چكيده لاتين :
Background: Ticks are obligate blood feeders that parasitize a wide variety of animals. Hyalomma aegyptium, parasitize
tortoises and other small wild life and livestock. This study was carried out to determine spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo
graeca) infestation to H. ageyptium in Urmia region West Azerbaijan of Iran.
Methods: The study was carried out over a 16 month period from the spring of 2004 to the fall of 2005. A total of 32 tortoises
were sampled.
Results: The results indicated that 14 tortoises infected with ticks. A total of 117 ticks were collected from infested animals,
the minimum and maximum tick infestation was 1-60. Ticks were attached to the axilla of fore and hind legs of tortoises.
All ticks were determined to be H. aegyptium.
Conclusion: H. aegyptium was the most common tick species in the study area. Due to tendency of some people to keeping
tortoise as pet animal, more attention must be done to tortoise’s tick infestation. Due to existence of H. aegyptium on tortoises
in this region more study will need to evaluate presence of this tick on other animal species and its role on transmission
of diseases.
