Mourad Rekik

Mourad Rekik

Principal Scientist - Small Ruminant Physiology and management
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About Mourad

Dr. Mourad Rekik is a livestock scientist with more than 25 years of experience in animal reproduction and small ruminants’ production and management in drylands. His expertise includes sheep and goat reproduction, and its interaction with nutrition, health, and genetics. His current research interests focus on boosting the resilience and productivity of livestock production systems at the household level, and attenuating the impact of environmental and economic stressors.

Prior to joining ICARDA, Dr. Rekik was a researcher and lecturer at several universities in Tunisia, and coordinated research-for-development projects involving multidisciplinary teams. He served as a member of the British Society of Animal Science and the FAO-CIHEAM network on sheep and goats nutrition. Dr. Rekik is author of more than 80 peer-reviewed journal publications, book chapters, and conference papers. He holds a Ph.D. in animal production from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.

Mourad Rekik's Publications

Assessing technical efficiency of crop–livestock systems under conservation agriculture: exploring the potential for sustainable system transformation in Tunisia

Assessing technical efficiency of crop–livestock systems under conservation agriculture: exploring the potential for sustainable system transformation in Tunisia

March 11, 2025 Journal Article
Estimates of genetic parameters and genetic trends for growth traits in Menz sheep under community-based breeding programs

Estimates of genetic parameters and genetic trends for growth traits in Menz sheep under community-based breeding programs

December 01, 2024 Journal Article
Response of maiden ewes to the ‘ram effect’ is a robust management practice and a candidate selection trait for enhanced reproductive performance in drylands

Response of maiden ewes to the ‘ram effect’ is a robust management practice and a candidate selection trait for enhanced reproductive performance in drylands

November 01, 2024 Journal Article
First Molecular and Phylogenetic Identification of Toxoplasma Gondii in Sheep Liver Intended for Human Consumption in Northern Tunisia

First Molecular and Phylogenetic Identification of Toxoplasma Gondii in Sheep Liver Intended for Human Consumption in Northern Tunisia

September 01, 2024 Journal Article
Prevalence of Fasciola hepatica infection in slaughtered sheep from Northwest Tunisia and its risk factors: Association with gastrointestinal helminths infection and anaemia

Prevalence of Fasciola hepatica infection in slaughtered sheep from Northwest Tunisia and its risk factors: Association with gastrointestinal helminths infection and anaemia

September 01, 2024 Journal Article
Repeated Cross-Sectional Survey of Ectoparasites in Sheep from Central Tunisia: Does Low Prevalence Indicate Good Hygiene or Resistance to Ectoparasites?

Repeated Cross-Sectional Survey of Ectoparasites in Sheep from Central Tunisia: Does Low Prevalence Indicate Good Hygiene or Resistance to Ectoparasites?

March 04, 2024 Journal Article
Nutritional and Food Safety Characteristics of Jameed - A Traditional Dairy Product of Drylands

Nutritional and Food Safety Characteristics of Jameed - A Traditional Dairy Product of Drylands

January 13, 2024 Journal Article
Epidemiological situation of bovine tropical theileriosis in an arid region in central Tunisia with a phylogenetic analysis of Theileria annulata

Epidemiological situation of bovine tropical theileriosis in an arid region in central Tunisia with a phylogenetic analysis of Theileria annulata

November 01, 2023 Journal Article
First morphometric and molecular characterization of Fasciola spp. in Northwest Tunisia

First morphometric and molecular characterization of Fasciola spp. in Northwest Tunisia

November 01, 2023 Journal Article
Genetic diversity of Hyalomma marginatum in Tunisia is not influenced by the bio-climate

Genetic diversity of Hyalomma marginatum in Tunisia is not influenced by the bio-climate

October 12, 2023 Journal Article
Conservation agriculture has no significant impact on sheep digestive parasitism

Conservation agriculture has no significant impact on sheep digestive parasitism

September 21, 2023 Journal Article
Can Small-Scale Dairy Farm Profitability Increase with the Use of Solar Energy Technology? An Experimental Study in Central Tunisia

Can Small-Scale Dairy Farm Profitability Increase with the Use of Solar Energy Technology? An Experimental Study in Central Tunisia

June 24, 2023 Journal Article
Substitution of soyabean meal by faba bean improves body weight, sperm production and testosterone concentration in mature Queue Fine de l’Ouest rams

Substitution of soyabean meal by faba bean improves body weight, sperm production and testosterone concentration in mature Queue Fine de l’Ouest rams

May 25, 2023 Journal Article
Marker-assisted introgression of fecundity mutation into Barbarine sheep breed under low input production system

Marker-assisted introgression of fecundity mutation into Barbarine sheep breed under low input production system

April 24, 2023 Journal Article
How to succeed in implementing community-based breeding programs: Lessons from the field in Eastern and Southern Africa

How to succeed in implementing community-based breeding programs: Lessons from the field in Eastern and Southern Africa

March 20, 2023 Journal Article
Going to scale—From community-based to population-wide genetic improvement and commercialized sheep meat supply in Ethiopia

