Abstract
This survey was performed to find out the infestation rate of Ixodidae ticks in domestic ruminants in Ilam County during 21 March 2009 to 23 August 2009. Sampling was performed in 25 villages and 15 animal farm from different areas of this County. A total of 1,316 ticks were collected from 416 cattle, 208 sheep and 147 goats. The overall prevalence of ticks was recorded: 43, 23.5, and 49/6 % in cattle, sheep, and goats respectively. The number of ticks that collected from cattle, sheep, and goat were 328, 573, and 415 respectively. According to the host, Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum (71.4 %), Hyalomma asiaticum asiaticum (17.6 %) and Rhipicephalus bursa (11 %) were collected from cattle. Hy. anatolicum (32.1 %), Rh. bursa (42.2 %), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (17.3 %) and Haemaphysalis inermis (8.4 %) were collected in sheep. Rh. bursa (41.5 %), Rh. sanguineus (43.2 %) and Ha. inermis (15.3 %) were observed in goats. In this study, ticks infestation rate of cattle, sheep and goat were (43 %), (23.5 %) and (49.6 %) respectively. In this survey the ticks distribution on the body surface of infested ruminants the highest infestation was found in the udder and tail (21 %) in cattle, ear (42.5 %) and tail (30 %) in sheep and ear (63 %) and tail (17 %) in goats. The lowest number of ticks in body surface of ruminants was observed in the ear and shoulder (2 %) in cattle, head and neck (2 %) in sheep and udder (7 %) in goats. Hy.anatolicum anatolicum, Rh. Sanguineus and Rh.bursa were dominant tick in domestic ruminants of Ilam County.
Keywords: Ixodidae ticks, Domestic ruminants, Ilam
Introduction
The ixodid tick species are the most abundant tick parasites infesting ruminants. Ticks have been recognized as the notorious threat due to severe irritation, allergy and toxicosis (Niyonzema and Kiltz 1986; Sajid et al. 2008).
Ticks of Ixodidae family not only cause lower production of animals but also transmit a number of bacterial, protozoal, rickettsial, spirochaetal and viral diseases to human and domestic animals (Rezaei et al. 2011).
The problem of tick infestation warrants of launching urgent control programs. For this purpose, the knowledge of different species/genera of the prevalent ticks on different animal species deemed to be essential (Manan et al. 2007).
Ixodidae family is one of the largest families of parasitic ticks that infest domestic ruminants. So far at least 13 genus and 650 species of Ixodidae ticks have been identified and reported (Horak et al. 2002).
Ilam Province particularly Ilam County is one of the most important centers of breeding and maintenance of domestic ruminants in west of Iran.
According to the statics of Ilam veterinary department Cattle, sheep and goats population were 8,052, 2,00,000 and 1,20,000 respectively in Ilam County in 2009. The objective of this study was to determine the species of ticks infesting domestic ruminants and evaluation of ticks’ distribution on the body surface of infested ruminants in Ilam County of Iran.
Materials and methods
The study was conducted in seasonal activity of ticks in Ilam County from 21 March 2009 to 23 August 2009. This area is located in the west of Iran at a latitude of 33° 38′ north and longitude of 46° 26′ east. It has a mountainous climate with cold winter and dry summer. The mean elevation of the city is about 1,319 m above sea level. This county is near to Iraq country from the west, iwan County from the north, Mehran and Darre shahr County from the south and Shirvan–chadavol County from the east.
Ticks were collected from 4 regions of animals’ body surface. These consisted of head (head, ears and neck), shoulder (shoulder and axillaries area), anal (tail, anal and perianal region) and udder (udder and groin around). For this study, 25 villages and 15 farms were selected from different areas of this county. Then 416 cattle, 208 sheep and 147 goats were selected randomly and they were investigated for tick infestation. The collected specimens were transferred into the holding tubes and preserved in 70 % alcohol and transferred to the laboratory Parasitology of Ilam department of veterinary medicine for further studies. A determination was done by using a stereo microscope according to the identification key of Kerinas and Litwak (1989)
Results
In the present survey, a number of 1,316 ticks were collected. The number of ticks that collected from cattle, sheep, and goat were 328, 573, and 415 respectively (Table 1). In our survey according to the host, Hy. anatolicum anatolicum (71.4 %), Hy. asiaticum asiaticum (17.6 %) and Rh. bursa (11 %) were collected from cattle. Hy. anatolicumanatolicum (32.1 %), Rh. bursa (42.2 %), Rh. sanguineus (17.3 %) and Ha. inermis (8.4 %) were collected in sheep. Rh. bursa (41.5 %), Rh. sanguineus (43.2 %) and Ha. inermis (15.3 %) were observed in goats (Table 2). In this study ticks infestation rate in cattle, sheep and goat were (43 %), (23.5 %) and (49.6 %) respectively. On the animals’ body surface the highest infestation was found in the udder (37 %) and tail (21 %) in cattle, ear (42/5 %) and tail (30 %) in sheep and ear (63 %) and tail (17 %) in goats. The lowest number of ticks on animals’ body surface was observed in the ear and shoulder (2 %) in cattle, head, and neck (2 %) in sheep and udder (7 %) in goats (Table 3). The mean number of ticks on cattle, sheep, and goat were 1.8, 3.5, and 2.4 respectively. In this study Hy.anatolicum anatolicum, Rh. Sanguineus and Rh.bursa were the dominant tick in domestic ruminants of Ilam County.
