Middle East DVEP - Armed Forces Pest Management Board

some parts of Israel, 10 to 25% of people were found to be seropositive. In the Antalyaregion on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, 13.3% of individuals sampled wereseropositive for R. conorii.Transmission cycle(s). The disease is maintained in nature by transovarial passage ofthe pathogen in ticks, primarily the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, althoughalmost any ixodid tick may harbor the pathogen. Enzootic infection in dogs, rodents andother animals is usually subclinical. Transmission to humans is by bite of infected ticks.Contamination of breaks in the skin or mucous membranes with crushed tissues or fecesof infected ticks can also lead to infection.Vector Ecology Profiles for the Vectors of Boutonneuse Fever.Rhipicephalus sanguineus is the principal vector. Hyalomma rufipes, Amblyommavariegatum, Rhipicephalus turanicus, and R. appendiculatus are reported as additionalvectors. Vector ecology profiles of Middle Eastern ticks are summarized in AppendixB.2. Appendix A.3. lists the known distribution of ticks in the Middle East.Rhipicephalus sanguineus is the world’s most widespread tick species and occursthroughout the entire region. Vector ticks, and hence the disease, tend to be more urbanthan rural in distribution because they are associated with hosts found in urban areas.The brown dog tick, in particular, tends to be more concentrated in urban areas, where itscanine hosts are abundant. In temperate countries, such as Israel, Jordan and Lebanon, R.sanguineus is present year-round, although it is most abundant from April to October.Other species in temperate countries display a more pronounced seasonal pattern, withactivity from April to October. In the Asir District of Saudi Arabia, and in Yemen,vector ticks are active year-round.In addition to R. sanguineus, the following secondary vectors have been reported:• Hyalomma rufipes occurs in Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, andYemen. It probably also occurs in Iran, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey, where it isreported as H. marginatum s.l.• Rhipicephalus turanicus is present in Israel, Jordan and Lebanon.• Amblyomma variegatum, an introduced species from Africa, occurs in southwesternSaudi Arabia and Yemen.• Rhipicephalus appendiculatus occurs only in the Asir District of southwestern SaudiArabia.Rhipicephalus sanguineus feeds primarily on dogs but also on camels, gerbils and,occasionally, man. Rhipicephalus turanicus feeds on rodents, dogs, camels, sheep andgoats, but is more anthropophilic than R. sanguineus. Larval and nymphal stages of thistick are prone to feed on rats and gerbils. Adults of H. rufipes feed on camels, cattle,dogs and, occasionally, humans. Larval and nymphal stages of this tick feed on smalleranimals, including rodents (especially gerbils), hares and birds. Amblyomma variegatum,an introduced species in Oman, Yemen, and the Asir District of Saudi Arabia, feedsprimarily on sheep and cattle. Rhipicephalus appendiculatus feeds primarily on cattle89