Fauna and frequency of hard ticks of livestock in South Khorasan province in 2018: Short Communication

Identification of hard tick species and their hosts are essential for the development of control and prevention programs for tick-borne diseases. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, ticks were collected from the sheep, goat, and camel in different regions of South Khorasan province, Iran in 2018 through cluster sampling method. Fauna and frequency of ticks were recorded and analyzed in SPSS software (version?). In total, 977 ticks were collected, such as: Hyalomma spp, including Hy. dromedarii (40.5%), Hy. anatulicum (30.7%), Hy. marginatum (12.5%), Hy. asciaticum (6.8%), Hy. schulzei (4.4%), Hy. detritum (3.2%), and Hy. scupense (1.1%); Rhipicephalus spp, including Rh. bursa (0.3%), Rh. sanguineus (0.2%);  and Haemaphysalis spp, including Ha. concina (0.2%), and Ha. punctate (0.1%). The ticks have a high frequency in the region and the identified species in this study were vectors of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF). Moreover, the Hyalomma species is dominant and prevalent throughout the studied region in spring and summer. Therefore the health system of the province has to put into consideration the essential care, education and informing about the CCHF disease.