Status of tick infestation of cattle in the Kayseri region of Turkey.

This study was carried out to determine the status of tick infestation of cattle in the Kayseri region in Turkey. Eight hundred and sixty-six cattle and their barns in 12 localities were examined during the period of June 2000-November 2001, where 188 (21.7%) of which were infested by ticks. A total of 1,585 ticks consisting of Rhipicephalus turanicus (2.27%), R. bursa (2.14%), R. sanguineus (0.94%), Hyalomma marginatum (17.16%), H. anatolicum excavatum (24.73%), H. a. anatolicum (19.62%), Dermacentor niveus (1%), Boophilus annulatus (16.71%), Ornithodorus lahorensis (0.25%), Hyalomma sp. nymphs (7.31%), and Boophilus annulatus nymphs (7.82%) were collected. Seasonal fluctuation of ticks was also determined in this region. Rhipicephalus species were generally found in spring, others like Hyalomma in late spring, summer, and early autumn, B. annulatus in September, October, and December, D. niveus in December, January, and February, and O. lahorensis in December. Immature forms (nymphs) of Hyalomma species were found in summer and autumn, while B. annulatus nymphs were observed in October, November, and December.