Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the infestation of Ixodidae ticks in herd and stray dogs in Robat Karim region of Tehran province, Iran. Ticks are among the most important external parasites in dogs that can cause various diseases through blood feeding. The growing population of stray dogs in the cities is one of the most important problems, especially in the outskirts of the cities, and the identification of the tick fauna in the area is very important. A total of 83 dogs (17 herd dogs and 66 stray dogs) were randomly sampled from 14 urban and rural points in the Robat Karim between September 1st and September 30th, 2023. After transferring the samples to the entomology laboratory, various species were identified. A total of 434 Ixodidae ticks belonging to 2 genera and 4 different species were identified from 72 infested dogs. The highest frequency was related to Rhipicephalus sanguineus (64.28%), Rhipicephalus bursa (17.28%), and the lowest frequency was related to Rhipicephalus turanicus (11.29%), Hyalomma marginatum (7.14%). Examining the age variables showed that there is a significant difference (p≤0.05) in the frequency of tick infestation in different age groups, with 44.23% of the total isolated ticks belonging to dogs aged 1-3 years. Such research, which deals with the identification and investigation of species diversity and the distribution of different species of ticks in a specific geographical area, will lead to better and more accurate decisions by the medical and veterinary professionals to control and prevent the spread of tick-borne diseases. Similar studies should be conducted in other regions of Iran to determine the level of tick infestation in dogs throughout Iran and the results of these studies can be used in strategic tick control programs.