TICK INFESTATION ON WILD RUMINANTS IN THE SIERRA DE CAZORLA, SEGURA Y LAS VILLAS NATURAL PARK, SPAIN.

F.D. Alonso1, J. Gomis1, M. R. Ruiz de Ybáñez1, Gutiérrez, A. 2, Sierra, J. 3, C. Martínez-Carrasco1 1 Dpto. Sanidad Animal. 2 Dpto. Medicina y Cirugía Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Murcia. 30100-Espinardo. Murcia. Spain. 3 Dpto. Patología Animal y Medicina Veterinaria. Universidad de León. 24071Vegazana. León. Spain.

RESUMEN

El Parque Natural de Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas es un área protegida del Sureste de España. En este Parque los rumiantes silvestres comparten hábitat con rumiantes domésticos. El objetivo del presente trabajo es determinar la prevalencia de las parasitaciones debidas a garrapatas en la población de rumiantes silvestres del Parque. 24 muflones (Ovis amon musimon), 39 gamos (Dama dama) y 9 ciervos (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) fueron cazados entre enero y abril de 2003. La prevalencia total de garrapatas fue alta (95.8% en muflones, 89.7% en gamos y 88.9% en ciervos). En los gamos, la prevalencia por especies fue: 63.2% Boophilus annulatus, 25.7% Rhipicephalus bursa, 6.6% Ixodes ricinus, 1.5% Rhipicephalus sanguineus, 1.5% Dermacentor marginatus y 1.5% Haemophysalis punctata. La prevalencia en los muflones fue: 55.1% R..bursa, 19.2% B. annulatus, 12.2% R. sanguineus, 6.4% Rhipicephalus turanicus, 3.2% Haemophisalis sulcata, 1.9% I. ricinus, 1.3% H. punctata, y 0.6% D. marginatus. En los ciervos, las prevalencias fueron: 95.2% B. annulatus, 3.2% R. bursa, and 1.6% Hyalomma lusitanicum. Se detectaron infestaciones por dos, tres e incluso cuatro especies de garrapatas en el 12.5% de los ciervos, el 28.6% de los gamos y en el 47.8% de los muflones. En ciervos y gamos, las mayores prevalencias fueron debidas a B. annulatus, dado que estas especies comparten zonas de pasto con el ganado vacuno. Estos resultados indican que los rumiantes silvestres pueden actuar como reservorio de garrapatas y, con ello, verse favorecida la transmisión al ganado doméstico de enfermedades a través estos artrópodos. SUMMARY The Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park is a protected area in southeastern Spain., where wild ruminants live together with extensively reared livestock. The aim of this study was to determine the tick infestations on wild ruminants in this region. Twenty four mouflon (Ovis amon musimon), 39 fallow deer (Dama dama) and 9 red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) were hunted between January and April 2003. The overall prevalence of tick infestation was high (95.8% in mouflon, 89.7% in fallow deer and 88.9% in red deer). Prevalence of ticks from parasitized

fallow deer were: 63.2% Boophilus annulatus, 25.7% Rhipicephalus bursa, 6.6% Ixodes ricinus, 1.5% Rhipicephalus sanguineus, 1.5% Dermacentor marginatus, and 1.5% Haemophysalis punctata. Parasitized mouflon harboured 55.1% R..bursa, 19.2% B. annulatus, 12.2% R. sanguineus, 6.4% Rhipicephalus turanicus, 3.2% Haemophisalis sulcata, 1.9% I. ricinus, 1.3% H. punctata, and 0.6% D. marginatus. Prevalence in red deer was: 95.2% B. annulatus, 3.2% R. bursa, and 1.6% Hyalomma lusitanicum. Double, triple or quadruple infestations were detected in 12.5% of parasitized red deer, 28.6% of fallow deer and 47.8% of mouflon. B. annulatus was widely distributed in the studied area; fallow deer and red deer were highly infected with this species of tick, since these wild ruminants share pastures with cattle in the Natural Park. The high overall prevalence of tick infestation indicates that wild ruminants may serve as a reservoir of ticks to domestic ruminants in the Natural Park and, moreover, may enhance the transmission rate of vector-borne diseases.

INTRODUCTION Parasitism of livestock by ticks is common in Spain (García-Fernández and Hueli, 1984; Habela et al., 2002). The present study was carried out to determine the tick infestation on mouflon (Ovis amon musimon), fallow deer (Dama dama), and red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) in the Sierra de Cazorla, Segura y las Villas Natural Park, in southeastern Spain. In this region the climate is typically Mediterranean, and wild ruminants co-exist with cattle, sheep and goats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty four mouflon, 39 fallow deer and 9 red deer were hunted between January and April 2003 to reduce their population density. Immediately after killing, animals were thoroughly inspected for the presence of ticks. All the ticks were manually removed by rubbing animals´ skin with a piece of cotton soaked in ether. Collected ticks were taken into labelled bottles and preserved in 70% ethanol until analyzed. Parasites were morphologically identified with the aid of a stereomicroscope and according to taxonomic keys (Senevet, 1937; Gil Collado, 1961; Gil Collado et al., 1979).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The overall prevalence of tick infestation was high (95.8% in mouflon, 89.7% in fallow deer and 88.9% in red deer). The number of ticks per animal ranged between 1 and 38, with a mean burden of 5 ectoparasites. Prevalence of ticks in parasitized fallow deer were: 63.2% Boophilus annulatus, 25.7% Rhipicephalus bursa, 6.6% Ixodes ricinus, 1.5% Rhipicephalus sanguineus, 1.5% Dermacentor marginatus, and 1.5% Haemophysalis punctata. Most of parasitized mouflon (55.1%) harboured R. bursa, 19.2% B. annulatus, 12.2% R. sanguineus, 6.4% R. turanicus, 3.2% H. sulcata, 1.9% I. ricinus, 1.3% H. punctata, and 0.6% D. marginatus. Prevalence of ticks in red deer were: 95.2% B. annulatus, 3.2% R. bursa, and 1.6% Hyalomma lusitanicum.

Majority of the animals harboured monospecific infestation of ticks, but multiple infestations (double, triple or quadruple) were detected in 12.5% of parasitized red deer, 28.6% of fallow deer and 47.8% of mouflon. B. annulatus was widely distributed in the studied area; fallow deer and red deer were highly infected with this species of tick, since these wild ruminants share pastures in the Natural Park with cattle, which is its preferred host (Yeruham et al., 1999). There are few studies about tick populations parasitizing wild ruminants in Spain (Hernández et al., 1980; Hueli, 1982; Hueli and Díaz-Sáez, 1987; Navarrete et al., 1991; Reina et al., 1992a, 1992b; García Romero et al., 2000; De la Fuente et al., 2004 ). In these works, ticks species, its prevalence and intensity of infestation do not coincide, probably due to pasture peculiarities and because wild ruminants share pastures with different species of domestic ruminants in each concrete area. The high overall prevalence of tick infestation obtained in our study indicates that wild ruminants may serve as a reservoir of ticks to domestic ruminants in the Natural Park and, moreover, may enhance the transmission rate of vector-borne diseases. In our knowledge this is the first report of B. annulatus, R. bursa, and R. sanguineus in fallow deer, and B. annulatus, R. sanguineus and R. turanicus in mouflon (Cordero et al., 1994) in the Iberian Peninsula.

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Work supported by funding from the Ministry of Science and Technology (Project No. AGL2002-02916).