{"paper_id":"1aee3c4a-17b6-44c4-a960-dbea86558e95","body_text":"Morphological identification, seasonal prevalence, and predilection sites of hard tick species infesting cattle in four municipalities of the province of Tiaret, northwest Algeria | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Morphological identification, seasonal prevalence, and predilection sites of hard tick species infesting cattle in four municipalities of the province of Tiaret, northwest Algeria Hamza Achour, Mokhtaria Kouidri, Sidi Mohammed Ammar Selles, Taha Bia This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4443152/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Hard ticks are blood-sucking obligatory ectoparasites that infest all species of domestic ruminants worldwide. The aim of the present study was to determine the identity, seasonal prevalence, and predilection sites of hard tick species infesting cattle in four municipalities of the province of Tiaret, northwest Algeria, during the period May 2022 to May 2023. Out of the 317 cattle that were examined in total, 111 (35.02%) were found to be infested with hard ticks. The overall mean intensity and mean abundance were assessed at 15.78 ticks/infested cow and 5.53 ticks/cow, respectively. A total of 1752 adult ticks were collected; three genera and nine species were identified. As a result, H. excavatum (43.78%), H. marginatum (20.15%), H. lusitanicum (18.32%), H. scupence (8.73%), R. bursa (7.53%), H. impeltatum (0.74%), R. (Boophilus) annulatus (0.46%), R. sanguineus (0.23%), and D. marginatus (0.06%). For the majority of tick species found, higher numbers of male ticks were collected than female ticks. Seasonally, the summer season (38.01%) had the highest frequency (p-value < 0.001) of hard ticks’ infestation, followed by spring (23.34%), winter (21.35%), and autumn (17.29%). Ticks were widely distributed in four body zones on cattle, with the highest distribution on zone 5 (95.43%) (p-value < 0.001), which includes the sternum, abdomen, udder, scrotum, and inner sides of the hind legs, and the lowest distribution on zone 1 (0.06%), which includes the legs and hooves. The research indicates that economically significant ticks are prevalent in all studied municipalities, indicating a warning sign. Hard ticks Cattle Seasonal prevalence Predilection sites Northwest Algeria Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 1. Introduction Ticks are blood-sucking arthropods that are known vectors of human and animal diseases. They are an emerging economic and public health problem in tropical and subtropical countries (de la Fuente et al., 2017 ). Globally, ticks are currently considered the most important vector of animal diseases and the second most important vector of human diseases after mosquitoes (Jongejan and Uilenberg, 2004 ). There are approximately 900 species worldwide, of which more than 700 belong to the family Ixodidae; approximately 200 tick species belong to the family Argasidae; and the third family is Nuttalliellidae, which has a single species (Guglielmone et al., 2014 ). The majority of ticks of veterinary importance belong to the Ixodidae family. They transmit a greater diversity of protozoan, bacterial, rickettsial, and viral pathogens than any other group of arthropod vectors (Eisen et al., 2017 ). Particularly in tropical and subtropical regions, where nearly 80% of the world's livestock are reared, ticks transmit diseases that cause significant economic losses to resource-poor farming communities (Rehman et al., 2017 ). The geographical distribution and abundance of ticks are influenced by many biotic and abiotic factors, including climate, altitude, urbanization, and host population dynamics (Estrada-Peña, 2015 ). In common with other blood-sucking arthropods, ticks spend their life cycle in such environments. Their survival and development depend on the availability of hosts, host lifestyle, host interactions with other animals, vegetation cover, habitat type, and geoclimatic conditions (temperature and humidity) (Estrada-Peña, 2008 ). In the last few years, the local epidemiology of ticks and their associated pathogens has changed due to the introduction of new vector species into previously free areas as a result of environmental changes and the movement of people and animals (Smith et al., 2011 ). Changes in the environment and climate can increase the activity and range of ticks. This can lead to an increase in both the distribution of TBPs and the incidence of tick-borne diseases (TBDs) (Gray et al., 2009 ). Hence, TBD monitoring should include surveys on the geographic distribution of tick fauna (Braks et al., 2011 ). With a surface area equal to 56% of the entire land area of the European Union (EU), Algeria is the largest country in Africa, the largest country in the Mediterranean basin, and the tenth largest country in the world (Mechouk et al., 2022 ). To date, only two studies have been documented regarding the tick diversity in cattle from the province of Tiaret (Boulkaboul, 2003 ; Mokhtaria et al., 2018 ). However, their information is limited to the morphological identification and seasonal dynamics of hard ticks. There is insufficient information on the seasonal prevalence and predilection sites of hard ticks in our region. Currently, control measures are mainly based on the use of chemicals on animals and in the environment (Otranto, 2018 ). For the many reasons above, the development and implementation of a systematic surveillance system based on a comprehensive knowledge of the tick species present in a target geographical area is crucial (Estrada-Peña et al., 2017 ). Keeping in view this limitation of available data, the present study was designed to determine the identity, seasonal prevalence, and predilection sites of hard tick species of cattle in different municipalities of the province of Tiaret, northwest Algeria, during the period May 2022 to May 2023. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Study Area The study was conducted between May 2022 and May 2023 in four municipalities of the Tiaret province in northwestern Algeria. These municipalities are Aïn El Hadid (35° 03′ 29°N, 0° 53′ 00°E), Sidi Bakhti (35° 14′ 28°N, 0° 58′ 42°E), Mechraa Safa (35° 23′ 02°N, 1° 03′ 12°E), and Sidi Hosni (35° 28′ 16°N, 1° 31′ 12°E). The geographical location of the selected sites is shown in Fig. 1 . Geographically, the province of Tiaret is situated 268 kilometers away from Algeria's capital. It is also situated between 980 and 1150 m above sea level, at latitude 35°22'2.478\" N and longitude 1°19'19.315\" E, covering an area of 20,673 km². The region has a Mediterranean climate, with maximum (summer) and minimum (winter) temperatures of 26.0°C and 6.0°C, respectively, and average annual rainfall of 250–500 mm (source: climate-data.org). The Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to determine the exact geographic coordinates of the sample areas, which were then added to the attribute table for tagging on the study area map using ArcGIS v. 10.8. 2. 2. Study Animals A total of 317 cattle of different ages, breeds, and both sexes were included in this study. They were examined for the presence of tick infestations. They were located in four municipalities of the Province of Tiaret: Aïn El Hadid (n = 20), Sidi Bakhti (n = 79), Mechraa Safa (n = 19), and Sidi Hosni (n = 199). The majority of the cattle examined in this study were between 5 and 10 years old, with a greater number of animals older than 5 years. This is attributed to the fact that owners tend to keep cows beyond this age. In addition, the majority of cattle observed were of the local breed, which is the most common breed of cattle reared in the study area. Cattle in the study area are reared in an extensive system. Acaricides used to control ticks are applied randomly and inconsistently by farmers. 2.3. Collection and identification of tick specimens For this study, ticks were sampled monthly from different parts of each animal. They were manually removed from the skin surfaces of infested cattle. During tick inspection, the body was divided into seven zones (Fig. 2 ): Zone 1 (head, ears), Zone 2 (neck, chest and dewlap), Zone 3 (dorsal side of the body), Zone 4 (thorax and flank), Zone 5 (sternum, abdomen, udder, scrotum, and around the inner sides of the hind legs), and Zone 6 (perineum, including the areas between the anus and the genital organs). Zone 7 (legs and hoof). Animals were then visually inspected for ticks on all parts of the body. Prior to tick collection, the objectives of the study were outlined to the owners, and verbal consent was obtained to collect ticks from their cattle. Ticks collected from each animal were placed separately in 24 × 100 mm vials containing 70% ethanol and labeled with a unique sample ID, which included county codes and animal numbers. Other pertinent information, such as animal age, sex, and breed, GPS coordinates of the site, site altitude, and date of collection, was recorded on an Excel spreadsheet for data analysis and future reference. The ticks were then transported to the parasitology laboratory of the University of Tiaret in Algeria. There, the ticks were identified under a stereomicroscope according to their morphological characteristics using the taxonomic keys of Walker et al. ( 2003 ). 2.4. Statistical Analysis The tick infestation prevalence (%) employed here was calculated as the total number of infested cattle divided by the number of examined cattle. The mean intensity rate (mi) used here was calculated as the total number of collected ticks divided by the number of infested cattle, while the mean abundance (ma) rate was calculated as the total number of collected ticks divided by the total number of examined cattle (Bush et al., 1997 ). To assess potential differences in the prevalence of tick species across seasons and predilection sites on cattle, we employed the Fisher Exact test with simulated p-values based on 2000 replicates. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05. All statistical analyses were conducted using the RStudio interface (version 2023.3.0.386) provided by the R software (version 4.2.3). 3. Results 3. 1. The Global Parasitological Indicators in Cattle In the current study (May 2022–May 2023), we carried out a survey of ticks on cattle in four municipalities of the province of Tiaret in the north-west of Algeria. Of the 317 cattle sampled, 111 were found to be infested with one or more tick species, with a total prevalence of 35.02%. The mean tick intensity (mi) was estimated to be 15.78 ticks per infested cow in the study area. Mean abundance (ma) was calculated as the ratio of the number of ticks collected to the total cattle population examined, and was found to be 5.53 ticks per cow in the study area. 3. 2. Tick species identification A total of 1752 adult ixodid ticks were collected from different regions of the body of 111 cattle that were found positive for tick infestation and consequently sampled. The highest number of ticks was found in Sidi Bakhti (79.22%), followed by Aïn El Hadid (9.87%) and Sidi Hosni (8.50%), while the lowest was in Mechraa Safa (2.40%). Based on morphological identification, nine tick species belonging to three genera ( Hyalomma (91.72%), Rhipicephalus (8.22%), and Dermacentor (0.06%)) were identified in the study area. Overall, the highest occurrence was observed for H. excavatum (43.78%), followed by H. marginatum (20.15%), H. lusitanicum (18.32%), H. scupence (8.73%), R. bursa (7.53%), and H. impeltatum (0.74%). R. (Boophilus) annulatus and R. sanguineus were observed with similarly low prevalences (0.46%) and (0.23%), respectively, and D. marginatus had an even lower prevalence (0.06%) (Table 1 ). Among the 1752 collected ticks, 1353 (77.23%) were males, and 399 (22.77%) were females. 