A review on Babesia spp. and tick vectors in animals in Iran

Babesiosis is an important tick-borne disease that affects a wide range of domestic and wild animals and occasionally humans in tropical and subtropical countries. So far, More than 100 different Babesia species have been identified in animals. Iran is one of the largest countries in the Middle East. The existence of two chains of mountains namely Zagros and Alborz has provided a number of climatic variations with different flora and fauna. These different climatic zones in Iran are potentially favorable for a large variety of tick vectors transmitting blood pathogen protozoa like Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. in animals. In the last decade, many molecular studies have been performed to identify Babesia spp. and tick vectors in different parts of Iran. This review article aims to provide useful information about the history, characters, geographical distribution, and prevalence of Babesia species and their related tick vectors in animals in Iran.