Biodiversity and seasonal distribution of ticks in southeastern Serbia

Ticks are a relatively small group of hematophagous arthropods distributed in three families: Argasidae, Ixodidae and Nuttalliellidae. Ticks are found all over the world and we find them on land and on islands, and even in Antarctica, where seabirds are parasitized by the Northern Memoirs endemic species. They find all types of climates favourable, as well as the temperatures from +4°C and up. They are common in places where there is a large fluctuation of animals. The most common hosts are mammals, but in their absence they can be found on birds and reptiles. Ticks belong to a group of arthropods that are of exceptional biomedical importance due to their role as vectors of various types of diseases and the immediate harmful effects caused by the hematophagous diet. During research in domestic animals and humans in the area of southeastern Serbia, the prevalence of Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor marginatus, D.pictus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, R.bursa, Haemaphysalis punctata and He.inermis was established.