3. 3. Seasonal variations of hard ticks ‘species Seasonal variations in tick species prevalence were found to be significantly associated with the results of the Fisher's exact test (p-value < 0.001) (Table 2 ). In addition, the seasonal prevalence showed variations among the four seasons; summer was the most common with 666 ticks (38.01%), followed by spring (409 ticks, 23.34%), winter (374 ticks, 21.35%) and autumn (303 ticks, 17.29%). The predominant species, H. excavatum, H. marginatum, H. lusitanicum , and H. scupense , were active all year round, but R. bursa and H. impeltatum were only collected in the spring and summer. Moreover, R. (Boophilus) annulatus was only collected throughout the summer and autumn. At last, the collection of R. sanguineus and D. marginatus was limited to the summer and winter seasons, respectively. 3. 4. Predilection sites The results of the Fisher's exact test showed a highly significant association between the prevalence of tick species and the site of predilection on cattle, as indicated by the p-value ( Table 3 ) . Ticks are distributed in four body zones on cattle, with the highest distribution found in zone 5 (95.43%), which includes the sternum, abdomen, udder, scrotum, and inner sides of the hind legs. Zone 6 (4.11%), which includes the perineum (the area between the anus and the genitals), had the second highest distribution, followed by zone 7 (0.40%), which includes the legs and hooves. The lowest distribution was found in zone 1 (0.06%), which includes the head and ears. There was no infestation in the other regions of the body (zones 2, 3, and 4). In the current study, the majority of ticks, according to the species Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus , were found attached to the upper body parts (ventro-genital, or zone 5). The remaining ticks were identified on the perineum, or zone 6, or on the legs and hooves, or zone 7. One female D. marginatus was found in zone 1. Table 1 Distribution of hard ticks collected from different municipalities in the Province of Tiaret. Species of ticks No. of ticks Prevalence (%) Study minicipalities Aïn El Hadid Sidi Bakhti Mechraa Safa Sidi Hosni Hyalomma 1607 91.72 154 1277 41 135 H. excavatum 767 43.78 85 616 36 30 H. marginatum 353 20.15 52 278 3 20 H. lusitanicum 321 18.32 7 300 2 12 H. scupense 153 8.73 8 72 0 73 H. impeltatum 13 0.74 2 11 0 0 Rhipicephalus 144 8.22 19 110 1 14 R. bursa 132 7.53 18 99 1 14 R. (Boophilus) annulatus 08 0.46 0 8 0 0 R. sanguineus 04 0.23 1 3 0 0 Dermacentor 1 0.06 0 1 0 0 D. marginatus 01 0.06 0 1 0 0 Total (%) 1752 100 173 (9.87%) 1388 (79.22%) 42 (2.40%) 149 (8.50%) Table 2 Seasonal variations of hard tick species according to different seasons in the study region. Species of ticks Season Prevalence (%) Summer Autumn Winter Spring H. excavatum 252 157 247 111 767 (43.78%) H. marginatum 136 12 19 186 353 (20.15%) H. lusitanicum 79 120 85 37 321 (18.32%) H. scupense 118 9 22 4 153 (8.73%) H. impeltatum 11 0 0 2 13 (0.74%) R. bursa 63 0 0 69 132 (7.53%) R. (Boophilus) annulatus 3 5 0 0 08 (0.46%) R. sanguineus 4 0 0 0 04 (0.23%) D. marginatus 0 0 1 0 01 (0.06%) Overall (%) 666 (38.01%) 303 (17.29%) 374 (21.35%) 409 (23.34%) 1752 (100%) Fisher’s Exact test p-value < 0.001 1 Table 3 Species of hard ticks and their distribution in body regions of cattle. Species of ticks Tick predilection site on cattle Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 Zone 5 Zone 6 Zone 7 H. excavatum 0 0 0 0 756 10 1 H. marginatum 0 0 0 0 317 34 2 H. lusitanicum 0 0 0 0 320 1 0 H. scupense 0 0 0 0 150 2 1 H. impeltatum 0 0 0 0 12 1 0 R. bursa 0 0 0 0 107 22 3 R. (Boophilus)annulatus 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 R. sanguineus 0 0 0 0 6 2 0 D. marginatus 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total ticks number (%) 1(0.06%) 0(0%) 0 (0%) 0(0%) 1672(95.43%) 72(4.11%) 7(0.40%) Fisher’s Exact test p-value < 0.001 1 [1] Significant difference (p-value < 0.05) 4. Discussion 4.1. Prevalence of Tick infestation The distribution of ticks and tick-borne diseases is greatly influenced by climate change and warming temperatures, as each tick species selects a specific set of ecological conditions and biotopes that determine its distribution and identify risk areas for the transmission of associated pathogens (Léger et al., 2013). A major threat to public and veterinary health is the expansion of tick habitats and the re-emergence of novel infections (protozoan, bacterial, rickettsial, and viral) in previously unexplored geographical regions (Estrada-Peña et al., 2013 ). Several studies have identified ticks from different hosts in different geographical locations in Algeria, but only two studies have so far morpho-taxonomically catalogued the tick species infesting cattle from the province of Tiaret, Algeria (Boulkaboul, 2003 ; Mokhtaria et al., 2018 ). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study on the epidemiology, seasonal prevalence and predilection sites of hard ticks infesting cattle in Tiaret province, northwestern Algeria. In the present study, 111 cattle were found to be infested with ticks out of 317 cattle examined during the study period. The overall prevalence was 35.02%. This finding was similar to that of Boulkaboul ( 2003 ), who reported a prevalence of 30% in the province of Tiaret, north-west Algeria. In addition, a higher tick infestation in the cattle population was observed in the present study compared to previously published reports from Ethiopia and Cameroon (Mequanint, 2019; Sado Yousseu et al., 2022 ). Their findings included tick infestation with prevalence rates of 40.89% and 39.18% respectively. In contrast to the current study, a higher prevalence rate (68.23%) of ixodid ticks infesting cattle was found in southern Ethiopia by Belete & Mekuria ( 2023 ). It was also lower than that found by Derradj et Kohil (2022) in Algeria (14.96%). This difference in tick prevalence may be due to different geographical and eco-climatic conditions, as well as different sample sizes. In addition, the way in which cattle are reared may help to explain this difference. In fact, cattle are reared in open fields in the places where most of our animals come from; this increases the possibility of interaction with questing ticks, as they travel a considerable distance to find grass in the forest. A lack of community knowledge on ticks' effects, health services, and livestock management techniques might be the cause of the high frequency of tick infestations in the research area, according to Meaza et al. ( 2014 ). This result allowed us to conclude that the tick control and animal hygiene strategy was not well implemented in the study area, resulting in the high prevalence of tick infestation and infection rate of tick-borne diseases in cattle. The mean infestation abundance (ma) was estimated to be 5.53 ticks per cow, and this result was compared to the 5.47 ticks per cow observed by Perveen et al. ( 2021 ) in the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, it was higher compared to those obtained by Elati et al. ( 2018 ) in Tunisia and Boulkaboul ( 2003 ) in Algeria, who found 3.7 and 3.2 ticks per cow, respectively. This result was lower than the 10.1 ticks per cow observed by Ngangnang et al. ( 2021 ) in Cameroon. The mean intensity of infestation (mi) of the total infested cattle in the study area was estimated at 15.78 ticks per infested cow. This result was supported by the finding of Kerario et al. ( 2017 ) in Tanzania, but was highest according to the 0.16 ticks per infested cow found in the United Arab Emirates by Perveen et al. ( 2021 ) and lower according to the 25.8 ticks per infested cow observed in the same country by Al-Deeb and Muzaffar ( 2020 ). The findings of this study should assist veterinarians in developing efficient control measures against tick-borne diseases and their carriers in the study region, as well as cattle owners in enhancing animal cleanliness. 4.2. Tick species identification The present study showed that Hyalomma , Rhipicephalus , and Dermacentor had an overall prevalence of 91.78%, 8.22%, and 0.06%, respectively, at the genus level. Therefore, nine species of ticks were identified in the study area: H. excavatum (43.78%), H. marginatum (20.15%), H. lusitanicum (18.32%), H. scupence (8.73%), R. bursa (7.53%), and H. impeltatum (0.74%). R. (Boophilus) annulatus (0.46%), R. sanguineus (0.23%), and D. marginatus (0.06%). In our study, Hyalomma was the most dominant tick genera, accounting for 91.72% of the total proportion. Similar findings were reported by Mokhtaria et al. ( 2018 ) in Algeria, Rjeibi et al. ( 2016 ) in Tunisia, and Abdally et al. ( 2020 ) in Saudi Arabia. This indicates that the overall tick burden in the region was high during the study period. However, this may have been due to the fact that the study was carried out during the peak tick season and owners paid little attention to their cattle. The most abundant tick species in the study area was H. excavatum. It represented 43.78% of the total collection. This finding is supported by research conducted by Mokhtaria et al. ( 2018 ), which showed that this species was the first most abundant tick-infested cattle in the province of Tiaret, northwestern Algeria. This result was almost similar to that reported by Yousfi-Monod et Aeschlimann (1986) in western Algeria. Moreover, this result is largely consistent with the reports of Abdally et al. ( 2020 ) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Rjeibi et al. ( 2016 ) in the Kébili district, southwestern Tunisia, who reported H. excavatum as the first most abundant tick species in their study areas. Climate variability has a significant impact on tick populations. It affects host resistance, biological predators, and the rate of tick abundance on the ground (Walker et al., 2003 ). H. excavatum is adapted to the Mediterranean and steppe climates of North Africa. It is also widely distributed in other steppic climatic zones. Although H. excavatum is well-known for its capacity to transmit Theileria annulata in laboratory conditions (Walker et al., 2003 ), as its immature stages prefer small mammals, reports of its vectorial influence under field conditions should be interpreted carefully. 4. 3. Seasonal variations of tick infestation in cattle Seasons have a major effect on tick population dynamics. The results of this study showed that the seasons with the highest overall prevalence of hard ticks (Fisher's Exact test, p-value < 0.001) were summer (38.01%), followed by spring (23.34%), autumn (21.35%) and winter (17.29%). This suggests that ticks are temperature dependent. Several workers have reported similar findings, with the highest tick infestation rates in the summer and the lowest in the winter (Abdally et al. ( 2020 ); Bedouhene et al., 2021; Rjeibi et al. ( 2016 )). The major factors responsible for higher tick infestation rates in summer than in other seasons are the favorable environmental conditions, such as ambient temperature and humidity, and the climatic conditions of the pastures. These factors are very favorable for the feeding, reproduction, growth and development of the tick population. Whereas, during cold and dry weather in the winter, the survival rate of larvae, nymphs, engorged females, and unfed adults drops dramatically. As a result, they often hide in cracks and crevices to survive the season, which results in reduced infestation (Singh and Rath 2013 ). Contrary to our findings, Salih et al. ( 2008 ) found the highest tick numbers during the rainy season. The difference between the current and previous results can be attributed to a number of factors. These include topography, soil type and humidity, the geographical location of the experimental area, the lack of a control group and, most importantly, the change in the Earth's climate. 