Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LIX
Written by Ivana IVANOVIĆ, Aleksandra PETROVIĆ, Aleksandar JURIŠIĆ, Aleksandra POPOVIĆ, Miloš PETROVIĆ, Vojislava BURSIĆ, Nikola PUVAČA
Roe deer are important hosts for ticks, providing them constant and reliable source of food, as well as the mode for habitat distribution. The aim of this study was to determine the species diversity of ixodid ticks parasitizing on the roe deer and the level of co-infestation. Eight tick species sampled from the 72 carcasses of roe deer were identified: I. ricinus, D. marginatus, D. reticulatus, H. punctata, H. concinna, H. sulcata, R. sanguineus and R. bursa. The most abundant were the females of I. ricinus and the highest prevalence was obtained for I. ricinus and D. marginatus. The single-species infestation was not detected. The co-infestation of all identified tick species was found on 15 carcasses and equally high percentage was obtained for co-infestation of six tick species. Roe deer as the habitat generalist and polyphagous herbivore are exposed to a greater tick species diversity present at the same habitats. The roe deer coinfestation with ixodid ticks in Vojvodina region could be explained by both sets of factors that promote multiparasitism: the spatial distribution of the hosts and the host life quality.
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