Table 1.
Prevalence of ticks in domestic ruminants of Ilam County
| No. of cattle | No. of sheep | No. of goats | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examined | Infested (%) | Isolated ticks | Examined | Infested (%) | Isolated ticks | Examined | Infested (%) | Isolated ticks |
| 416 | 179 (43 %) | 328 | 208 | 49 (23.5 %) | 573 | 147 | 73 (49.6 %) | 415 |
Table 2.
Percentage of tick species collected from domestic ruminants in Ilam County
| Percentage of isolated ticks on animals | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tick species identified | Cattle | Sheep | Goats |
| Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum | 71.4 | 32.1 | – |
| Hyalomma asiaticum asiaticum | 17.6 | – | – |
| Rhipicephalus bursa | 11 | 42.2 | 41.5 |
| Rhipicephalus sanguineus | – | 17.3 | 43.2 |
| Haemaphysalis inermis | – | 8.4 | 15.3 |
Table 3.
Tick infestation rate in outer surface of domestic ruminant in Ilam County
| Animals | Udder (%) | Ear (%) | Head and neck (%) | Shoulder (%) | Tail and anal (%) | Groin (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 37 | 2 | 28 | 2 | 21 | 10 |
| Sheep | 18 | 42 | 2 | – | 30 | 8 |
| Goats | 7 | 63 | – | – | 17 | 13 |
Discussion
Ticks are implicated in the transmission of different pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa and filarial nematodes in animals and humans (Dantas-Torres 2008). Therefore information about how the regional distribution and abundance of species ticks is necessary.
In this study, the overall prevalence of ticks was recorded 43, 23.5, and 49.6 % in cattle, sheep, and goats respectively. The findings of this study showed the occurrence of three genus and five species of hard ticks in Ilam County. According to this survey, an infestation to hard ticks in goats was higher than other ruminants.
The results of this study showed that Hy. anatolicum anatolicum was the dominant tick on cattle while Rh. bursa was the dominant tick on sheep and Rh. sanguineus was the dominant tick on goats. Also Rh.bursa exhibited the lowest frequency in cattle and Ha. inermis exhibited the lowest frequency in sheep and goats.
In parallel to our study Hy. anatolicum anatolicum was recorded over widely scattered throughout Iran. It is a vector of the causative organism of tropical theileriosis and it transmits a variety of pathogenic organism such as Theileria lestoquardi, Th. equi, B.cabali, Trypanosoma theileri and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (Nabian et al. 2007).
In the study was carried out by Nasiri et al. (2010), on sheep in Abdanan County, southeast of Ilam Province, two genera and five species were collected including: Hy. marginatum (44.67 %), Hy. anatolicum (43.17 %), Hy.asiaticum (6.37 %), Hy. dromedarii (5.55 %), Ha. sulcata (0.24 %). These results similar to our findings but in this survey genus Rhipicephalus have not been observed. Ilam County is situated in the cold mountainous region of Iran, The mean elevation of this county is about 1,319 m above sea level and the average annual rainfall is 700 mm. Whereas Abdanan township is located in the Southeast of Ilam County and has a tropical climate, The mean elevation of this city is about 119 m above sea level and the average annual rainfall is 250 mm. Ticks presence and their abundance can be affected by these natural conditions.
Rhipicephalus bursa and Rh. Sanguineus were reported in different part of Iran (Nabian et al.2007; Telmadarraiy et al. 2004; Moshaverinia et al. 2012; Rahbari et al. 2007; Nabian and Rahbari. 2008; Yakhchali et al. 2011).
Rhipicephalussanguineus is considered a globalized tick and is able to transmit pathogens such as Rickettsia rickettsii, Coxiella burnetii, Ehrlichia species and Anaplasma species (Sarih et al. 2005; Dantas-Torres 2008) and Leishmania infantum (Coutinho et al. 2005).
Rhipicephalus bursa can transmit Babesiosis of small ruminants (Babesia ovis); bovine babesiosis (Babesia bigemina); bovine anaplasmosis (Anaplasma marginale) Anaplasmosis of small ruminants (Anaplasma ovis), (Satta et al. 2011).
In our survey Ha. inermis was not observed in cattle and exhibited the lowest frequency in sheep and goats. This species has been observed in north and northwest of Iran (Rahbari et al. 2007). Different Species of Haemaphysalis can transmit various pathogens such as: Theileria Sergenti, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, ovian babesiosis, Babesia major strains, Rickettsia sibirica, tick paralysis, Anaplasma ovis, Anaplasma bovis and Rickettsia hulinii (Satta et al. 2011).
