摘要
Objective:To determine the fauna and frequency of hard tick species on sheep and cattle in Hamedan Province,Western Iran.Methods:Tick sampling was performed on the whole body of 18000 sheep and 4200 cattle in 3 rural regions(mountain,plateau,and plain-mountainous zone)during the year of 2010 to 2011.The ticks were identified with appropriate identification keys.Results:A total of 1534 hard ticks(62.1%male and 37.9%female)were collected in animals.The infestation rate was found 2.4%in animals(4.2%in cattle and 2.0%in sheep).The ticks were classified into 3 genera and 7 species including:Hyalomma marginatum(34.1%),Hyalomma excavatum(29.7%),Rhipicephalus bursa(13.8%),Rhipicephalus sanguineus(7.5%),Hyalomma detritum(7.1%),Haemaphysalis punctata(5.1%)and Hyalomma dromedarii(2.7%).Conclusions:Current study is the first report of fauna and frequency of hard ticks in this region.The results showed that Hyalomma marginatum is the dominant hard tick species.Further studies are needed to determine the importance of Ixodidae ticks of veterinary and public health in this region of Iran.