4. 4. Predilection sites Out of the total samples collected from different parts of the animals’ bodies, the maximum number of ticks was found in zone 5 (95.4%) of the animals (p-value < 0.001). This includes the sternum, abdomen, udder, scrotum, and around the inner sides of the hind legs. This may be explained by the fact that the skin around the external genitalia and in the groin and inguinal areas of the body have shorter hair and are heavily supplied with blood. When infecting, ticks often choose shorter hair and thinner skin because this makes it easier for the mouthparts to penetrate densely vesiculated areas for blood feeding (Ikpeze et al., 2011 ). Similar findings have been reported in previous studies (Elfegoun et al., 2019 ). Findings from this study were similar and confirmed the reports of other investigators (Mequanint, 2019 and Kemal et al., 2016 ). Complex intrinsic activities that are chemically regulated may also play a role in the distribution of ixodid ticks to different predilection sites. A variety of pheromones, originating from the anus, coxal glands, and female genital aperture, regulate other behaviors, including gathering, clasping, and attachment during mating attraction, as well as mounting and copulation in males who may recognize a possible partner (Gou et al., 2018 ). The study found that Hyalomma species had a similar spatial distribution; they exhibited greater attraction for the inguinal area and a lower degree of affinity for the legs and perineum. In contrast, D. marginatus prefers the head and ears. According to Stachurski ( 2000 ), short hypostome ticks such as Ripicephalus usually prefer upper parts of the body such as the neck, anus margin and undertail, whereas long hypostome ticks such as Hyalomma attach to lower parts of the animal's body. This was also found to occur in the current study. In this study, nine tick species belonging to the genera Hyalomma , Rhipicephalus , and Dermacentor were identified. H. excavatum was the most prevalent tick species found in the study area. The presence of different tick species shows the potential richness of the hard ticks present in Algeria. In order to implement an effective tick control program and reduce disease in the region, it is necessary to know the geographical distribution of medically and veterinary important ticks. Our recommendation is to develop and implement control strategies and to increase tick awareness in the region. Declarations Acknowledgements The authors of this article would like to thank all the farmers for their willingness to participate in this study and for providing their animals for sampling. Conflict of Interest Statement The authors did not report any potential conflicts of interest. Funding This research received no external funding. Competing Interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Author Contributions AH conceived and designed the study, collected and analysed all the samples, and prepared the original manuscript. KM and SSMA contributed to the design and conduct of the study and interpretation of the data. BT revised the manuscript. AH and SSMA contributed to the statistical analysis. The final manuscript was read and approved by all authors. Data Availability All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article. Ethics approval and consent to participate Not applicable. Consent to publish Not applicable. 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Ticks and tick-borne diseases , 8 (4), 443–452. doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.02.001 Gou, H., Xue, H., Yin, H., Luo, J., & Sun, X., 2018. Molecular Characterization of Hard Ticks by Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit 1 Sequences. The Korean journal of parasitology , 56 (6), 583–588. doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2018.56.6.583 Gray, J. S., Dautel, H., Estrada-Peña, A., Kahl, O., & Lindgren, E., 2009. Effects of climate change on ticks and tick-borne diseases in europe. Interdisciplinary perspectives on infectious diseases , 2009 , 593232. doi.org/10.1155/2009/593232 Guglielmone, A. A., Robbins, R. G., Apanaskevich, D. A., Petney, T. N., Estrada-Peña, A., & Horak, I. G., 2014. The hard ticks of the world. Springer, Dordrecht. doi , 10 , 978-994. Ikpeze, Obiora & I., Eneanya, & J., Chinweoke, & Aribodor, D.N & Anyasodor, Anayochukwu., 2011. Species Diversity, Distribution and Predilection Sites of Ticks (Acarina: Ixodidae) On Trade Cattle at Enugu and Anambra States, South-Eastern Nigeria. doi.org/10.13140/2.1.2800.1925. Jongejan, F., & Uilenberg, G., 2004. The global importance of ticks. Parasitology , 129 Suppl , S3–S14. doi.org/10.1017/s0031182004005967 Kemal, J., Tamerat, N., & Tuluka, T., 2016. Infestation and Identification of Ixodid Tick in Cattle: The Case of Arbegona District, Southern Ethiopia. Journal of veterinary medicine , 2016 , 9618291. doi.org/10.1155/2016/9618291 Kerario, I.I., Muleya, W., Chenyambuga, S.W., Koski, M., Hwang, S.G., & Simuunza, M.C., 2017. Abundance and distribution of Ixodid tick species infesting cattle reared under traditional farming systems in Tanzania. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 12 , 286-299. doi.org/10.5897/AJAR2016.12028 Eisen, R. J., Kugeler, K. J., Eisen, L., Beard, C. B., & Paddock, C. D., 2017. Tick-Borne Zoonoses in the United States: Persistent and Emerging Threats to Human Health. ILAR journal , 58 (3), 319–335. https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar/ilx005 Legér, E., Vourc'h, G., Vial, L., Chevillon, C., & Mccoy, K. D., 2013. Changing distributions of ticks: causes and consequences. Experimental & applied acarology , 59 (1-2), 219–244. doi.org/10.1007/s10493-012-9615-0 Meaza, G., Abdu, M., & Yisehak, K., 2014. Determination of the prevalence of ixodid ticks of cattle breeds, their predilection sites of variation and tick burden between different risk factors in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. Global Veterinaria , 13 (4), 520-529. Mechouk, N., Mihalca, A. D., Deak, G., & Bouslama, Z., 2022. Synopsis of the ticks of Algeria with new hosts and localities records. Parasites & vectors , 15 (1), 302. doi.org/10.1186/s13071-022-05424-2 Mequanint, A., Fentahun, S., & Bihonegn, T., 2019. Prevalence and Species Identification of Ixodidea Tick on Bovine in and Around Bahirda Town West Gojam, North West Ethiopia. Journal of Animal Research , 9 (2), 219-225. doi.org/10.30954/2277-940X.02.2019.1 Mokhtaria, K., Ammar, A. A., Mohammed Ammar, S. S., Chahrazed, K., Fadela, S., & Belkacem, B. T., 2018. Survey on species composition of Ixodidae tick infesting cattle in Tiaret (Algeria). Tropical Agriculture , 95 (1). https://journals.sta.uwi.edu/ojs/index.php/ta/article/view/6563 Ngangnang, G. R. & Aktas, M. & Désiré, K. & Khan Payne, V., 2021. Species composition, diversity and predilection sites of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting cattle in the Western Highlands of Cameroon. ARTHROPODS, 10, 82-96. Otranto, D., 2018. Arthropod-borne pathogens of dogs and cats: From pathways and times of transmission to disease control. Veterinary parasitology , 251 , 68 doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2017.12.021 Perveen, N., Muzaffar, S. B., & Al-Deeb, M. A., 2021. Prevalence, Distribution, and Molecular Record of Four Hard Ticks from Livestock in the United Arab Emirates. Insects , 12 (11), 1016. doi.org/10.3390/insects12111016 Rehman, A., Nijhof, A. M., Sauter-Louis, C., Schauer, B., Staubach, C., & Conraths, F. J., 2017. Distribution of ticks infesting ruminants and risk factors associated with high tick prevalence in livestock farms in the semi-arid and arid agro-ecological zones of Pakistan. Parasites & vectors , 10 (1), 190. doi.org/10.1186/s13071-017-2138-0 Rjeibi, M. R., Darghouth, M. A., Rekik, M., Amor, B., Sassi, L., & Gharbi, M., 2016. First molecular identification and genetic characterization of Theileria lestoquardi in sheep of the Maghreb region. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases , 63 (3), 278-284. doi:10.1111/tbed.12271 Sado Yousseu, F., Simo Tchetgna, H., Kamgang, B., Djonabaye, D., Mccall, P. J., Ndip, R. N., & Wondji, C. S., 2022. Infestation rates, seasonal distribution, and genetic diversity of ixodid ticks from livestock of various origins in two markets of Yaoundé, Cameroon. Medical and veterinary entomology , 36 (3), 283–300. doi.org/10.1111/mve.12589 Salih, D. A., Julla, I. I., Hassan, S. M., El Hussein, A. M., & Jongejan, F., 2008. Reliminary survey of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) on cattle in Central Equatoria State, Southern Sudan. The Onderstepoort journal of veterinary research , 75 (1), 47–53. doi.org/10.4102/ojvr. v75i1.87 Singh, N. K., & Rath, S. S., 2013. Epidemiology of ixodid ticks in cattle population of various agro-climatic zones of Punjab, India. Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine , 6 (12), 947–951. doi.org/10.1016/S1995-7645(13)60169-8 Smith, F. D., Ballantyne, R., Morgan, E. R., & Wall, R., 2011. Prevalence, distribution and risk associated with tick infestation of dogs in Great Britain. Medical and veterinary entomology , 25 (4), 377–384. doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2011. 00954.x Stachurski, F., 2000. Invasion of West African cattle by the tick Amblyomma variegatum. Medical and veterinary entomology , 14 (4), 391–399. doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2915.2000. 00246.x Walker, A.R., Bouattour, A., Camicas, J.L., Estrada-Peña, A., Horak, I.G., Latif, A.A., Pegram, R.G., & Preston, P.M., 2003. Ticks of domestic animals in Africa: a guide to identification of species. Yousfi-Monod, R., & Aeschlimann, A., 1986. Recherches sur les tiques (Acarina, Ixodidae), Parasites de Bovidés dans l’Ouest algérien-I—Inventaire systématique et dynamique saisonnière. Annales de parasitologie humaine et comparée , 61 (3), 341-358. doi.org/10.1051/parasite/1986613341 Supplementary Files Analysestatistique.