In this study the ticks distribution on the body surface of infested ruminants the highest infestation was found in the udder and tail (21 %) in cattle, ear (42/5 %) and tail (30 %) in sheep and ear (63 %) and tail (17 %) in goat. The lowest number of ticks in body surface of ruminants was observed in the ear and shoulder (2 %) in cattle, head and neck (2 %) in sheep and udder (7 %) in goats.
Most of the ticks in this study infested sites with shorter hair and thinner skin. The higher tick infestations on these sites could be ascribed to the fact that ticks prefer warm, moist, and hidden sites with a good vascular supply and thin skin (Muchenje et al. 2008).
In conclusion, according to our results, Hy. anatolicum anatolicum, Rh. Bursa and Rh sanguineus are dominant hard ticks species in this area. Because of their ability to transmit different pathogens to animals and humans, prevention measures should be considered to reduce their population.
References
- Coutinho MT, Lacerda L, Sterzik A, Fujiwara RT, Botelho JR, De Maria M, Genaro O, Linardi PM. Participation of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) in the epidemiology of canine visceral leishmaniasis. Vet Parasitol. 2005;128:149–155. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2004.11.011. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Dantas-Torres F. The brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille,1806) (Acari: Ixodidae): from taxonomy to control. Vet Parasitol. 2008;152:173–185. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2007.12.030. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Horak IG, Camicas JL, Keirans JE. The Ixodidae, Amblyommidae and Nuttalliellidae (Acari: Ixodida): a world list of valid ticks names. Exp Appl Acarol. 2002;28:7–15. doi: 10.1023/A:1025381712339. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kerinas JE, Litwak TA. Pictorial key to the adults of hard ticks, family Ixodidae (Ixodida:Ixodidea) J Med Entomol. 1989;26:435–470. doi: 10.1093/jmedent/26.5.435. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Manan A, Khan Z, Ahmad B, Abdullah Prevalence and identification of Ixodid tick genera in frontier region Peshawar. J Agric Biol Sci. 2007;2(1):21–25. [Google Scholar]
- Moshaverinia A, Dini M, Azizzadeh M. Prevalence of ixodid tick infestation of sheep in the Arasbaran region of Iran. J Parasit Dis. 2012;36(2):230–233. doi: 10.1007/s12639-012-0114-3. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Muchenje V, Dzama K, Chimonyo M, Raats JG, Strydom PE. Tick susceptibility and its effects on growth performance and carcass characteristics of Nguni, Bonsmara and Angus steers raised on natural pasture. Animal. 2008;2:298–304. doi: 10.1017/S1751731107001036. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Nabian S, Rahbari S. Occurrence of soft and hard ticks on ruminants in Zagros mountainous areas of Iran. Iran J Arthro Dis. 2008;2(1):16–20. [Google Scholar]
- Nabian S, Rahbari S, Shayan P, Haddad zadeh HR. Current status of tick fauna in north of Iran. Iran J Parasitol. 2007;2(1):12–17. [Google Scholar]
- Nasiri A, Telmadarraiy Z, Vatan doost H, Chinikar S, Moradi M, Oshaghi MA, Salim abadi Y, Sheikh Z. Tick infestation rate of sheep and their distribution in Abdanan County, Ilam province, Iran, 2007–2008. Iran J Arthro Borne Dis. 2010;4(2):56–60. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Niyonzema A, Kiltz HH. Control of ticks and tick borne diseases in Burundi. ACIAR Proc. 1986;17:16–17. [Google Scholar]
- Rahbari S, Nabian S, Shayan P. Primary report on distri-bution of tick fauna in Iran. Parasitol Res. 2007;101(2):175–177. doi: 10.1007/s00436-007-0692-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Rezaei H, Mirzaei M, Nematollahi A, ashrafihelan J. Survey of ixodide tick population in domestic ruminants in east Azerbaijan Iran. Glob vet. 2011;6(4):399–401. [Google Scholar]
- Sajid MS, Iqbal Z, Khan MN, Muhammad G. Point prevalence of hard ticks (ixodids) infesting domestic ruminants of lower Punjab Pakistan. Int J Agri Biol. 2008;10(3):49–51. [Google Scholar]
- Sarih M, M’Ghirbi Y, Bouattour A, Gern L, Baranton G, Postic D. Detection and identification of Ehrlichia spp. In ticks collected in Tunisia and Morocco. J Clin Microbiol. 2005;43:1127–1132. doi: 10.1128/JCM.43.3.1127-1132.2005. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Satta G, Chisu V, Cabras P, Fois F, Masala G. Pathogens and symbionts in ticks: a survey on tick species distribution and presence of tick-transmitted micro-organisms in Sardinia, Italy. J Med Microbiol. 2011;60:63–68. doi: 10.1099/jmm.0.021543-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Telmadarraiy Z, Bahrami A, Vatandoost H. A survey on fauna of ticks in West Azerbaijan Province Iran. Iran J Public Health. 2004;33(4):65–69. [Google Scholar]
- Yakhchali M, Rostami A, Esmaelzadeh M. Diversity and seasonal distribution of ixodid ticks in the natural habitat of domestic ruminants in north and south of Iran. Rev Med Vet. 2011;162(5):229–235. [Google Scholar]