AIM Ticks are obligate ectoparasites that have an impact on wide range of vertebrates and also act as a potential vector for the transmission of tropical theileriosis, babesiosis, etc., causing significant loss to livestock production worldwide. While feeding, they introduce their saliva containing different bioactive molecules into the host. These molecules have the capability to counteract th...

BACKGROUND As obligate blood-feeding arthropods, ticks transmit pathogens to humans and domestic animals more often than other arthropod vectors. Livestock farming plays a vital role in the rural economy of Pakistan, and tick infestation causes serious problems with it. However, research on tick species diversity and tick-borne pathogens has rarely been conducted in Pakistan. In this study, a s...

The establishment of good experimental models for Theileria sp. infection is important for theileriosis research. Routinely, infection of ticks is accomplished by feeding on parasite-infected animals (sheep, cows and horses), which raises practical and ethical problems, driving the search for alternative methods of tick infection. Artificial tick feeding systems are based mainly on rearing tick...

The protective capacity of the crude extracts from larval and nymphal stages of Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum was examined in the New Zealand white rabbits. The rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups of five animals. The rabbits in groups 1 and 2 were immunized with crude extracts of larval and nymphal antigens, respectively and group 3 was served as control. Following challenge of each r...

BACKGROUND There is a little data on Coxiella burnetii (Q fever agent) in Iran. Ticks may play a significant role in the transmission of C. burnetii among animals. The aim of this study was to use polymerase chain reaction for the detection of C. burnetii in ticks collected in Southeast Iran. METHODS One hundred and sixty ticks were collected from domestic animals in three localities of Kerma...

The objectives of this study were to determine the diversity, seasonal dynamics and abundance of ticks infesting cattle in Isfahan zone, Iran. The study was conducted in three traditional cattle farms. No acaricides had been applied to cattle at the selected farms. Adult ticks were collected twice per month from different parts of the cattle's body. Environmental data, including relative humidi...

BACKGROUND: Taxonomy and identification of the ticks in the genus Hyalomma, the most significant vectors of animal and human pathogen agents, have always been debatable. Scientists believe that variation within the taxa of the genus Hyalomma is the most important factor which causes misidentification. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to identify valuable characters for male H. anatolicu...

BACKGROUND In January 2011, human cases with hemorrhagic manifestations in the hospital staff were reported from a tertiary care hospital in Ahmadabad, India. This paper reports a detailed epidemiological investigation of nosocomial outbreak from the affected area of Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Samples from 3 suspected cases, 83 contacts, Hyalomma ticks and livestock were sc...

Background and Aims: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a zoonosis caused by a Nairovirus of the family Bunyaviridae. Infection is transmitted to humans mostly by Hyalomma ticks. This study was conducted to determine the rate of CCHFV infection in ticks in Qom province of Iran. Materials and Methods: In this study, Reverse transcription – polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used...

Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum and Haemaphysalis punctata larval ticks were shown to be susceptible to different strains of entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae under laboratory conditions. To determine the susceptibility of H. anatolicum anatolicum and H. punctata to M. anisopliae, two suspensions of conidia were used (103 and 104 spores/ml). The treatments were conducted by immersing...