A retrospective study of tick fauna of Iraq – checklist

Ticks are an important vector for several viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens that infect a wide range of domestic and wild animals as well as humans. There is limited information about tick species and tick-borne diseases in Iraq. To facilitate future studies of this important group of ectoparasites and to identify gaps in our understanding of the biology of ticks and the diseases that they transmit in the region, we have conducted this review study. The present study included literature on ticks which was published in Iraq, during the period from 1955 to 2023. It was found that 33 tick species infesting livestock, birds and wild animals belonging to 10 genera were confirmed to be recorded. These genera are Argas, Ornithodoros, Otobius, Amblyoma, Boophilus, Dermacentor Haemaphysalis, Hyaloma, Rhipicephalus and Ixodes.