Diversity of hard ticks parasitizing farm animals in the Qarabulli region, Northwestern Libya

Abstract

Background: There are 26 species of ticks known to exist in Libya. Despite the presence of a number of investigations on ticks in Libya, there are no published studies on ticks in the Al-Qarboulli area. Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the ticks species infesting farm animals in the Qarabulli region. Methods: Ticks were collected manually on a monthly basis from the examined hosts (cattle, sheep, dogs, and camels) that were selected randomly in the period between July 2021 and June 2022. Results: 717 ticks individuals were collected on 775 hosts, eight tick species were encountered: Hyalomma excavatum (41.00%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (23.43%), H. dromedarii (12.13%), H. marginatum (9.21%), H. anatolicum (8.51%), R. annulatus (5.30%), H. rufipes (0.28%), and B. microplus (0.14%). The mean prevalence of all species was 22.32%. The mean intensity of all species was 0.93 ticks per host. The presence of ticks among the months of the year varied among tick species. Conclusions: The results showed high tick infestation in farm animals of Qarabulli, Libya, suggesting increased risk of tick-borne diseases. This highlights the need for preventative measures and public awareness to reduce tick populations. Further studies are recommended to understand the spread of tick-borne diseases in the area. [Open Vet J 2024; 14(6.000): 1442-1446]

Keywords

• ticks
• infestation
• livestock
• qarboulli
• libya