The Current Status of Ticks in Turkey: A 100-Year Period Review from 1916 to 2016

Abstract

Environmental and bio-ecological changes, some administrative and political mistakes, and global warming seriously affect the behaviors of ticks in Turkey and globally. The global public sensitivity toward tick infestations has increased along with increases in tick-borne diseases (TBDs). Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a new political concept, "One Health," for specific struggle strategies against tick infestations and TBDs. To highlight the importance of the issue, the WHO had declared the year 2015 for vector-borne diseases and adopted the slogan "small bites big threat". In global struggle strategies, the epidemiological aspects and dynamics of increasing tick populations and their effects on the incidence of the TBDs mainly with zoonotic characteristics have been specifically targeted. In Turkey, during the last century, approximately 47 tick species, including eight soft and 39 hard tick species in three and six genera belonging to Argasidae and Ixodidae, respectively, had already been reported. In this article, the recorded tick species, regional infestations, and medical and veterinary importance in Turkey were chronologically reviewed based on a 100-year period between 1916 and 2016. Keywords: A century-old period, current status, ticks, Turkey Received: 08.06.2016Accepted: 28.08.2016 ÖZTüm dünyada olduğu gibi Türkiye'de de çevresel ve biyo-ekolojik değişiklikler, bazı idari ve politik hatalar ile küresel ısınma kenelerin davranışlarını ciddi bir şekilde etkilemektedir. Kene enfestasyonlarına ve kene ile bulaşan hastalıklara karşı halkın duyarlılığı küresel manada artmıştır. Bu noktada son yıllarda Dünya Sağlık Örgütü (WHO), keneler ve kenelerle bulaşan hastalıklara karşı spesifik mücadele stratejileri üzerine "Tek Sağlık" adı altında yeni bir konsept geliştirmiştir. Bu konunun önemini vurgulamak için WHO, 2015 yılını vektör-borne hastalıklar yılı olarak deklare etmiş ve "küçük ısırık büyük tehdit" şeklinde slogan geliştirmiştir. Küresel mücadele stratejileri arasında, kene popülasyon-larının artış dinamikleri ve epidemiyolojik bakış açısını açıkça ortaya koyma ve özellikle zoonotik karakterli kene kaynaklı hastalıkların insidensi üzerine kenelerin etkileri gibi konular özellikle hedef alınmıştır. Son yüzyılda Türkiye'de, argasidae ve ixodidae ailelerine ait sırasıyla üç ve altı soyda sekiz argasid ve otuz dokuz ixodid kene türünü kapsayan toplam kırk yedi kene türü rapor edilmiştir. Bu derlemede, Türkiye'de 1916 ve 2016 yılları arasındaki yüzyıllık periyotta, varlığı bildirilen kene türleri, bunların bölgesel ve mevsimsel dağılışları ile medikal ve veteriner önemleri gözden geçirilmiştir.

Overview of Zoonotic Diseases in Turkey: The One Health Concept and Future Threats

“…Particularly, global warming affects the behaviors of vector arthropods and causes a generation of aggressive insect populations as seen in simuliids (435) or biting midges (439). Similarly, ticks cause a global challenge (20,48,459,469,470). Current local potential arthropod vectors, which have existed in the region for a long time and have been adapted to the region, are ready for the transmission of pathogens among humans, livestock, and wild animals.…”

“…In addition, over 50 vector-borne infections (19 tick-borne diseases [TBDs]) caused by different pathogens have been reported in farm animals and humans (20,21) and in cats and dogs (35). A total of 47 tick species (38 ixodid and 9 argasid) have also been reported in the last century in Turkey (10), and these zoonotic diseases have a significant impact on the livestock industry of the country (26,29,30).…”

“…The current status of tick species in Turkey showed 47 species (8 argasid and 39 ixodid) in the last century (10). In addition, almost 19 TBDs have been reported in animals and men, involving 4 protozoa (babesiosis, theileriosis, cytauxzoonosis, and hepatozoonosis), 1 filarial nematode (acanthocheilonemasis), 10 bacterial agents (anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, aegyptianellosis, TBT, Candidatus Rickettsia vini, Lyme borreliosis, TBRF, tularemia, bartonellosis, and hemoplasmosis), and 4 viral infections (TBE, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), louping ill (LI), and LSD in Turkey (20).…”

“…In addition, Turkey has highly variable climatic conditions, vegetation structures, wildlife, and particularly many sanctuaries for immigrant birds. The geographic structure of Turkey also allows suitable habitats for various vector arthropods, such as bloodfeeding insects and ticks, throughout the four seasons of the year (10,(18)(19)(20)(21). Thus, several zoonotic diseases are endemic throughout the country and affect humans and animals (22)(23)(24) with economic losses (25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30).…”

Spinose Ear Tick Otobius megnini Infestations in Race Horses

“…Dogs imported from South Africa to Italy [12] and to Sweden carried the tick in the ear canal [13]. In Turkey, it was first recorded in 1988 [14], and it is well established now [15][16][17]. Otobius megnini is thought to have reached India in the mid-1930s together with cattle or horses brought from Southern Africa.…”