A two years study of ticks infesting goats and sheep in abha, saudi arabia

Abstract EN

The weather in Abha was characterized by a temperature of 11.7-23.7oC, a relative humidity 0f 40-92% and rainfall of 0.2-275mm during a study period of 1990 and 1991.

More ticks infested the goats in 1990 than in 1991 while more ticks infested sheep in 1991 than in 1990.

The tick species collected monthly from 10 goats during these years were, respectively, Rhipicephalus turanicus (95.1 and 67.1%), Haemaphysalis sulcata (4.0 and 25.8%), Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum (0.2 and 1.0%) and H.

impeltatum (0.7 and 6.1%).

Goat infestation rate with R.

turanicus was 60-100% in 1990 with peaks in January, April, July, November and December when 90-100% of the goats were infested with 6.3-8.3 ticks / goat.

In 1991, goat infestation rate was 10-100% with peaks in April, July and December when all goats were infested with 5.6-9.0 ticks / goat, with a sex ratio of 0.40:1-2.00:1 in both years, respectively.

The ticks collected monthly from 10 sheep during these years were, respectively, R.

turanicus (89.2 and 86.2%), Haem.

sulcata (5.7 and 4.9%), H.

a.

anatolicum (1.2 and 1.0%), H.

a.

excavatum (0.7 and 1.2%), H.

dromedarii (0.9 and 0.4%), H.

marginatum rufipes (1.4 and 4.1%), H.

m.

turanicum (0.0 and 1.2%) and H.

impeltatum (0.9 and 1.0%).

Sheep infestation rate with R.

turanicus was 30-100% in both years with a peak in June in 1990 when all sheep were infested with 13.8 ticks / sheep and 2 peaks in April and June in 1991 when all sheep were infested with 25.0-29.6 ticks / sheep, with a sex ratio of 0.2:1-2.6:1 and 0.6:1-4.5:1 in these years, respectively.

The change in R.

turanicus infestation in goats and sheep was not correlated with temperature, relative humidity or rainfall during both years except for the infestation in sheep in 1991, which was positively correlated with rainfall.

With the exception of R.

turanicus and Haem.

Sulcata, the other tick species infest primarily animals other than sheep and goats.

It is recommended that control measures be directed toward the hosts primarily infested with any of these tick species.