Incidence and Prevalence of Hard Ticks in Ruminants of Al-Ahsa Oasis Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

In the present study, a number of camels, cattle, sheep, and goat herds have been examined and followed up to record the incidence of tick infestation in Al-Ahsa Oasis in the Eastern Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. From 24 herds distributed in eleven localities, a total of 4068 animals (123 camels, 60 cattle, 1780 sheep, and 2105 goats) were individually examined every second week during the period from January to December 2010. In total, 5320 ticks were collected from 1125 infested animals (27.65%). The overall prevalence rate of identified Ixodide ticks was: Hyalomma anatolicum excavatum (18.33%), Hyalomma dromedarii (17.63%), Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum (14.29%), Rhipicephalus turanicus (14.04%), Hyalomma impeltatum (11.28%), Rhipicephalus praetextatus (8.56%), Hyalomma marginatum turanicum (6.20%), Haemaphysalis sulcata (3.57%), Rhipicephalus kohlsi (2.33%), Hyalomma marginatum rufipes (2.09%), Hyalomma schulzei (1.03%), Amblyomma variegatum (0.47%), and Amblyomma gemma (0.18%). Tick infestation in terms of mean intensity, abundance, and prevalence rates was highest in camels (41 tick/infested camel, 30 ticks/camel, and 73.17%, respectively). This was followed by cattle (15 tick/infested cow, 5 ticks/cow, and 33.33%, respectively), goats (1.35 tick/infested goat, 0.33 tick/goat, and 23.52%, respectively), and sheep (1.27 tick/infested sheep, 0.3 tick/sheep, and 29.21%, respectively). The incidence rate of ticks significantly increased during the warmest summer months of the year (highest recorded temperature ranged between 47°C and 50°C), mainly due to the management practices of farmers. During this period animals were housed and water was supplied ad libitum during hot months, thereby increasing animal density and humidity in the shaded farms. According to the obtained results of the current study, tick control can be started in Al-Ahsa area in early May for all animals with the focus on camels as they are the harbor of the tick biomass, or on goats as they had initially increased in incidence rates.