Assessment of hard tick prevalence and infestation in sheep and goats in Bukan City

Hard ticks, as carriers and significant reservoirs of pathogens, play a crucial role in the transmission and persistence of severe bacterial, protozoal, and viral infectious diseases in humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. The continuity of disease cycles is associated with their blood-feeding activities, leading to substantial economic losses in livestock. For the present study, 384 sheep and goats were clinically examined in equal numbers, and their data were subjected to statistical analysis. The prevalence of infection in the study population was reported as 24.7%. Statistical analysis did not show a significant correlation between the prevalence of infection and factors such as animal species (P: 0.076 > 0.05 / CI: 0.049 - 0.097), age of animals (P: 0.876 > 0.05 / CI: 0.806 - 0.945), and gender of animals (P: 0.318 > 0.05 / CI: 0.190 - 0.342). However, there was a significant statistical relationship between the prevalence of infection and the month of sampling (P: 0.001 < 0.05). The current study indicates that infestation with hard ticks poses serious challenges to the livestock health sector and, without control and prevention measures, can result in significant economic losses.