Tick Bites on Humans in Southwestern Region of Turkey: Species Diversity

Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine tick species found on humans who suffered from tick bite in the Southwestern Anatolia Region, Turkey. Methods: Between January and October 2007, ticks were collected from people admitted to the city and/or town hospitals with complaints of tick bites in nine different provinces of Turkey. Genus and/or species of the ticks in adult, larva and nymph stages were identified microscopically. Identification was done using related taxonomic keys. Results: A total of 2.610 ticks were collected from humans who were admitted to the hospitals with complaints of tick bites in the Southwestern Anatolia Region in the present study. Of these, 1.858 samples were collected from the Aegean Region and the remaining 752 from the Mediterranean Region of the country. The ticks were identified as Hyalomma spp. (78.58%), Rhipicehalus spp. (18.89%), Ixodes spp. (0.88%), Dermacentor spp. (0.77%), Haemaphysalis spp. (0.61%), Argas spp. (0.23%), and Ornithodoros spp. (0.04%). Results indicated that the majority of the ticks were nymphs of Hyalomma spp. (n=1.582). Nymphal stage was most commonly encountered from the Aegean Region and the Mediterranean Region with a prevalence of 46.13% (n=1.204) and 14.48% (n=378) respectively. Within the collected adult ticks (n=913), the majority of the samples were identified as H. marginatum (n=233, 26.09%). Conclusion: The results indicate the high diversity of tick species infesting humans in the Southwestern Anatolia Region, Turkey. So, it is crucial to publish information on tick bite prevention, which would play an important role in reducing the incidence of tick-borne diseases.