This study was made to identify the tick types causing infestation in tortoises living in orchards in the city centre of Kahramanmaras and the microorganisms they carried. Eighty-four tortoises were included in the study. Species determination of ticks collected from animals in which infestation was seen and their microbiological analyses were conducted. Species determination of 272 ticks on 60 of 84 (71.4%) tortoises taken for the study was made. The tick supernatants were used to detect CCHFV antigen by means of commercial ELISA test kits and aerobic, anaerobic cultures were performed. All ticks (180 of which were male and 92 of which were female) were detected as Hyalomma aegyptium. 98 aerobic bacteria were isolated in bacteriological treatments of ticks. These bacteria were as follows: 38 Bacillus sp., 23 Diphtheroid bacilli, 21 CNS, 7 Pasteurella sp., 6 Micrococcus sp. and 3 Enterobacter aerogenes. CCHFV antigen was not identified in ELISA testing. It is clearly seen in our study that hard ticks live on vertebrate host animals, like the tortoise, not only in rural and mountainous areas but also in crowded city centres and may carry various microorganisms. Additionally, these animals should be held under the control.
C1 [Kirecci, Ekrem; Deveci, Sumeyra] Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam Univ, Fac Med, Dept Med Microbiol, Kahramanmaras, Turkey.
[Ozer, Ali] Inonu Univ, Fac Med, Dept Publ Hlth, Malatya, Turkey.
[Balkaya, Ibrahim] Ataturk Univ, Fac Vet Med, Dept Parasitol, Erzurum, Turkey.
[Tanis, Huseyin] Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam Univ, Fac Arts & Sci, Dept Biol, Kahramanmaras, Turkey.