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-4443152\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":true,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Research Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":308269280,\"identity\":\"2de9c2be-7d74-4468-8d9c-0fbf5dc3592b\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Hamza Achour\",\"email\":\"data:image/png;base64,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\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8060-242X\",\"institution\":\"Universite Ibn Khaldoun Tiaret\",\"correspondingAuthor\":true,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Hamza\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Achour\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":308269281,\"identity\":\"c7a7cad4-d489-4f89-8102-8ee26462f2ae\",\"order_by\":1,\"name\":\"Mokhtaria Kouidri\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Universite Ibn Khaldoun Tiaret\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Mokhtaria\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Kouidri\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":308269282,\"identity\":\"3a538340-1b29-44a1-a5f2-e0cf73814c4e\",\"order_by\":2,\"name\":\"Sidi Mohammed Ammar Selles\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Universite Ibn Khaldoun Tiaret\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Sidi\",\"middleName\":\"Mohammed Ammar\",\"lastName\":\"Selles\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":308269283,\"identity\":\"a607aaf4-ab08-4d5a-9c74-9e218f4a1b56\",\"order_by\":3,\"name\":\"Taha Bia\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Universite Abdelhamid Ibn Badis de Mostaganem\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Taha\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Bia\",\"suffix\":\"\"}],\"badges\":[],\"createdAt\":\"2024-05-19 06:10:57\",\"currentVersionCode\":1,\"declarations\":\"\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4443152/v1\",\"doiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4443152/v1\",\"draftVersion\":[],\"editorialEvents\":[],\"editorialNote\":\"\",\"failedWorkflow\":false,\"files\":[{\"id\":58148183,\"identity\":\"1e0b933c-ad11-4598-912d-697910d0b3b3\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2024-06-11 18:53:10\",\"extension\":\"png\",\"order_by\":1,\"title\":\"Figure 1\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"figure\",\"size\":854288,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eMap showing the study sites located in Tiaret province, north-western Algeria.\\u003c/p\\u003e\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"1.png\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4443152/v1/761d53b6b6dc756c10f2a15e.png\"},{\"id\":58148184,\"identity\":\"ce53a3c8-5311-4b09-a4d1-464421f77f41\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2024-06-11 18:53:11\",\"extension\":\"png\",\"order_by\":2,\"title\":\"Figure 2\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"figure\",\"size\":6039787,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eEstablished tick predilection sites in cattle. 1 = (head, ears); 2 = (neck, chest, and dewlap); 3 = (dorsal side of the body); 4 = (thorax and flank); 5 = (sternum, abdomen, udder, scrotum, and around the inner sides of the hind legs); 6 = (perineum, including the areas between the anus and the genital organs); 7 = (legs and hoof).\\u003c/p\\u003e\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"2.png\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4443152/v1/dec0d7a4b2880870a47fb7d2.png\"},{\"id\":58747900,\"identity\":\"20d44bf2-5774-4dac-9765-a50739140cd6\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2024-06-20 15:19:34\",\"extension\":\"pdf\",\"order_by\":0,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"manuscript-pdf\",\"size\":11568812,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"manuscript.pdf\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4443152/v1/06891580-6697-42d9-b39f-26a3993f2cad.pdf\"},{\"id\":58148185,\"identity\":\"c0f55b09-6df7-4b4a-bcb6-7e8c48e84373\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2024-06-11 18:53:11\",\"extension\":\"docx\",\"order_by\":1,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"supplement\",\"size\":14882,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"Analysestatistique.docx\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4443152/v1/4927274ec8ebb1fcce57b2b8.docx\"}],\"financialInterests\":\"\",\"formattedTitle\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eMorphological identification, seasonal prevalence, and predilection sites of hard tick species infesting cattle in four municipalities of the province of Tiaret, northwest Algeria\\u003c/p\\u003e\",\"fulltext\":[{\"header\":\"1. Introduction\",\"content\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eTicks are blood-sucking arthropods that are known vectors of human and animal diseases. They are an emerging economic and public health problem in tropical and subtropical countries (de la Fuente et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR8\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2017\\u003c/span\\u003e). Globally, ticks are currently considered the most important vector of animal diseases and the second most important vector of human diseases after mosquitoes (Jongejan and Uilenberg, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2004\\u003c/span\\u003e). There are approximately 900 species worldwide, of which more than 700 belong to the family Ixodidae; approximately 200 tick species belong to the family Argasidae; and the third family is Nuttalliellidae, which has a single species (Guglielmone et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR18\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2014\\u003c/span\\u003e). The majority of ticks of veterinary importance belong to the Ixodidae family. They transmit a greater diversity of protozoan, bacterial, rickettsial, and viral pathogens than any other group of arthropod vectors (Eisen et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR23\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2017\\u003c/span\\u003e). Particularly in tropical and subtropical regions, where nearly 80% of the world's livestock are reared, ticks transmit diseases that cause significant economic losses to resource-poor farming communities (Rehman et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR32\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2017\\u003c/span\\u003e).\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eThe geographical distribution and abundance of ticks are influenced by many biotic and abiotic factors, including climate, altitude, urbanization, and host population dynamics (Estrada-Pe\\u0026ntilde;a, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR13\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2015\\u003c/span\\u003e). In common with other blood-sucking arthropods, ticks spend their life cycle in such environments. Their survival and development depend on the availability of hosts, host lifestyle, host interactions with other animals, vegetation cover, habitat type, and geoclimatic conditions (temperature and humidity) (Estrada-Pe\\u0026ntilde;a, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR12\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2008\\u003c/span\\u003e). In the last few years, the local epidemiology of ticks and their associated pathogens has changed due to the introduction of new vector species into previously free areas as a result of environmental changes and the movement of people and animals (Smith et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR37\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2011\\u003c/span\\u003e). Changes in the environment and climate can increase the activity and range of ticks. This can lead to an increase in both the distribution of TBPs and the incidence of tick-borne diseases (TBDs) (Gray et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR17\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2009\\u003c/span\\u003e). Hence, TBD monitoring should include surveys on the geographic distribution of tick fauna (Braks et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR6\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2011\\u003c/span\\u003e).\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eWith a surface area equal to 56% of the entire land area of the European Union (EU), Algeria is the largest country in Africa, the largest country in the Mediterranean basin, and the tenth largest country in the world (Mechouk et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR26\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e). To date, only two studies have been documented regarding the tick diversity in cattle from the province of Tiaret (Boulkaboul, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR5\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2003\\u003c/span\\u003e; Mokhtaria et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR28\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2018\\u003c/span\\u003e). However, their information is limited to the morphological identification and seasonal dynamics of hard ticks. There is insufficient information on the seasonal prevalence and predilection sites of hard ticks in our region. Currently, control measures are mainly based on the use of chemicals on animals and in the environment (Otranto, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR30\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2018\\u003c/span\\u003e). For the many reasons above, the development and implementation of a systematic surveillance system based on a comprehensive knowledge of the tick species present in a target geographical area is crucial (Estrada-Pe\\u0026ntilde;a et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR15\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2017\\u003c/span\\u003e). Keeping in view this limitation of available data, the present study was designed to determine the identity, seasonal prevalence, and predilection sites of hard tick species of cattle in different municipalities of the province of Tiaret, northwest Algeria, during the period May 2022 to May 2023.\\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"2. Materials and methods\",\"content\":\"\\u003cdiv id=\\\"Sec3\\\" class=\\\"Section2\\\"\\u003e \\u003ch2\\u003e2.1. Study Area\\u003c/h2\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eThe study was conducted between May 2022 and May 2023 in four municipalities of the Tiaret province in northwestern Algeria. These municipalities are A\\u0026iuml;n El Hadid (35\\u0026deg; 03\\u0026prime; 29\\u0026deg;N, 0\\u0026deg; 53\\u0026prime; 00\\u0026deg;E), Sidi Bakhti (35\\u0026deg; 14\\u0026prime; 28\\u0026deg;N, 0\\u0026deg; 58\\u0026prime; 42\\u0026deg;E), Mechraa Safa (35\\u0026deg; 23\\u0026prime; 02\\u0026deg;N, 1\\u0026deg; 03\\u0026prime; 12\\u0026deg;E), and Sidi Hosni (35\\u0026deg; 28\\u0026prime; 16\\u0026deg;N, 1\\u0026deg; 31\\u0026prime; 12\\u0026deg;E). The geographical location of the selected sites is shown in Fig.\\u0026nbsp;\\u003cspan refid=\\\"Fig1\\\" class=\\\"InternalRef\\\"\\u003e1\\u003c/span\\u003e. Geographically, the province of Tiaret is situated 268 kilometers away from Algeria's capital. It is also situated between 980 and 1150 m above sea level, at latitude 35\\u0026deg;22'2.478\\\" N and longitude 1\\u0026deg;19'19.315\\\" E, covering an area of 20,673 km\\u0026sup2;. The region has a Mediterranean climate, with maximum (summer) and minimum (winter) temperatures of 26.0\\u0026deg;C and 6.0\\u0026deg;C, respectively, and average annual rainfall of 250\\u0026ndash;500 mm (source: climate-data.org). The Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to determine the exact geographic coordinates of the sample areas, which were then added to the attribute table for tagging on the study area map using ArcGIS v. 10.8.\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003e \\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003c/div\\u003e\\n\\u003ch3\\u003e2. 2. Study Animals\\u003c/h3\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eA total of 317 cattle of different ages, breeds, and both sexes were included in this study. They were examined for the presence of tick infestations. They were located in four municipalities of the Province of Tiaret: A\\u0026iuml;n El Hadid (n\\u0026thinsp;=\\u0026thinsp;20), Sidi Bakhti (n\\u0026thinsp;=\\u0026thinsp;79), Mechraa Safa (n\\u0026thinsp;=\\u0026thinsp;19), and Sidi Hosni (n\\u0026thinsp;=\\u0026thinsp;199). The majority of the cattle examined in this study were between 5 and 10 years old, with a greater number of animals older than 5 years. This is attributed to the fact that owners tend to keep cows beyond this age. In addition, the majority of cattle observed were of the local breed, which is the most common breed of cattle reared in the study area. Cattle in the study area are reared in an extensive system. Acaricides used to control ticks are applied randomly and inconsistently by farmers.