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Species composition, distribution, ecological preference and host association of ticks in Cyprus

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Abstract

Tick population and species depend on the effect of biotic and abiotic factors, especially vegetation, climate and host density; Cyprus, due to the mild climate, favors the appearance and spread of tick-borne infections. Our objective was to identify the tick species present in the island, to investigate their geographical distribution and their epidemiological implications. During a three-year study (2004–2006) we collected ticks from domestic and wild animals over the island of Cyprus. Data on temperature, humidity, altitude and vegetation, were also recorded. Each tick was identified by species using existing taxonomic keys. The results were mapped on a county level. During the current study 3057 ticks belonging to 11 tick species and four genera were collected from 441 (24.6%) infested animals. Rhipicephalus sanguineus was the predominant species (38.5%), followed by R. turanicus (21.3%) and R. bursa (17.8%). Most infestations occurred in May (24.0%), followed by March (13.6%) and June (12.2%). Rhipicephalus sanguineus had a positive correlation with humidity and temperature, R. bursa and Ixodes gibbosus had a positive correlation with altitude and a negative correlation with temperature. Contrary, Hyalomma excavatum had a negative correlation with altitude. Climate and the availability of hosts are among the major factors influencing ticks.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of GeoInformatics, Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Andreas Tsatsaris

  2. Regional Laboratory of Public Health of Crete, Heraklion, Greece

    Dimosthenis Chochlakis & Yannis Tselentis

  3. Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine, Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, P.O. Box 1393, 71110, Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Byron Papadopoulos, Leonidas Georgalis, Emmanouil Angelakis, Yannis Tselentis & Anna Psaroulaki

  4. Department of Geography, University of Aegean, Mytilene, Greece

    Aikaterini Petsa

  5. URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, Aix Marseille Université, 13005, Marseille, France

    Emmanouil Angelakis

  6. Veterinary Services, Athalassa, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Ioannis Ioannou

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  1. Andreas Tsatsaris
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  2. Dimosthenis Chochlakis
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  9. Anna Psaroulaki
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Correspondence to Anna Psaroulaki.

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Tsatsaris, A., Chochlakis, D., Papadopoulos, B. et al. Species composition, distribution, ecological preference and host association of ticks in Cyprus. Exp Appl Acarol 70, 523–542 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-016-0091-9

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