Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
2473934 Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases 2015 4 Pages PDF
Abstract
The mean infestation prevalence was 66.2%, mean overall infestation intensity and abundance were 4.33 and 2.86 ticks/tortoise respectively. Our survey showed that tortoises were significantly more infested by male ticks than females (p < 0.001). The ticks were mainly present in the posterior limbs compared to other body regions (p < 0.05). There was no significance variation of length and weight of tortoises according to sex (p < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between the tortoises' size (length and weight) and tick infestation. This study showed high tick burdens of spur-thighed tortoises in Tunisia; further investigations are needed to determine exactly the role of this tick species in the transmission of different zoonotic pathogens.
Related Topics
Life Sciences Agricultural and Biological Sciences Animal Science and Zoology
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