\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cdiv id=\\\"Sec5\\\" class=\\\"Section2\\\"\\u003e \\u003ch2\\u003e2.3. Collection and identification of tick specimens\\u003c/h2\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eFor this study, ticks were sampled monthly from different parts of each animal. They were manually removed from the skin surfaces of infested cattle. During tick inspection, the body was divided into seven zones (Fig.\\u0026nbsp;\\u003cspan refid=\\\"Fig2\\\" class=\\\"InternalRef\\\"\\u003e2\\u003c/span\\u003e): Zone 1 (head, ears), Zone 2 (neck, chest and dewlap), Zone 3 (dorsal side of the body), Zone 4 (thorax and flank), Zone 5 (sternum, abdomen, udder, scrotum, and around the inner sides of the hind legs), and Zone 6 (perineum, including the areas between the anus and the genital organs). Zone 7 (legs and hoof). Animals were then visually inspected for ticks on all parts of the body. Prior to tick collection, the objectives of the study were outlined to the owners, and verbal consent was obtained to collect ticks from their cattle. Ticks collected from each animal were placed separately in 24 \\u0026times; 100 mm vials containing 70% ethanol and labeled with a unique sample ID, which included county codes and animal numbers. Other pertinent information, such as animal age, sex, and breed, GPS coordinates of the site, site altitude, and date of collection, was recorded on an Excel spreadsheet for data analysis and future reference. The ticks were then transported to the parasitology laboratory of the University of Tiaret in Algeria. There, the ticks were identified under a stereomicroscope according to their morphological characteristics using the taxonomic keys of Walker et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR39\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2003\\u003c/span\\u003e).\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003e \\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003c/div\\u003e \\u003cdiv id=\\\"Sec6\\\" class=\\\"Section2\\\"\\u003e \\u003ch2\\u003e2.4. Statistical Analysis\\u003c/h2\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eThe tick infestation prevalence (%) employed here was calculated as the total number of infested cattle divided by the number of examined cattle. The mean intensity rate (mi) used here was calculated as the total number of collected ticks divided by the number of infested cattle, while the mean abundance (ma) rate was calculated as the total number of collected ticks divided by the total number of examined cattle (Bush et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR7\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e1997\\u003c/span\\u003e). To assess potential differences in the prevalence of tick species across seasons and predilection sites on cattle, we employed the Fisher Exact test with simulated p-values based on 2000 replicates. Statistical significance was defined as p\\u0026thinsp;\\u0026lt;\\u0026thinsp;0.05. All statistical analyses were conducted using the RStudio interface (version 2023.3.0.386) provided by the R software (version 4.2.3).\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003c/div\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"3. Results\",\"content\":\"\\u003ch3\\u003e3. 1. The Global Parasitological Indicators in Cattle\\u003c/h3\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eIn the current study (May 2022\\u0026ndash;May 2023), we carried out a survey of ticks on cattle in four municipalities of the province of Tiaret in the north-west of Algeria. Of the 317 cattle sampled, 111 were found to be infested with one or more tick species, with a total prevalence of 35.02%. The mean tick intensity (mi) was estimated to be 15.78 ticks per infested cow in the study area. Mean abundance (ma) was calculated as the ratio of the number of ticks collected to the total cattle population examined, and was found to be 5.53 ticks per cow in the study area.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ch3\\u003e3. 2. Tick species identification\\u003c/h3\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eA total of 1752 adult ixodid ticks were collected from different regions of the body of 111 cattle that were found positive for tick infestation and consequently sampled. The highest number of ticks was found in Sidi Bakhti (79.22%), followed by A\\u0026iuml;n El Hadid (9.87%) and Sidi Hosni (8.50%), while the lowest was in Mechraa Safa (2.40%). Based on morphological identification, nine tick species belonging to three genera (\\u003cem\\u003eHyalomma\\u003c/em\\u003e (91.72%), \\u003cem\\u003eRhipicephalus\\u003c/em\\u003e (8.22%), and \\u003cem\\u003eDermacentor\\u003c/em\\u003e (0.06%)) were identified in the study area. Overall, the highest occurrence was observed for \\u003cem\\u003eH. excavatum\\u003c/em\\u003e (43.78%), followed by \\u003cem\\u003eH. marginatum\\u003c/em\\u003e (20.15%), \\u003cem\\u003eH. lusitanicum\\u003c/em\\u003e (18.32%), \\u003cem\\u003eH. scupence\\u003c/em\\u003e (8.73%), \\u003cem\\u003eR. bursa\\u003c/em\\u003e (7.53%), and \\u003cem\\u003eH. impeltatum\\u003c/em\\u003e (0.74%). \\u003cem\\u003eR. (Boophilus) annulatus\\u003c/em\\u003e and \\u003cem\\u003eR. sanguineus\\u003c/em\\u003e were observed with similarly low prevalences (0.46%) and (0.23%), respectively, and \\u003cem\\u003eD. marginatus\\u003c/em\\u003e had an even lower prevalence (0.06%) (Table \\u003cspan class=\\\"InternalRef\\\"\\u003e1\\u003c/span\\u003e). Among the 1752 collected ticks, 1353 (77.23%) were males, and 399 (22.77%) were females.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ch3\\u003e3. 3. Seasonal variations of hard ticks \\u0026lsquo;species\\u003c/h3\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eSeasonal variations in tick species prevalence were found to be significantly associated with the results of the Fisher\\u0026apos;s exact test (p-value\\u0026thinsp;\\u0026lt;\\u0026thinsp;0.001) (Table \\u003cspan class=\\\"InternalRef\\\"\\u003e2\\u003c/span\\u003e). In addition, the seasonal prevalence showed variations among the four seasons; summer was the most common with 666 ticks (38.01%), followed by spring (409 ticks, 23.34%), winter (374 ticks, 21.35%) and autumn (303 ticks, 17.29%). The predominant species, \\u003cem\\u003eH. excavatum, H. marginatum, H. lusitanicum\\u003c/em\\u003e, and \\u003cem\\u003eH. scupense\\u003c/em\\u003e, were active all year round, but \\u003cem\\u003eR. bursa\\u003c/em\\u003e and \\u003cem\\u003eH. impeltatum\\u003c/em\\u003e were only collected in the spring and summer. Moreover, \\u003cem\\u003eR. (Boophilus) annulatus\\u003c/em\\u003e was only collected throughout the summer and autumn. At last, the collection of \\u003cem\\u003eR. sanguineus\\u003c/em\\u003e and \\u003cem\\u003eD. marginatus\\u003c/em\\u003e was limited to the summer and winter seasons, respectively.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ch3\\u003e3. 4. Predilection sites\\u003c/h3\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe results of the Fisher\\u0026apos;s exact test showed a highly significant association between the prevalence of tick species and the site of predilection on cattle, as indicated by the p-value \\u003cstrong\\u003e(\\u003c/strong\\u003eTable \\u003cspan\\u003e3\\u003c/span\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e)\\u003c/strong\\u003e. Ticks are distributed in four body zones on cattle, with the highest distribution found in zone 5 (95.43%), which includes the sternum, abdomen, udder, scrotum, and inner sides of the hind legs. Zone 6 (4.11%), which includes the perineum (the area between the anus and the genitals), had the second highest distribution, followed by zone 7 (0.40%), which includes the legs and hooves. The lowest distribution was found in zone 1 (0.06%), which includes the head and ears. There was no infestation in the other regions of the body (zones 2, 3, and 4). In the current study, the majority of ticks, according to the species \\u003cem\\u003eHyalomma\\u003c/em\\u003e and \\u003cem\\u003eRhipicephalus\\u003c/em\\u003e, were found attached to the upper body parts (ventro-genital, or zone 5). The remaining ticks were identified on the perineum, or zone 6, or on the legs and hooves, or zone 7. One female \\u003cem\\u003eD. marginatus\\u003c/em\\u003e was found in zone 1.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cdiv\\u003e\\n \\u003ctable id=\\\"Tab1\\\" border=\\\"1\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ccaption language=\\\"En\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cdiv\\u003eTable 1\\u003c/div\\u003e\\n \\u003cdiv\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eDistribution of hard ticks collected from different municipalities in the Province of Tiaret.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/div\\u003e\\n \\u003c/caption\\u003e\\n \\u003cthead\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSpecies of ticks\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo. of ticks\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePrevalence (%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colspan=\\\"4\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eStudy minicipalities\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eA\\u0026iuml;n El Hadid\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSidi Bakhti\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eMechraa Safa\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSidi Hosni\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/thead\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eHyalomma\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1607\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e91.72\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e154\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1277\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e41\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e135\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. excavatum\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e767\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e43.78\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e85\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e616\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e36\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e30\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. marginatum\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e353\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e20.15\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e52\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e278\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e20\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. lusitanicum\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e321\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e18.32\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e7\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e300\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e12\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. scupense\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e153\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e8.73\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e8\