Assoc. Dr. Keskin said that they have been working on ticks at the Parasitology Research Laboratory since 2008. Stating that they acquired new information about ticks in this process, Keskin emphasized that ticks are seen seasonally in Turkey more in the summer months, but some species are also active in autumn and winter.
Pointing out that since Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) disease is more common in the summer months, ticks are thought to be active only in the spring and summer months, Keskin said, “However, we know that different tick species in nature are active in the autumn and winter months. We see this situation very clearly in our field studies. “Our city is located in the region where ticks are densely populated.” he said.
NEW TICK SPECIES WERE DISCOVERED IN TURKEY
Keskin pointed out that they have identified tick species that were not previously detected in Turkey with their studies in recent years and said, “For example, we found that a new tick species called ‘Ixodes trianguliceps’ exists in Turkey. In our studies on migratory birds, ‘Ixodes arboricola’, “We see that ‘Ixodes festai’ and ‘Ixodes eldaricus’ types of ticks come to our country.” he said.
Keskin underlined that it is necessary to look at ticks in different species and continued as follows:
“There are more than a thousand tick species in the world. 55 of them are known to exist in our country. Migratory birds, in particular, can carry ticks very easily for long distances. With the studies carried out in recent years, the ‘Hyalomma marginatum’ type of tick, which is widely seen in our country, has also been detected in the central and northern parts of Europe. “We know that this type of tick has been detected in Germany, the Netherlands and England.”
Keskin noted that they have also been working on Algerian ticks in recent years and said, “There are Turkish, American and Algerian scientists in the study. We have identified a new tick species in our country, our study is at the publication stage.” he said.
TOGU Rector Prof. Dr. Fatih Yılmaz also stated that studies on ticks continue in their universities and said, “Serious studies are being carried out in the biology department, at national and international levels. 25 thousand ticks collected from humans were studied in this laboratory.” he said.
AA