بررسی فون، پراکندگی جغرافیایی و فعالیت فصلی کنه ‌های سخت در شهرستان ساری در سال 1387-1386

Background and purpose: Hard ticks are important hematophagous arthropods belonging to the class Ârachnida. They transmit different groups of micro-organisms such as arboviruses, bacteria and parasites to animals and humans. Determining the fauna and geographical distribution of hard ticks in a given area is crucially important in planning the prevention and control programs. Materials and methods: This descriptive study was conducted in Sari Township, in the north of Ïran. To collect tick samples, first the researchers selected 10% of the villages, then 10% of the flocks (sheep, goats, and cows) in each village were selected, finally 10% of the animals in each flock were monthly examined in different seasons from June 2007 to July 2008. The species were determined and GÏS (Geographical Ïnformation System) database was created to visualize their geographical distribution. Results: Six different species belonging to different genera of hard ticks including Rhipicephalus bursa, Hyalomma detritum, Boophilus annulatus, Haemaphysalis punctata, Ïxodes ricinus and Dermacentor marginatus were collected from animals. The relative frequency of these species were 63.76%, 15.35%, 9.58%, 7.63%, 1.86% and 1.78% respectively. Geographical distribution of the collected tick species was mapped using GÏS software. Çonclusion: The results showed that Rhipicephalus bursa is the dominant tick species on domestic ruminants in Sari Township.