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e72\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e73\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. impeltatum\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e13\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.74\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e11\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eRhipicephalus\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e144\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e8.22\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e19\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e110\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e14\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eR. bursa\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e132\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e7.53\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e18\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e99\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e14\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eR. (Boophilus) annulatus\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e08\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.46\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e8\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eR. sanguineus\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e04\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.23\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eDermacentor\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.06\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eD. marginatus\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e01\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.06\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eTotal (%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1752\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e100\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e173\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e(9.87%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1388 (79.22%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e42\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e(2.40%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"char\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e149\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e(8.50%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n \\u003c/table\\u003e\\n\\u003c/div\\u003e\\n\\u003cdiv\\u003e\\n \\u003ctable id=\\\"Tab2\\\" border=\\\"1\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ccaption language=\\\"En\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cdiv\\u003eTable 2\\u003c/div\\u003e\\n \\u003cdiv\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSeasonal variations of hard tick species according to different seasons in the study region.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/div\\u003e\\n \\u003c/caption\\u003e\\n \\u003cthead\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSpecies of ticks\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colspan=\\\"4\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSeason\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePrevalence (%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSummer\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAutumn\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eWinter\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSpring\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/thead\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. excavatum\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e252\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e157\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e247\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e111\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e767 (43.78%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. marginatum\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e136\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e12\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e19\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e186\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e353 (20.15%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. lusitanicum\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e79\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e120\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e85\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e37\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e321 (18.32%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. scupense\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e118\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e9\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e22\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e153 (8.73%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. impeltatum\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e11\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e13 (0.74%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eR. bursa\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e63\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e69\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e132 (7.53%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eR. (Boophilus) annulatus\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e08 (0.46%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eR. sanguineus\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e04 (0.23%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eD. marginatus\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e01 (0.06%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eOverall (%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e666 (38.01%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e303 (17.29%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e374 (21.35%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e409 (23.34%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1752 (100%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eFisher\\u0026rsquo;s Exact test\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colspan=\\\"5\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ep-value\\u0026thinsp;\\u0026lt;\\u0026thinsp;0.001 \\u003csup\\u003e1\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n \\u003c/table\\u003e\\n\\u003c/div\\u003e\\n\\u003cdiv\\u003e\\n \\u003ctable id=\\\"Tab3\\\" border=\\\"1\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ccaption language=\\\"En\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cdiv\\u003eTable 3\\u003c/div\\u003e\\n \\u003cdiv\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSpecies of hard ticks and their distribution in body regions of cattle.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/div\\u003e\\n \\u003c/caption\\u003e\\n \\u003cthead\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSpecies of ticks\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\" colspan=\\\"7\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eTick predilection site on cattle\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eZone 1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eZone 2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eZone 3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eZone 4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eZone 5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eZone 6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003cth align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eZone 7\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/th\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/thead\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. excavatum\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e756\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e10\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. marginatum\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e317\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e34\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. lusitanicum\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e320\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. scupense\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e150\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eH. impeltatum\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e12\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eR. bursa\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e107\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e22\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eR. (Boophilus)annulatus\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eR. sanguineus\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eD. marginatus\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eTotal ticks number (%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1(0.06%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0(0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0 (0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0(0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1672(95.43%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e72(4.11%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e7(0.40%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eFisher\\u0026rsquo;s Exact test\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd align=\\\"left\\\" colspan=\\\"7\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ep-value\\u0026thinsp;\\u0026lt;\\u0026thinsp;0.001 \\u003csup\\u003e1\\u003c/sup\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n \\u003c/table\\u003e\\n\\u003c/div\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e[1] Significant difference (p-value \\u0026lt; 0.05)\\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"4. Discussion\",\"content\":\"\\u003cdiv id=\\\"Sec13\\\" class=\\\"Section2\\\"\\u003e \\u003ch2\\u003e4.1. Prevalence of Tick infestation\\u003c/h2\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eThe distribution of ticks and tick-borne diseases is greatly influenced by climate change and warming temperatures, as each tick species selects a specific set of ecological conditions and biotopes that determine its distribution and identify risk areas for the transmission of associated pathogens (L\\u0026eacute;ger et al., 2013). A major threat to public and veterinary health is the expansion of tick habitats and the re-emergence of novel infections (protozoan, bacterial, rickettsial, and viral) in previously unexplored geographical regions (Estrada-Pe\\u0026ntilde;a et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR14\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2013\\u003c/span\\u003e).\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eSeveral studies have identified ticks from different hosts in different geographical locations in Algeria, but only two studies have so far morpho-taxonomically catalogued the tick species infesting cattle from the province of Tiaret, Algeria (Boulkaboul, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR5\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2003\\u003c/span\\u003e; Mokhtaria et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR28\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2018\\u003c/span\\u003e). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study on the epidemiology, seasonal prevalence and predilection sites of hard ticks infesting cattle in Tiaret province, northwestern Algeria.