{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T06:15:51Z","timestamp":1788243351845,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788220800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"NextGenerationEU programme","award":["644-01\/24-01\/02"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["644-01\/24-01\/02"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Ticks are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites of public health importance, acting as vectors of numerous pathogens affecting wildlife, domestic animals and humans. Although birds play an important role in tick ecology and dispersal, information on tick infestations of pheasants in Europe remains limited. This study investigated the prevalence, species composition, developmental stage structure and haplotype diversity of ticks infesting pheasants in Croatia using ecological, morphological and molecular approaches. During the hunting seasons, 255 pheasants from continental and Mediterranean regions of Croatia were examined. Ticks were collected from harvested pheasants and road-killed individuals, morphologically identified, and representative specimens were molecularly confirmed. Overall, 213 pheasants were infested, resulting in a prevalence of 83.5%, and a total of 1103 ticks were collected. Six tick species were identified, with Ixodes ricinus dominating the tick community (80.1%). Molecular analyses confirmed the occurrence of several closely related Mediterranean Ixodes species, including Ixodes festai and Ixodes ventalloi. Nymphs predominated (78.2%), highlighting the importance of pheasants as hosts for immature tick stages. Significant geographical differences were observed. Continental localities were dominated by I. ricinus, whereas coastal and island regions showed significantly higher tick species diversity. Mean tick abundance per pheasant was significantly higher in Mediterranean regions. Male pheasants exhibited higher infestation prevalence and intensity than females. The marked regional differences highlight the influence of Croatia\u2019s biogeographical heterogeneity on tick community composition. These findings demonstrate that pheasants serve as important hosts for diverse tick species and likely contribute to the maintenance of local tick populations, thereby providing a valuable baseline for future surveillance of tick-borne pathogens in Croatia.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16172712","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T05:45:13Z","timestamp":1788241513000},"page":"2712","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Ecological Role of the Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) in Maintaining Tick Populations in Croatia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4724-4523","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Krunoslav","family":"Pintur","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation, Karlovac University of Applied Sciences, Trg J.J. Strossmayera 9, 47000 Karlovac, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7964-7939","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nera","family":"Fabijani\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Croatian Hunting Association, Vladimira Nazora 63, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5943-4346","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tomislav","family":"Dumi\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation, Karlovac University of Applied Sciences, Trg J.J. Strossmayera 9, 47000 Karlovac, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-6122-5958","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ema","family":"Gagovi\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Croatian Veterinary Institute, Savska cesta 143, PP 883, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vedran","family":"Slijep\u010devi\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation, Karlovac University of Applied Sciences, Trg J.J. Strossmayera 9, 47000 Karlovac, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3504-5271","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daria","family":"Jurkovi\u0107 \u017dili\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Croatian Veterinary Institute, Savska cesta 143, PP 883, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Relja","family":"Beck","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Croatian Veterinary Institute, Savska cesta 143, PP 883, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"BirdLife International (2026, June 08). Species Factsheet: Phasianus colchicus. Available online: https:\/\/datazone.birdlife.org\/species\/factsheet\/common-pheasant-phasianus-colchicus."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Keve, G., S\u00e1ndor, A.D., and Hornok, S. (2022). Hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) associated with birds in Europe: Review of literature data. Front. Vet. Sci., 9.","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2022.928756"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"109","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ttbdis.2010.03.001","article-title":"Are birds reservoir hosts for Borrelia afzelii?","volume":"1","author":"Franke","year":"2010","journal-title":"Ticks Tick-Borne Dis."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102001","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ttbdis.2022.102001","article-title":"On the way between Africa and Europe: Molecular taxonomy of ticks collected from birds in Malta","volume":"13","author":"Hornok","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ticks Tick-Borne Dis."