Prevalence of tick infestations in sheep and goats in İpekyolu district of Van province

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of tick infestations and the distribution of tick species in sheep and goats in the İpekyolu district of Van province. The research was carried out between 1 May 2024 and 30 October 2024 in the settlements of Bakraçlı, Beşçatak, Gövelek, Arıtoprak, Erçek, Sarmaç, Karakoç, Karagündüz and Köşebaşı. The study material consisted of sheep and goats raised in the specified regions and tick specimens collected from these animals. A total of 1540 sheep were examined, and 48.31% (n=744) were found to be infested with ticks. In goats, 176 animals were examined and 27.27% (n=48) were determined to be infested with ticks. Morphological examinations revealed that the tick species collected from sheep were Dermacentor marginatus (40.19%; n=385), Rhipicephalus bursa (19.52%; n=187), Rhipicephalus turanicus (19.31%; n=185), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (11.59%; n=111), Haemaphysalis punctata (8.66%; n=83) and Argas persicus (0.73%; n=7). The tick species identified in goats were Dermacentor marginatus (59.50%; n=47), Rhipicephalus bursa (18.95%; n=18) and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (17.72%; n=14). The findings showed that tick infestation in sheep and goats in the İpekyolu district varied among settlements and that infestation rate and tick density were higher in sheep than in goats.