First records of ornithodoros sp. soft ticks from an endemic relapsing fever region in northern Iran

Tick borne relapsing fever (TBRF) is endemic in six north-western and central provinces of Iran, including Mazandaran, from where the disease has been reported for many years. In surveys carried out in 2008 and 2009, we recorded the presence of Ornithodoros lahorensis and of O. tholozani which is the main vector of TBRF in Iran. O. tholozani were found infesting the walls of animal housing adjacent to human homes while O. lahorensis were found on the bodies of domestic animals, particularly in the fleece on sheep, an apparent phoretic behaviour that might facilit ate dispersal of these soft ticks. O. tholozani is reported here for the first time in Mazandaran an increasingly popular holiday destination for the population of Tehran and Iran.