\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eIn the present study, 111 cattle were found to be infested with ticks out of 317 cattle examined during the study period. The overall prevalence was 35.02%. This finding was similar to that of Boulkaboul (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR5\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2003\\u003c/span\\u003e), who reported a prevalence of 30% in the province of Tiaret, north-west Algeria. In addition, a higher tick infestation in the cattle population was observed in the present study compared to previously published reports from Ethiopia and Cameroon (Mequanint, 2019; Sado Yousseu et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR34\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2022\\u003c/span\\u003e). Their findings included tick infestation with prevalence rates of 40.89% and 39.18% respectively. In contrast to the current study, a higher prevalence rate (68.23%) of ixodid ticks infesting cattle was found in southern Ethiopia by Belete \\u0026amp; Mekuria (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR4\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2023\\u003c/span\\u003e). It was also lower than that found by Derradj et Kohil (2022) in Algeria (14.96%). This difference in tick prevalence may be due to different geographical and eco-climatic conditions, as well as different sample sizes. In addition, the way in which cattle are reared may help to explain this difference. In fact, cattle are reared in open fields in the places where most of our animals come from; this increases the possibility of interaction with questing ticks, as they travel a considerable distance to find grass in the forest. A lack of community knowledge on ticks' effects, health services, and livestock management techniques might be the cause of the high frequency of tick infestations in the research area, according to Meaza et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR25\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2014\\u003c/span\\u003e). This result allowed us to conclude that the tick control and animal hygiene strategy was not well implemented in the study area, resulting in the high prevalence of tick infestation and infection rate of tick-borne diseases in cattle.\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eThe mean infestation abundance (ma) was estimated to be 5.53 ticks per cow, and this result was compared to the 5.47 ticks per cow observed by Perveen et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR31\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2021\\u003c/span\\u003e) in the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, it was higher compared to those obtained by Elati et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR10\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2018\\u003c/span\\u003e) in Tunisia and Boulkaboul (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR5\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2003\\u003c/span\\u003e) in Algeria, who found 3.7 and 3.2 ticks per cow, respectively. This result was lower than the 10.1 ticks per cow observed by Ngangnang et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR29\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2021\\u003c/span\\u003e) in Cameroon. The mean intensity of infestation (mi) of the total infested cattle in the study area was estimated at 15.78 ticks per infested cow. This result was supported by the finding of Kerario et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR22\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2017\\u003c/span\\u003e) in Tanzania, but was highest according to the 0.16 ticks per infested cow found in the United Arab Emirates by Perveen et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR31\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2021\\u003c/span\\u003e) and lower according to the 25.8 ticks per infested cow observed in the same country by Al-Deeb and Muzaffar (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR2\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2020\\u003c/span\\u003e). The findings of this study should assist veterinarians in developing efficient control measures against tick-borne diseases and their carriers in the study region, as well as cattle owners in enhancing animal cleanliness.\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003c/div\\u003e \\u003cdiv id=\\\"Sec14\\\" class=\\\"Section2\\\"\\u003e \\u003ch2\\u003e4.2. Tick species identification\\u003c/h2\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eThe present study showed that \\u003cem\\u003eHyalomma\\u003c/em\\u003e, \\u003cem\\u003eRhipicephalus\\u003c/em\\u003e, and \\u003cem\\u003eDermacentor\\u003c/em\\u003e had an overall prevalence of 91.78%, 8.22%, and 0.06%, respectively, at the genus level. Therefore, nine species of ticks were identified in the study area: \\u003cem\\u003eH. excavatum\\u003c/em\\u003e (43.78%), \\u003cem\\u003eH. marginatum\\u003c/em\\u003e (20.15%), \\u003cem\\u003eH. lusitanicum\\u003c/em\\u003e (18.32%), \\u003cem\\u003eH. scupence\\u003c/em\\u003e (8.73%), \\u003cem\\u003eR. bursa\\u003c/em\\u003e (7.53%), and \\u003cem\\u003eH. impeltatum\\u003c/em\\u003e (0.74%). \\u003cem\\u003eR. (Boophilus) annulatus\\u003c/em\\u003e (0.46%), \\u003cem\\u003eR. sanguineus\\u003c/em\\u003e (0.23%), and \\u003cem\\u003eD. marginatus\\u003c/em\\u003e (0.06%).\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eIn our study, \\u003cem\\u003eHyalomma\\u003c/em\\u003e was the most dominant tick genera, accounting for 91.72% of the total proportion. Similar findings were reported by Mokhtaria et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR28\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2018\\u003c/span\\u003e) in Algeria, Rjeibi et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR33\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2016\\u003c/span\\u003e) in Tunisia, and Abdally et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR1\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2020\\u003c/span\\u003e) in Saudi Arabia. This indicates that the overall tick burden in the region was high during the study period. However, this may have been due to the fact that the study was carried out during the peak tick season and owners paid little attention to their cattle.\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eThe most abundant tick species in the study area was H. excavatum. It represented 43.78% of the total collection. This finding is supported by research conducted by Mokhtaria et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR28\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2018\\u003c/span\\u003e), which showed that this species was the first most abundant tick-infested cattle in the province of Tiaret, northwestern Algeria. This result was almost similar to that reported by Yousfi-Monod et Aeschlimann (1986) in western Algeria. Moreover, this result is largely consistent with the reports of Abdally et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR1\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2020\\u003c/span\\u003e) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Rjeibi et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR33\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2016\\u003c/span\\u003e) in the K\\u0026eacute;bili district, southwestern Tunisia, who reported \\u003cem\\u003eH. excavatum\\u003c/em\\u003e as the first most abundant tick species in their study areas. Climate variability has a significant impact on tick populations. It affects host resistance, biological predators, and the rate of tick abundance on the ground (Walker et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR39\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2003\\u003c/span\\u003e). \\u003cem\\u003eH. excavatum\\u003c/em\\u003e is adapted to the Mediterranean and steppe climates of North Africa. It is also widely distributed in other steppic climatic zones. Although \\u003cem\\u003eH. excavatum\\u003c/em\\u003e is well-known for its capacity to transmit \\u003cem\\u003eTheileria annulata\\u003c/em\\u003e in laboratory conditions (Walker et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR39\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2003\\u003c/span\\u003e), as its immature stages prefer small mammals, reports of its vectorial influence under field conditions should be interpreted carefully.\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003c/div\\u003e\\n\\u003ch3\\u003e4. 3. Seasonal variations of tick infestation in cattle\\u003c/h3\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eSeasons have a major effect on tick population dynamics. The results of this study showed that the seasons with the highest overall prevalence of hard ticks (Fisher's Exact test, p-value\\u0026thinsp;\\u0026lt;\\u0026thinsp;0.001) were summer (38.01%), followed by spring (23.34%), autumn (21.35%) and winter (17.29%). This suggests that ticks are temperature dependent. Several workers have reported similar findings, with the highest tick infestation rates in the summer and the lowest in the winter (Abdally et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR1\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2020\\u003c/span\\u003e); Bedouhene et al., 2021; Rjeibi et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR33\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2016\\u003c/span\\u003e)). The major factors responsible for higher tick infestation rates in summer than in other seasons are the favorable environmental conditions, such as ambient temperature and humidity, and the climatic conditions of the pastures. These factors are very favorable for the feeding, reproduction, growth and development of the tick population. Whereas, during cold and dry weather in the winter, the survival rate of larvae, nymphs, engorged females, and unfed adults drops dramatically. As a result, they often hide in cracks and crevices to survive the season, which results in reduced infestation (Singh and Rath \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR36\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2013\\u003c/span\\u003e). Contrary to our findings, Salih et al. (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR35\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2008\\u003c/span\\u003e) found the highest tick numbers during the rainy season. The difference between the current and previous results can be attributed to a number of factors. These include topography, soil type and humidity, the geographical location of the experimental area, the lack of a control group and, most importantly, the change in the Earth's climate.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ch3\\u003e4. 