Ticks collected from reptile species on Small Nemrut

Abstract

This study aims to identify the ticks living on reptiles of Small Nemrut Mountain as ectoparasites. Field work was carried out between May and November 2016. The mountain which attracts a lot of visitors is an extinct volcano. There are settlements close to the mountain. Furthermore, the area is the upland for the local fauna. 12 reptile species live on the mountain. In the scans on reptiles living in the area, the Hyalomma aegyptium type tick is identified on Testudo graeca (Common Tortoise) and Darevskia valentini (Valentin’s Lizard) species. The infestation rate was found to be 66.66% on tortoises and 28.57% on lizards. In the resources, it was reported that Borellia turcica, Theileria spp, Borellia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, which are microorganisms with high pathogenicity in humans and animals, are isolated from H. aegyptium collected from tortoises. In addition, it was reported in various studies that Hyalomma aegyptium is a reservoir host for Hemoliva mauritanica which is a blood parasite that has been identified to intensively cause diseases in tortoises..