Middle East DVEP - Armed Forces Pest Management Board

Adult H. anatolicum anatolicum prefer to feed on camels, cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, andoccasionally humans. Adults of H. anatolicum excavatum feed in about equalproportions on cattle and camels, and occasionally humans. Adults of H. dromedarii feedon camels, cattle, goats and dogs. Adults of H. impeltatum feed on camels, cattle, sheepand dogs. Adults of H. rufipes feed on camels, cattle, dogs and, occasionally, humans.Hyalomma marginatum turanicum prefers to feed on cattle, camels and sheep. In mostof the above species, larval and nymphal stages feed on smaller animals, includingrodents, hares, birds and, for some species, lizards. Boophilus annulatus is primarily acattle feeder but also feeds on other ungulates and, less frequently, man. Rhipicephalussanguineus feeds primarily on dogs but also feeds on camels, gerbils and, occasionally,man. Amblyomma variegatum, an introduced species in Yemen, feeds on sheep andcattle. Ixodes ricinus feeds on a wide variety of hosts from birds and rodents to cattle,wild herbivores, and humans. Dermacentor marginatus also has a wide host range,including rodents, hares, wild and domestic herbivores and, occasionally, man.Rhipicephalus bursa primarily attacks swine, camels, and cattle.Female ticks oviposit after leaving the host. The number of eggs laid is variable but runsto thousands in many ixodids. Females die after oviposition. Adult Hyalomma wait inrodent burrows or on plants and quickly move toward hosts as they appear. Adultfemales may remain on the host for 6 to 12 days. Immature ticks generally climbvegetation or other objects in order to quest for hosts. Nymphs remain on the host for 5to 8 days. Members of the genus Hyalomma are among the world’s hardiest ticks andcan easily survive extremes of heat, cold, and aridity for a year or more. However, underideal conditions, the life cycle can be completed in a year. Over the centuries,hyalommines have dispersed along routes of trading caravans and cattle drives. The lifehistories of Hyalomma ticks are often complex, ranging from one-host to three-host,sometimes even within a single species. Birds also appear to have had a role indistributing hyalommines. Hyalomma rufipes is considered to be very important inhuman outbreaks of CCHF because of its distribution, wide range of hosts, andaggressive host-seeking behavior.Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum is one of the most widely distributed tick species inthe world. It inhabits steppe, semi-desert, and savanna biotopes. It has dispersed fromsteppes and semi-deserts east of the Caspian Sea, along camel and cattle caravan routes.This species is unusual in that all stages may infest a single animal. Cracks in stone orclay walls of stables, courtyards, and feedlots often harbor these ticks. Nymphs tend tofeed on the ears of their hosts. The life cycle in hot areas may continue throughout theyear. Hyalomma anatolicum excavatum larvae and nymphs nearly always parasitizesmall mammals. This species tends to remain active even during winter months.Hyalomma dromedarii may be either a two- or three-host tick, with immature stagesfeeding on a wide variety of small mammals, and even lizards. Hyalomma impeltatum isusually a two-host tick that lives in scattered foci of semi-desert, savanna, and steppebiotopes. Hyalomma truncatum is usually a two-host tick whose immature stages tend toparasitize ground-feeding birds. Floodplains in semi-deserts and steppes, or vegetatedhillsides and mountainsides are preferred habitats. Boophilus annulatus is a one-host tick87