DISTRIBUTION PATTERN OF HARD TICKS INFESTING SMALL RUMINANTS IN JAFFARABAD DISTRICT, BALOCHISTAN

Ticks are significant hematophagous arachnids that infest small ruminants and have been reported worldwide. In this study, ticks were collected from small ruminants using forceps, preserved in ethanol, and morphologically identified under a microscope using taxonomic keys. A total of 390 goats and sheep were sampled from 12 farms in different villages of the Jaffarabad district. In total, 950 ticks were collected from these 390 hosts, including sheep and goats. Two genera of ticks were identified: Hyalomma (735/950, 77.3%) and Rhipicephalus (215/950, 22.7%). The most abundant tick species were Hyalomma anatolicum (638/950; 67.15%), followed by Hyalomma dromedarii (97/950; 10.21%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (138/950; 14.52%), and Rhipicephalus microplus (77/950; 8.10%). The monthly distribution pattern showed that H. anatolicum (230/638, 36.05%) peaked in June, H. dromedarii also peaked in June (32/97, 32.98%), R. sanguineus was most prevalent in June (34/138; 24.63%), and R. microplus reached its highest prevalence in June during the warmer season (27/77; 35.06%). The infestation rate was highest in goats (53.84%), followed by sheep (46.15%). It is suggested that similar studies be conducted to gain a more detailed understanding of ticks.