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"245","DOI":"10.1034\/j.1600-0706.2002.960206.x","article-title":"The impact of ticks on pheasant territoriality","volume":"96","author":"Hoodless","year":"2002","journal-title":"Oikos"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"171","DOI":"10.2981\/wlb.2003.046","article-title":"Effects of tick Ixodes ricinus infestation on pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) breeding success and survival","volume":"9","author":"Hoodless","year":"2003","journal-title":"Wildl. Biol."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.1093\/jmedent\/35.1.77","article-title":"Competence of pheasants as reservoirs for Lyme disease spirochetes","volume":"35","author":"Kurtenbach","year":"1998","journal-title":"J. Med. Entomol."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e70115","DOI":"10.1111\/ele.70115","article-title":"The release of non-native gamebirds is associated with amplified zoonotic disease risk","volume":"28","author":"Michels","year":"2025","journal-title":"Ecol. Lett."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"437","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pt.2012.07.003","article-title":"Ticks and tick-borne diseases: A One Health perspective","volume":"28","author":"Chomel","year":"2012","journal-title":"Trends Parasitol."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Johnson, N., Phipps, L.P., Hansford, K.M., Folly, A.J., Fooks, A.R., Medlock, J.M., and Mansfield, K.L. (2022). One Health approach to tick and tick-borne disease surveillance in the United Kingdom. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 19.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19105833"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Vilibic-Cavlek, T., Janev-Holcer, N., Bogdanic, M., Ferenc, T., Vujica Ferenc, M., Krcmar, S., Savic, V., Stevanovic, V., Ilic, M., and Barbic, L. (2023). Current status of vector-borne diseases in Croatia: Challenges and future prospects. Life, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/life13091856"},{"key":"ref_12","first-page":"309","article-title":"Fauna of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in different habitats in the Croatian part of Baranja","volume":"138","author":"Trilar","year":"2014","journal-title":"\u0160um. List"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Vucelja, M., Kr\u010dmar, S., Habu\u0161, J., Perko, V.M., Boljfeti\u0107, M., Bjedov, L., and Margaleti\u0107, J. (2023). Altitudinal distribution, seasonal dynamics and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infections in hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in different forest communities in inland Croatia. Sustainability, 15.","DOI":"10.3390\/su15064862"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Vilibic-Cavlek, T., Krcmar, S., Bogdanic, M., Tomljenovic, M., Barbic, L., Roncevic, D., Sabadi, D., Vucelja, M., Santini, M., and Hunjak, B. (2024). An overview of tick-borne encephalitis epidemiology in endemic regions of continental Croatia, 2017\u20132023. Microorganisms, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms12020386"},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"Pintur, K., Beck, R., Gagovi\u0107, E., Dumi\u0107, T., Slijep\u010devi\u0107, V., and Fabijani\u0107, N. (2025, January 7\u20139). Preliminary research of tick infestation on pheasants (Phasianus sp.) in the Republic of Croatia. Proceedings of the Veterinarski dani 2025, Split, Croatia."},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"Zaninovi\u0107, K., Gaji\u0107-\u010capka, M., Per\u010dec Tadi\u0107, M., Vu\u010deti\u0107, M., Milkovi\u0107, J., Baji\u0107, A., Cindri\u0107, K., Cvitan, L., Katu\u0161in, Z., and Kau\u010di\u0107, D. (2008). Klimatski atlas Hrvatske\/Climate Atlas of Croatia 1961\u20131990, 1971\u20132000, Dr\u017eavni Hidrometeorolo\u0161ki Zavod."},{"key":"ref_17","first-page":"17","article-title":"K\u00f6ppenova podjela klima i hrvatsko nazivlje","volume":"8","year":"2003","journal-title":"Geoadria"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"235","DOI":"10.1051\/parasite\/2011183235","article-title":"Redescription of the male of Ixodes festai Rondelli, 1926 (Ixodida: Ixodidae) on specimens from Sardinia (Italy)","volume":"18","author":"Contini","year":"2011","journal-title":"Parasite"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Estrada-Pe\u00f1a, A., Mihalca, A.D., and Petney, T.N. (2017). Ticks of Europe and North Africa: A Guide to Species Identification, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-63760-0"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104732","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijpara.2025.09.002","article-title":"Updates on subgenus Ixodes in the Mediterranean region: Validity of Ixodes festai Rondelli, 1926, reinstatement of Ixodes tatei Arthur, 1959, and a new species closely related to Ixodes gibbosus Nuttall, 1916","volume":"56","author":"Hornok","year":"2026","journal-title":"Int. J. Parasitol."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10034","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.91.21.10034","article-title":"Phylogeny of hard- and soft-tick taxa (Acari: Ixodida) based on mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences","volume":"91","author":"Black","year":"1994","journal-title":"Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"575","DOI":"10.2307\/3284227","article-title":"Parasitology meets ecology on its own terms: Margolis et al. revisited","volume":"83","author":"Bush","year":"1997","journal-title":"J. Parasitol."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"277","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pt.2019.01.003","article-title":"Biostatistics for parasitologists\u2014A primer to quantitative parasitology","volume":"35","author":"Reiczigel","year":"2019","journal-title":"Trends Parasitol."