Hyalomma aegyptium the dominant hard tick in tortoises Tesdudo hermanni boettgeri found in different regions of Albania
The purpose of this study was to estimate the level of hard tick infestation in the tortoise subspecies Testudo hermanni boettgeri living within the free-range hills and mountains of four regions of central and south Albania. In addition, this study showed the morphological differences of infested a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-04-01
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| Series: | International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224422000104 |
| _version_ | 1828857270837968896 |
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| author | Bejo Bizhga Bektaş Sönmez Laurent Bardhaj Kurtesh Sherifi Ozan Gündemir Sokol Duro |
| author_facet | Bejo Bizhga Bektaş Sönmez Laurent Bardhaj Kurtesh Sherifi Ozan Gündemir Sokol Duro |
| author_sort | Bejo Bizhga |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The purpose of this study was to estimate the level of hard tick infestation in the tortoise subspecies Testudo hermanni boettgeri living within the free-range hills and mountains of four regions of central and south Albania. In addition, this study showed the morphological differences of infested and non-infested tortoises in several geographic locations where tortoises are known to be infested with Hyalomma aegyptium, a natural carrier of different zoonotic pathogens. Thirty-six of 145 (24.8%) examined Hermann's tortoises were found to be infested with hard ticks. After the tortoises were carefully captured and controlled, a total of 67 H. aegyptium were collected: 47 in Berati, 11 in Ballshi and 9 in Saranda. None of the 40 tortoises in the Tirana region were found to be infested with ticks. All ticks were identified as H. aegyptium adults. The highest prevalence of tick infestation was in the Berati region at 49.1%, followed by the Ballshi and Saranda region by 24% and 12%, respectively. The mean infestation intensity was 1.86 H. aegyptium per Hermann's tortoise, and it was found that H. aegyptium are less common in large Hermann's tortoises. The number of H. aegyptium male ticks was negatively correlated with the body dimensions of Hermann's tortoises. Hyalomma aegyptium is the most prevalent tick in Hermann's tortoises in three regions of south Albania, and with a typical three-host life cycle in different wild and domestic animals, they may be a vector of zoonotic pathogens. Furthermore, other studies should be conducted to detect the presence of zoonotic pathogens in ticks from these regions and to estimate the risk of transmission in animals and humans. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T01:33:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d80d089784374c67814363db89aeeb99 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2213-2244 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T01:33:23Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife |
| spelling | doaj.art-d80d089784374c67814363db89aeeb992022-12-22T00:03:58ZengElsevierInternational Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife2213-22442022-04-0117199204Hyalomma aegyptium the dominant hard tick in tortoises Tesdudo hermanni boettgeri found in different regions of AlbaniaBejo Bizhga0Bektaş Sönmez1Laurent Bardhaj2Kurtesh Sherifi3Ozan Gündemir4Sokol Duro5Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, 1000, AlbaniaSuşehri Timur Karabal Vocational School, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, 58600, TurkeyFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, 1000, AlbaniaFaculty of Agriculture and Veterinary, University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”, Street “Bill Clinton”, Prishtine 10000, KosovoDepartment of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, TurkeyFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, 1000, Albania; Corresponding author. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, Albania.The purpose of this study was to estimate the level of hard tick infestation in the tortoise subspecies Testudo hermanni boettgeri living within the free-range hills and mountains of four regions of central and south Albania. In addition, this study showed the morphological differences of infested and non-infested tortoises in several geographic locations where tortoises are known to be infested with Hyalomma aegyptium, a natural carrier of different zoonotic pathogens. Thirty-six of 145 (24.8%) examined Hermann's tortoises were found to be infested with hard ticks. After the tortoises were carefully captured and controlled, a total of 67 H. aegyptium were collected: 47 in Berati, 11 in Ballshi and 9 in Saranda. None of the 40 tortoises in the Tirana region were found to be infested with ticks. All ticks were identified as H. aegyptium adults. The highest prevalence of tick infestation was in the Berati region at 49.1%, followed by the Ballshi and Saranda region by 24% and 12%, respectively. The mean infestation intensity was 1.86 H. aegyptium per Hermann's tortoise, and it was found that H. aegyptium are less common in large Hermann's tortoises. The number of H. aegyptium male ticks was negatively correlated with the body dimensions of Hermann's tortoises. Hyalomma aegyptium is the most prevalent tick in Hermann's tortoises in three regions of south Albania, and with a typical three-host life cycle in different wild and domestic animals, they may be a vector of zoonotic pathogens. Furthermore, other studies should be conducted to detect the presence of zoonotic pathogens in ticks from these regions and to estimate the risk of transmission in animals and humans.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224422000104AlbaniaHermann's tortoiseHyalomma aegyptiumInfestation rateTick prevalence |
| spellingShingle | Bejo Bizhga Bektaş Sönmez Laurent Bardhaj Kurtesh Sherifi Ozan Gündemir Sokol Duro Hyalomma aegyptium the dominant hard tick in tortoises Tesdudo hermanni boettgeri found in different regions of Albania International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife Albania Hermann's tortoise Hyalomma aegyptium Infestation rate Tick prevalence |
| title | Hyalomma aegyptium the dominant hard tick in tortoises Tesdudo hermanni boettgeri found in different regions of Albania |
| title_full | Hyalomma aegyptium the dominant hard tick in tortoises Tesdudo hermanni boettgeri found in different regions of Albania |
| title_fullStr | Hyalomma aegyptium the dominant hard tick in tortoises Tesdudo hermanni boettgeri found in different regions of Albania |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hyalomma aegyptium the dominant hard tick in tortoises Tesdudo hermanni boettgeri found in different regions of Albania |
| title_short | Hyalomma aegyptium the dominant hard tick in tortoises Tesdudo hermanni boettgeri found in different regions of Albania |
| title_sort | hyalomma aegyptium the dominant hard tick in tortoises tesdudo hermanni boettgeri found in different regions of albania |
| topic | Albania Hermann's tortoise Hyalomma aegyptium Infestation rate Tick prevalence |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224422000104 |
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