Hyalomma anatolicum as the Main Infesting Tick in an Important Livestock Rearing Region, Central Area of Iran

This study was carried out to determine the infestation of domestic ruminants to ticks in an important livestock-rearing region, located in central part of Iran.
Ticks were collected from cattle, sheep, and goats and then were identified with appropriate identification keys to species level in two different ecological regions of plains and mountain in 4 seasons in 2015.
Totally 492 ticks from cattle, sheep, and goats in 34 herds were collected. Totally, 18.53% of domestic animals were infected by ticks. All ticks were belonged to family Ixodidae and classified into three genera and six species comprising Hyalomma anatolicum (38.83%), Hy. Asiaticum (23.37%), Hy. marginatum (2.85%), Hy. sp. (3.45%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (14.02%) and Haemaphysalis sulcata (10.98%). Sex ratio of the collected specimens showed 241 (48.99%) male, 219 (44.51%) female and 32 (6.5%) nymph
Studied area is important for production of livestock and dairy products. Annually, many livestock products are exported to other parts from this region; therefore, it is very important to identify the infection rate of tick-borne diseases as well as safety factors on livestock.