Revue Méd. Vét., 2010, 161, 3, 121-126 Introduction It is thought that more than half the world’s population depends on animal power as its main source of energy (22]. In Ethiopia there are 5.02 million donkeys, 2.75 million horses and 0.63 million mules that account for 37%, 58% and 46% of all donkeys, horses and mules in Africa, respectively [3, 5]. The donkey is more adapted to the terrain geography of Ethiopia than horses and mules. Donkeys in and around the rift valley are used for over fifteen kinds of pack operation including transportation of grains, water, fertilizer, fuel wood and building materials [1]. Despite the great contribution of donkeys to the development of rural and urban economy of Ethiopia, they receive less attention regarding feeding, health and management cares [11,22]. This has resulted in considerably reducing their work output, reproductive performance and working lifetime. Several disease conditions caused by endoparasites and ecto- parasites hinder the optimum utilization of donkeys [15]. Among these ectoparasites, ticks are one harmful parasite. For any livestock species, the impact of ticks on animal health can be two fold. These are effects of tick burden as ectoparasites and the effect of diseases transmitted by ticks serving as vectors. As ectoparasites, ticks are responsible for blood loss and irritation [4]. In addition to production losses, tissue damage also provides portal of entry for secondary bacterial infection and for larvae that induce myiasis and tick paralysis due to toxins they release into the blood. In Ethiopia, several tick species of the genera Amblyomma, Boophilus, Haemaphysalis, Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus have been identified in various regions of the country [4, 9, 10, 14, 16, 17, 24]. More than 60 species of ticks infesting both domestic and wild animals have been recorded [10] and 33 of these are known to be most common and are important parasites of livestock [14]. Tick– borne diseases transmitted by the major tick species in Ethiopia are anaplasmosis, babe- siosis, cowdriosis and benign theileriosis [9, 10]. The most economically important tick-borne diseases, East Coast Fever and acute theileriosis which are caused by Theileria parva and Theileria annulata, respectively and their vectors are not so far reported in Ethiopia. [2, 9]. Despite these docu- SUMMARY A cross sectional study was conducted from November, 2008 to March, 2009 with the aim of determining the common prevalent ticks (family: ixo- didae) infesting donkeys and associated risk factors in six peasant associa- tions of Ada’a and Akaki districts. Donkeys of all age of either sex under the service of Donkey Health and Welfare Project (DHWP) clinic at Bishoftu and Donkey Health and Welfare Project mobile clinic at Dukem, Insilalle, Abusera, Godino and Tulula challo were examined for the presence of ticks. Overall, 144 (32%) donkeys were found infested with at least one genus of ticks and of 144 tick infested donkeys 83 (22.6%) showed skin lesions. Rates of tick infestation in Ada’a were higher than in Akaki district (OR=3.358, P=0.012). The figures were 34.5% for the former while 18.6% for the later. Univariate logistic regression analyses of risk factors indicated that district, Peasant Associations (PA), sex, body condition score and months had significant differences and associations with presence of ticks. However, the association was not significant with age. Among the total 579 ticks col- lected, the relative proportions of the ticks encountered in order of their abundance were Amblyomma (72.5%; 420/579), Rhipicephalus (22.8%; 132/579), Boophilus (4.5%; 26/579) and Hyalomma (0.2%; 1/ 579). Keeping in mind that each tick contributes to the whole of the animal’s welfare and pro- ductivity, donkey owners and veterinarians should be fully aware of the significant ticks in donkeys. Further study on the vectoral consequences of ticks is advocated. Keywords: Ada’a, Akaki, donkey, Ethiopia, ixodidae ticks, prevalence. RÉSUMÉ Prévalence des tiques chez l’âne en Ethiopie Une étude a été conduite dans 6 associations de paysans des régions d’Ada et d’Adaki sur la période de novembre 2008 à mars 2009 . L’objectif était de déterminer la prévalence des tiques infestant les ânes et les facteurs de risque associés. Des animaux de tous ages et sexes ont été examinés pour la présence de tiques. Au total, 32 % des animaux étaient infestés avec au moins un genre de tique et 22 % de ces animaux présentaient des lésions cutanées. La prévalence de l’infestation était supérieur dans la région d’Ada que dans le district d’Akaki. Une analyse des facteurs de risque a montré l’influence de la localissation géographique, le type d’association profes- sionnelle, le sexe de l’animal, l’état d’entretien. Sur les 579 tiques collectés, les genres observés étaient, par ordre de fréquence décroissante : Amblyomma (72.5 % ; 420/579), Rhipicephalus (22.8 % ; 132/579), Boophilus (4.5 % ; 26/579) and Hyalomma (0.2 % ; 1/ 579). Compte tenu de l’impact possible de l’infestation des ânes par les tiques sur leur bien être et leur productivité, il est important que les éleveurs et les vétérinaires soient conscients de ce problème. Mots clés : Ada’a, Akaki, ânes, Ethopie, ixodidae, tiques, prévalence. Ticks of donkeys in central Oromia regional state, Ethiopia B. FEREDE 1 , B. KUMSA 2 , A. BSRAT 1 , S. KALAYOU 1 * 1 Mekelle University College of Veterinary Medicine, Po.Box:3189, Mekelle, ETHIOPIA. 2 Addis Ababa University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Debrezeit, ETHIOPIA. *Corresponding author: shewit.kalayou@mu.edu.et or skalayout@yahoo.com