevalence. Eight species of hard ticks of three genera (Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus and Haemaphysalis) were identified. The predominant infesting tick in all animals examined was Hyalomma anatolicum with infestations of 25.32% (101/400) in cattle, 28.36% (118/416) in sheep and 28.45% (93/328) in goats. Seasonal distribution of the ticks showed different patterns for cattle, sheep and goats. There was a significant association between prevalence and meteorological data in the region. The maximum numbers of collected soft ticks were found in the autumn. Argas reflexus (9.09%, 4/44) had also the lowest frequency in summer. The results revealed that tick abundance, seasonal distribution and the variety of genera were wide in this part of Iran.