Korean J Parasitol.  2007 Jun;45(2):129-132. 10.3347/kjp.2007.45.2.129.

Status of Haemaphysalis tick infestation in domestic ruminants in Iran

• Rahbari S
• Nabian S
• Shayan P
• Haddadzadeh HR

• KMID: 1720537
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2007.45.2.129

Abstract

The geographical distribution and ecological preferences of Haemaphysalis in domestic animals in Iran were studied 4 times a year from April 2003 to March 2005. A total of 1,622 ixodid tick specimens were collected from 3 different zones. Among them, 108 (6.7%) Haemaphysalis ticks, consisting of 6 species, were identified; H. punctata (3.4%), H. parva (0.5%), H. sulcata (0.6%), H. choldokovskyi (1.7%), H. concinna (0.06%) and Haemaphysalis sp. (0.6%). H. punctata was the most abundant species, whereas H. concinna was the rarest species collected in humid and sub-humid zones on cattle, sheep and goats. H. choldokovskyi was principally collected from sheep and goats grazed in cold mountainous areas. The infested areas consisted of Caspian Sea (Guilan, Mazandaran, Golestan, and central provinces), mountainous (Azarbaiejan, Ardebil, Kohgilouyeh, and Kordestan) and semi-dessert (Khorasan, Semnan, Kerman, Sistan, and Baluchestan) zones. The Caspian Sea zone (23.6%) was the most highly infested region. The results show that various species of Haemaphysalis ticks infest domestic ruminants in Iran and each tick species show characteristic geographical distributions.

Keyword

Haemaphysalis; tick; domestic ruminants; Iran

MeSH Terms

Animals
Camels
Cattle
Ecosystem
Geography
Goats
Iran/epidemiology
Ixodidae/*classification
Ruminants/*parasitology
Sheep
Tick Infestations/epidemiology/*veterinary