4. Predilection sites\\u003c/h3\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eOut of the total samples collected from different parts of the animals\\u0026rsquo; bodies, the maximum number of ticks was found in zone 5 (95.4%) of the animals (p-value\\u0026thinsp;\\u0026lt;\\u0026thinsp;0.001). This includes the sternum, abdomen, udder, scrotum, and around the inner sides of the hind legs. This may be explained by the fact that the skin around the external genitalia and in the groin and inguinal areas of the body have shorter hair and are heavily supplied with blood. When infecting, ticks often choose shorter hair and thinner skin because this makes it easier for the mouthparts to penetrate densely vesiculated areas for blood feeding (Ikpeze et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR19\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2011\\u003c/span\\u003e). Similar findings have been reported in previous studies (Elfegoun et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR11\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2019\\u003c/span\\u003e). Findings from this study were similar and confirmed the reports of other investigators (Mequanint, 2019 and Kemal et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR21\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2016\\u003c/span\\u003e). Complex intrinsic activities that are chemically regulated may also play a role in the distribution of ixodid ticks to different predilection sites. A variety of pheromones, originating from the anus, coxal glands, and female genital aperture, regulate other behaviors, including gathering, clasping, and attachment during mating attraction, as well as mounting and copulation in males who may recognize a possible partner (Gou et al., \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR16\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2018\\u003c/span\\u003e). The study found that \\u003cem\\u003eHyalomma\\u003c/em\\u003e species had a similar spatial distribution; they exhibited greater attraction for the inguinal area and a lower degree of affinity for the legs and perineum. In contrast, \\u003cem\\u003eD. marginatus\\u003c/em\\u003e prefers the head and ears. According to Stachurski (\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR38\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2000\\u003c/span\\u003e), short hypostome ticks such as \\u003cem\\u003eRipicephalus\\u003c/em\\u003e usually prefer upper parts of the body such as the neck, anus margin and undertail, whereas long hypostome ticks such as \\u003cem\\u003eHyalomma\\u003c/em\\u003e attach to lower parts of the animal's body. This was also found to occur in the current study.\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eIn this study, nine tick species belonging to the genera \\u003cem\\u003eHyalomma\\u003c/em\\u003e, \\u003cem\\u003eRhipicephalus\\u003c/em\\u003e, and \\u003cem\\u003eDermacentor\\u003c/em\\u003e were identified. \\u003cem\\u003eH. excavatum\\u003c/em\\u003e was the most prevalent tick species found in the study area. The presence of different tick species shows the potential richness of the hard ticks present in Algeria. In order to implement an effective tick control program and reduce disease in the region, it is necessary to know the geographical distribution of medically and veterinary important ticks. Our recommendation is to develop and implement control strategies and to increase tick awareness in the region.\\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"Declarations\",\"content\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eAcknowledgements\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe authors of this article would like to thank all the farmers for their willingness to participate in this study and for providing their animals for sampling.\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eConflict of Interest Statement\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe authors did not report any potential conflicts of interest.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eFunding\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThis research received no external funding.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eCompeting Interests\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eAuthor Contributions\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eAH conceived and designed the study, collected and analysed all the samples, and prepared the original manuscript. KM and SSMA contributed to the design and conduct of the study and interpretation of the data. BT revised the manuscript. AH and SSMA contributed to the statistical analysis. The final manuscript was read and approved by all authors.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eData Availability\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eAll data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eNot applicable.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eConsent to publish\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eNot applicable.\\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"References\",\"content\":\"\\u003col\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003eAbdally, M. H., Al-Marri, T. M., Abdally, H. M., \\u0026amp; Al-Jabr, O. A., 2020. 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Reliminary survey of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) on cattle in Central Equatoria State, Southern Sudan. \\u003cem\\u003eThe Onderstepoort journal of veterinary research\\u003c/em\\u003e, \\u003cem\\u003e75\\u003c/em\\u003e(1), 47\\u0026ndash;53. doi.org/10.4102/ojvr. v75i1.87\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003eSingh, N. K., \\u0026amp; Rath, S. S., 2013. Epidemiology of ixodid ticks in cattle population of various agro-climatic zones of Punjab, India. \\u003cem\\u003eAsian Pacific journal of tropical medicine\\u003c/em\\u003e, \\u003cem\\u003e6\\u003c/em\\u003e(12), 947\\u0026ndash;951. doi.org/10.1016/S1995-7645(13)60169-8\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003eSmith, F. D., Ballantyne, R., Morgan, E. R., \\u0026amp; Wall, R., 2011. 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Recherches sur les tiques (Acarina, Ixodidae), Parasites de Bovid\\u0026eacute;s dans l\\u0026rsquo;Ouest alg\\u0026eacute;rien-I\\u0026mdash;Inventaire syst\\u0026eacute;matique et dynamique saisonni\\u0026egrave;re. \\u003cem\\u003eAnnales de parasitologie humaine et compar\\u0026eacute;e\\u003c/em\\u003e, \\u003cem\\u003e61\\u003c/em\\u003e(3), 341-358. doi.org/10.1051/parasite/1986613341\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003c/ol\\u003e\"}],\"fulltextSource\":\"\",\"fullText\":\"\",\"funders\":[],\"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow\":false,\"hasManuscriptDocX\":true,\"hasOptedInToPreprint\":true,\"hasPassedJournalQc\":\"\",\"hasAnyPriority\":false,\"hideJournal\":true,\"highlight\":\"\",\"institution\":\"\",\"isAcceptedByJournal\":false,\"isAuthorSuppliedPdf\":false,\"isDeskRejected\":\"\",\"isHiddenFromSearch\":false,\"isInQc\":false,\"isInWorkflow\":false,\"isPdf\":false,\"isPdfUpToDate\":true,\"isWithdrawnOrRetracted\":false,\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"researchsquare\",\"isNatureJournal\":false,\"hasQc\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":true,\"externalIdentity\":\"\",\"sideBox\":\"\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"/submission\",\"title\":\"Research Square\",\"twitterHandle\":\"researchsquare\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":false,\"editorialSystem\":\"\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"\",\"inReviewEnabled\":false,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":true},\"keywords\":\"Hard ticks, Cattle, Seasonal prevalence, Predilection sites, Northwest Algeria\",\"lastPublishedDoi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4443152/v1\",\"lastPublishedDoiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4443152/v1\",\"license\":{\"name\":\"CC BY 4.0\",\"url\":\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/\"},\"manuscriptAbstract\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eHard ticks are blood-sucking obligatory ectoparasites that infest all species of domestic ruminants worldwide. The aim of the present study was to determine the identity, seasonal prevalence, and predilection sites of hard tick species infesting cattle in four municipalities of the province of Tiaret, northwest Algeria, during the period May 2022 to May 2023. Out of the 317 cattle that were examined in total, 111 (35.02%) were found to be infested with hard ticks. The overall mean intensity and mean abundance were assessed at 15.78 ticks/infested cow and 5.53 ticks/cow, respectively. A total of 1752 adult ticks were collected; three genera and nine species were identified. As a result, \\u003cem\\u003eH. excavatum\\u003c/em\\u003e (43.78%), \\u003cem\\u003eH. marginatum\\u003c/em\\u003e (20.15%), \\u003cem\\u003eH. lusitanicum\\u003c/em\\u003e (18.32%), \\u003cem\\u003eH. scupence\\u003c/em\\u003e (8.73%), \\u003cem\\u003eR. bursa\\u003c/em\\u003e (7.53%), \\u003cem\\u003eH. impeltatum\\u003c/em\\u003e (0.74%), \\u003cem\\u003eR. (Boophilus) annulatus\\u003c/em\\u003e (0.46%), \\u003cem\\u003eR. sanguineus\\u003c/em\\u003e (0.23%), and \\u003cem\\u003eD. marginatus\\u003c/em\\u003e (0.06%). For the majority of tick species found, higher numbers of male ticks were collected than female ticks. Seasonally, the summer season (38.01%) had the highest frequency (p-value\\u0026thinsp;\\u003cem\\u003e\\u0026lt;\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u0026thinsp;0.001) of hard ticks\\u0026rsquo; infestation, followed by spring (23.34%), winter (21.35%), and autumn (17.29%). Ticks were widely distributed in four body zones on cattle, with the highest distribution on zone 5 (95.43%) (p-value\\u0026thinsp;\\u003cem\\u003e\\u0026lt;\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u0026thinsp;0.001), which includes the sternum, abdomen, udder, scrotum, and inner sides of the hind legs, and the lowest distribution on zone 1 (0.06%), which includes the legs and hooves. The research indicates that economically significant ticks are prevalent in all studied municipalities, indicating a warning sign.\\u003c/p\\u003e\",\"manuscriptTitle\":\"Morphological identification, seasonal prevalence, and predilection sites of hard tick species infesting cattle in four municipalities of the province of Tiaret, northwest Algeria\",\"msid\":\"\",\"msnumber\":\"\",\"nonDraftVersions\":[{\"code\":1,\"date\":\"2024-06-11 18:53:06\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4443152/v1\",\"editorialEvents\":[{\"type\":\"communityComments\",\"content\":0}],\"status\":\"published\",\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"researchsquare\",\"isNatureJournal\":false,\"hasQc\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":true,\"externalIdentity\":\"\",\"sideBox\":\"\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"/submission\",\"title\":\"Research Square\",\"twitterHandle\":\"researchsquare\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":false,\"editorialSystem\":\"\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"\",\"inReviewEnabled\":false,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":true}}],\"origin\":\"\",\"ownerIdentity\":\"ec61fef9-28f2-4e1a-bbc4-369fb9b61903\",\"owner\":[],\"postedDate\":\"June 11th, 2024\",\"published\":true,\"recentEditorialEvents\":[],\"rejectedJournal\":[],\"revision\":\"\",\"amendment\":\"\",\"status\":\"posted\",\"subjectAreas\":[],\"tags\":[],\"updatedAt\":\"2024-06-20T15:11:23+00:00\",\"versionOfRecord\":[],\"versionCreatedAt\":\"2024-06-11 18:53:06\",\"video\":\"\",\"vorDoi\":\"\",\"vorDoiUrl\":\"\",\"workflowStages\":[]},\"version\":\"v1\",\"identity\":\"rs-4443152\",\"journalConfig\":\"researchsquare\"},\"__N_SSP\":true},\"page\":\"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]\",\"query\":{\"redirect\":\"/article/rs-4443152\",\"identity\":\"rs-4443152\",\"version\":[\"v1\"]},\"buildId\":\"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt\",\"isFallback\":false,\"isExperimentalCompile\":false,\"dynamicIds\":[84888],\"gssp\":true,\"scriptLoader\":[]}","source_license":"CC-BY-4.0","license_restricted":false}