Preliminary investigation on tick fauna in the neighborhood of Tarquinia, Lazio, Italy

Luciano Toma, Cristina Khoury, Riccardo Bianchi, Francesco Severini, Fabiola Mancini, Alessandra Ciervo, Daniele Ricci, Anna Maria, Marco Di Luca

Keywords: tick occurrence, Maremma, italy

Introduction. This study represents a preliminary inquiry on tick fauna composition carried

out in Maremma, Central Italy, where very few data are available.

Materials and methods. The study area was selected in the limestone hills surrounding

Tarquinia town, on the base of suitable elements directly affecting the tick occurrence

and the possible circulation of tick-borne pathogens, such as wild cattle rearing, kind of

vegetation and human activities. Since a proper understanding of tick ecology is critical

in predicting the risk of tick-borne pathogen transmission in a given area, a series of surveys

was planned in such area in 2011.

Results. One hundred fifty-four ticks belonging to 4 genera and 6 species, namely Ixodes

ricinus (n. = 109; 70%), Rhipicephalus bursa (n. = 18; 12%), Rhipicephalus turanicus (n. =

14; 9%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (n. = 6; 4%), Hyalomma marginatum (n. = 4; 3%) and

Dermacentor marginatus (n. = 3; 2%) were identified and reported for the area.

Discussion. The results of this acarological research represent a significant contribution

to the knowledge of the tick fauna of rural areas in Northern Lazio Region, as first step

toward a future molecular investigation on pathogen circulation.