Prevalence of tick species in sheep and goat flocks in areas of southern Greece

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the tick prevalence and to identify the species of ticks that parasitise the small ruminant flocks in the prefectures of Achaia (in the geographic region of Peloponnese) and Chania (in the island of Crete). Thirty flocks of goats and sheep were examined for tick parasitism during the period from December 2012 until August 2013. Sixteen of them were in Achaia and the rest 14 in Chania. In total, 84 goats and 148 sheep were examined; from them, 50 goats and 70 sheep in Achaia, and 34 goats and 78 sheep in Chania. The species Dermacentor marginatus was identified in Achaia in 15% of the animals. In Chania the species identified were Haemaphysalis punctata (13%), Hyalomma anatolicum (4.47%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (4.47%) and Ixodes ricinus (3.58%). This is the first study on tick infestation in sheep and goats in Peloponnese and Crete, two areas with large number of small ruminant population and important tradition in small ruminant farming.

Vector-borne pathogens affecting shelter dogs in eastern Crete, Greece

“…Neither tick-borne bacteria from the family Anaplasmataceae, i.e., Anaplasma phagocytophilum , Anaplasma platys , Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis , or Ehrlichia canis , nor Babesia vogeli was detected in the present study, which is quite surprising as the vector tick species Ixodes ricinus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus , responsible for the respective transmission, are known to occur on the island (Chochlakis et al 2009 ; Dimanopoulou et al 2017 ). This might be either due to the small sample size tested or to a low capacity of local Rh.…”

Ticks Prevalence and Possible Risk Factors Assessment on Domestic Dogs in Quetta District Balochistan, Pakistan

“…They are mostly found to be attached with certain body parts of its host like head, neck, ear, abdominal region, perineal region or inside the parts of fore-limbs and hind-limbs [4]. Ticks, particularly belonging to the family Ixodidae that are being globally important as they direct attack on the skin and its tissues causing great damage to its host [5].…”

Ixodid ticks on Oertzen’s Rock Lizard (Anatololacerta oertzeni) on Ikaria, Greece, with notes on the island’s reptiles

“…The ticks probably are in the genus Dermacentor, Hyalomma, or Ixodes and might represent more than one species or life stage. Ruminants (goats and sheep) are abundant in the area and might facilitate dispersal (e.g., Chaligiannis et al 2016;Dimanopoulou et al 2017).…”