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"281","DOI":"10.3347\/kjp.2014.52.3.281","article-title":"Ticks collected from wild and domestic animals and natural habitats in the Republic of Korea","volume":"52","author":"Kim","year":"2014","journal-title":"Korean J. Parasitol."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"589","DOI":"10.3347\/kjp.2018.56.6.589","article-title":"Tick-borne pathogens in ixodid ticks from Poyang Lake region, southeastern China","volume":"56","author":"Zheng","year":"2018","journal-title":"Korean J. Parasitol."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"240","DOI":"10.1093\/jmedent\/31.2.240","article-title":"Geographical distribution, host associations, and vector roles of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae, Argasidae) in Sweden","volume":"31","author":"Jaenson","year":"1994","journal-title":"J. Med. Entomol."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.3897\/zookeys.234.3658","article-title":"Hard ticks (Acari, Ixodidae) of Croatia","volume":"234","year":"2012","journal-title":"ZooKeys"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18","DOI":"10.1111\/jvec.12325","article-title":"Diversity, ecology, and seasonality of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in eastern Croatia","volume":"44","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Vector Ecol."},{"key":"ref_29","unstructured":"Jurkovi\u0107, D. (2021). Genotyping of Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens on the Territory of the Republic of Croatia. [Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Zagreb]."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"45","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-023-06116-1","article-title":"Ixodid ticks and zoonotic tick-borne pathogens of the Western Balkans","volume":"17","author":"Kapo","year":"2024","journal-title":"Parasit. Vectors"},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"256","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-026-07493-z","article-title":"Ticks (Ixodida: Argasidae, Ixodidae, Khimairidae, and Nuttalliellidae) of the world","volume":"19","author":"Mans","year":"2026","journal-title":"Parasit. Vectors"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"84","DOI":"10.1089\/vbz.2012.1046","article-title":"Lyme borreliosis spirochetes and spotted fever group rickettsiae in ixodid ticks from Pianosa Island, Tuscan Archipelago, Italy","volume":"13","author":"Tomassone","year":"2013","journal-title":"Vector-Borne Zoonotic Dis."},{"key":"ref_33","first-page":"262","article-title":"Redescription, molecular features, and neotype deposition of Rhipicephalus pusillus Gil Collado and Ixodes ventalloi Gil Collado (Acari, Ixodidae)","volume":"4442","author":"Venzal","year":"2018","journal-title":"Zootaxa"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"268","DOI":"10.1007\/s00436-024-08286-y","article-title":"First detection and a new avian host of the tick Ixodes ventalloi Gil Collado, 1936, in Slovakia","volume":"123","author":"Csank","year":"2024","journal-title":"Parasitol. Res."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"251","DOI":"10.1007\/s00436-016-5286-9","article-title":"Ixodes ventalloi: Morphological and molecular support for species integrity","volume":"116","author":"Latrofa","year":"2017","journal-title":"Parasitol. Res."},{"key":"ref_36","first-page":"215","article-title":"Alectoris rufa, a new host for Ixodes ventalloi and Ixodes (Pholeoixodes) hexagonus in Spain","volume":"44","author":"Lucientes","year":"1984","journal-title":"Rev. Iber. Parasitol."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"354","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-023-05971-2","article-title":"Genetic analysis challenges the presence of Ixodes inopinatus in Central Europe: Development of a multiplex PCR to distinguish I. inopinatus from I. ricinus","volume":"16","author":"Hrazdilova","year":"2023","journal-title":"Parasit. Vectors"},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100306","DOI":"10.1016\/j.crpvbd.2025.100306","article-title":"What is the status of Ixodes inopinatus (Ixodidae)?","volume":"8","author":"Zheng","year":"2025","journal-title":"Curr. Res. Parasitol. Vector-Borne Dis."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"49","DOI":"10.1645\/0022-3395(2001)087[0049:TDIAAR]2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Testosterone depresses innate and acquired resistance to ticks in natural rodent hosts: A force for aggregated distributions of parasites","volume":"87","author":"Hughes","year":"2001","journal-title":"J. Parasitol."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"421","DOI":"10.1007\/s00442-023-05476-w","article-title":"Individual heterogeneity in ixodid tick infestation and prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in a northern community of small mammalian hosts","volume":"203","author":"Anders","year":"2023","journal-title":"Oecologia"},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.1007\/BF00164342","article-title":"Parasite faunas, testosterone and secondary sexual traits in male red-winged blackbirds","volume":"33","author":"Weatherhead","year":"1993","journal-title":"Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol."}],"container-title":["Animals"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2615\/16\/17\/2712\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T05:50:24Z","timestamp":1788241824000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2615\/16\/17\/2712"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]},"references-count":41,"journal-issue":{"issue":"17","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]}},"alternative-id":["ani16172712"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ani16172712","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-2615"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-2615","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]}}}