A cross-sectional survey of hard ticks and molecular characterization of Rhipicephalus microplus parasitizing domestic animals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Ticks infestation was significantly correlated with various factors including age, sex, season, and animal type. R. microplus genetically resembled species reported from India and China. However, major knowledge gaps concerning various species of ticks exist and many areas are still unexplored in Pakistan. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the epidemiological and molecular aspects of various tick species in other regions of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.