Ecological investigations on ticks (Acari, Ixodidae) of east Serbia, with emphasis on Ixodes ricinus and Hyalomma savignyi

Abstract

Ecological investigations on ticks in East Serbia were carried out between 1989 and 1995. Out of the 14 species of the Ixodidae family occuring in Serbia, nine species of ticks were found in the investigated area, namely: Dermacentor marginatus, Rhipicephalus bursa, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Ixodes ricinus, Haemaphysalis punctata, Haemaphysalis sulcata, Haemaphysalis inermis, Hyalomma savignyi and Boophilus calcaratus. The faunistic composition, relative abundance, population dynamics and the sex ratio of the detected species were investigated. The temperature, relative humidity and rainfall were monitored in terms of their respective effects on the dynamics of tick populations. The investigated region has been identified as natural foci of Crimean - Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus, and a special attention was given to study the two species, i.e. Ixodes ricinus and Hyalomma savignyi, known as vectors of CCHF and Lyme disease.