{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T07:55:13Z","timestamp":1790668513931,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790640000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":271,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]],"date-time":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767225600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Veterinary Medicine International"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Ticks constitute most epidemiologically important group of ectoparasites in the veterinary medicine, causing direct host injury and serving as obligate vectors for many pathogenic organisms. The present study was designed for providing an integrated morphological, ultrastructural, and histopathological characterization of\n                    <jats:italic>Rhipicephalus annulatus<\/jats:italic>\n                    that are infesting sheep in Kerbala Province, central Iraq. A total of 540 sheep of both sex with variable ages were examined at several rural localities across the province, including Touyrige region, Al\u2010Husseiniya area, and Al\u2010Chemmalya countryside, in period between March and November 2023. Tick samples were collected from various anatomical sites on the body of the host. Adult female ticks of genus\n                    <jats:italic>Rhipicephalus<\/jats:italic>\n                    were recognized morphologically and exposed to both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light histological examination. Gross examination of tick attachment positions revealed local swelling and erythema. Histopathological evaluation of infested skin demonstrated marked epidermal hyperkeratosis, acanthosis, epithelial cell degeneration, multifocal dermal necrosis, and a dense mixed inflammatory infiltrate comprising predominantly eosinophils and lymphocytes. The active immunological response is presented by vascular congestion with dilation at the site of attachment. SEM investigation confirms the specialized mouthparts and cuticular surface adaptations of\n                    <jats:italic>R. annulatus<\/jats:italic>\n                    females which enable the mechanical injury and continuous tissue attachment. These findings advance the understanding of host with the ectoparasite connections and underscore the requirement of tick surveillance with control programmed in sheep\u2010rearing communities in Kerbala Province.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1155\/vmi\/6736190","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T07:02:21Z","timestamp":1790665341000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Morphological, Ultrastructural, and Histopathological Characterization of Natural\n                    <i>Rhipicephalus annulatus<\/i>\n                    Infestation in Sheep Skin From Kerbala Province, Iraq"],"prefix":"10.1155","volume":"2026","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8985-9799","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rana A.","family":"Jawad","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-0082-3197","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zahraa K.","family":"Shakir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-2938-2972","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fatema Ali","family":"Al-Kafhage","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ali Wasfi","family":"Sadeq","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Azhar Hamzah","family":"Hussein","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-0501-4934","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hiba","family":"Alameri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4643-1303","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ihsan Mohammed","family":"Sulbi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8288-0141","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Afrah Kamil","family":"Zabeel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_12_1_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41579-026-01277-z"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_2_2","first-page":"293","volume-title":"The Important Ticks, Tick-Borne Diseases and Helminth Infections of Livestock in Turkey","author":"\u00c7etinda\u011f M.","year":"1996"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pt.2016.04.015"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11756-021-00927-2"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-016-1945-z"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ttbdis.2021.101756"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s12639-018-1000-4"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_8_2","article-title":"Ticks of Domestic Animals in Africa: A Guide to Identification of Species","volume":"74","author":"Walker A. 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T. Morphological Study of the Cattle Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Infesting on Sheep in Alnnajaf Province-Iraq 571 IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering 2019 Al-Najaf Province Iraq no. 1 IOP Publishing https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1088\/1757-899X\/571\/1\/012061.","DOI":"10.1088\/1757-899X\/571\/1\/012061"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_24_2","first-page":"43","article-title":"Ixodiod Tick Fauna Infesting Sheep and Goats in the Middle and South of Iraq","author":"Mohammad M. K.","year":"2016","journal-title":"Bulletin of the Iraq Natural History Museum"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_25_2","first-page":"1","volume-title":"Tick Classification, External Tick Anatomy With a Glossary, and Biological Cycles, Ticks of the Southern Cone of America","author":"Nava S.","year":"2017"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_26_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.21775\/9781913652616.12","volume-title":"Biology and Molecular Biology of Ixodes scapularis","author":"Sonenshine D. 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