Going to scale—From community-based to population-wide genetic improvement and commercialized sheep meat supply in Ethiopia

March 17, 2023 Journal Article
Assessing complementary synergies for integrated crop–livestock systems under conservation agriculture in Tunisian dryland farming systems

Assessing complementary synergies for integrated crop–livestock systems under conservation agriculture in Tunisian dryland farming systems

January 04, 2023 Journal Article
Detection and molecular identification of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia spp. infections in Hyalomma aegyptium ticks in Tunisia

Detection and molecular identification of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia spp. infections in Hyalomma aegyptium ticks in Tunisia

November 06, 2022 Journal Article
Agricultural resource and risk management with multiperiod stochastics: A case of the mixed crop-livestock production system in the drylands of Jordan

Agricultural resource and risk management with multiperiod stochastics: A case of the mixed crop-livestock production system in the drylands of Jordan

October 07, 2022 Journal Article
Preliminary study on the seasonal questing of Ixodes ricinus group ticks in Ain Draham forest (north-western Tunisia) with analyses of their phylogenetic diversity

Preliminary study on the seasonal questing of Ixodes ricinus group ticks in Ain Draham forest (north-western Tunisia) with analyses of their phylogenetic diversity

September 23, 2022 Journal Article
The efficiency of estrus synchronization protocols and artificial insemination in the Abergelle goat on-station and on-farm conditions of Northern Ethiopia

The efficiency of estrus synchronization protocols and artificial insemination in the Abergelle goat on-station and on-farm conditions of Northern Ethiopia

August 08, 2022 Journal Article
First insights into the microbiome of Tunisian Hyalomma ticks gained through nextgeneration sequencing with a special focus on H. scupense

First insights into the microbiome of Tunisian Hyalomma ticks gained through nextgeneration sequencing with a special focus on H. scupense

May 19, 2022 Journal Article
A climate-based model for tick life cycle: positive semigroup theory on Cauchy problem approach

A climate-based model for tick life cycle: positive semigroup theory on Cauchy problem approach

May 09, 2022 Journal Article
Genome variation in tick infestation and cryptic divergence in Tunisian indigenous sheep

Genome variation in tick infestation and cryptic divergence in Tunisian indigenous sheep

February 28, 2022 Journal Article
Optimizing breeding structures and related management in community-based goat breeding programs in the Borana pastoral system of Ethiopia

Optimizing breeding structures and related management in community-based goat breeding programs in the Borana pastoral system of Ethiopia

February 01, 2022 Journal Article
Better Crop-Livestock Integration for Enhanced Agricultural System Resilience and Food Security in the Changing Climate: Case Study from Low-Rainfall Areas of North Africa

Better Crop-Livestock Integration for Enhanced Agricultural System Resilience and Food Security in the Changing Climate: Case Study from Low-Rainfall Areas of North Africa

January 01, 2022 Book Chapter
Tolerance capability of desert sheep and goats to exercise heat stress under hot dry conditions, and its correlation with their production performance

Tolerance capability of desert sheep and goats to exercise heat stress under hot dry conditions, and its correlation with their production performance

December 06, 2021 Journal Article
High Toxoplasma gondii frequency of infection in the genital tract of ewes previously positive for the parasite DNA in meat, in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia

High Toxoplasma gondii frequency of infection in the genital tract of ewes previously positive for the parasite DNA in meat, in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia

December 01, 2021 Journal Article
Three easy fixes for sire use can enhance genetic progress in community-based breeding programmes

Three easy fixes for sire use can enhance genetic progress in community-based breeding programmes

November 01, 2021 Journal Article
Tunisian Consumer Quality Perception and Preferences for Dairy Products: Do Health and Sustainability Matter?

Tunisian Consumer Quality Perception and Preferences for Dairy Products: Do Health and Sustainability Matter?

September 30, 2021 Journal Article
Presence of antibodies to Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in sheep in Tunisia, North Africa

Presence of antibodies to Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in sheep in Tunisia, North Africa

August 14, 2021 Journal Article
Converting multi-trait breeding objectives into operative selection indexes to ensure genetic gains in low-input sheep and goat breeding programmes

Converting multi-trait breeding objectives into operative selection indexes to ensure genetic gains in low-input sheep and goat breeding programmes

May 23, 2021 Journal Article
Phenology and phylogeny of Hyalomma spp. ticks infesting one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) in the Tunisian Saharan bioclimatic zone

Phenology and phylogeny of Hyalomma spp. ticks infesting one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) in the Tunisian Saharan bioclimatic zone

May 18, 2021 Journal Article
Genome-wide insights on gastrointestinal nematode resistance in autochthonous Tunisian sheep

Genome-wide insights on gastrointestinal nematode resistance in autochthonous Tunisian sheep

April 29, 2021 Journal Article
Molecular detection of Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis spp. co-infection in Tunisian Merguez, a traditional processed sausage beef meat

Molecular detection of Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis spp. co-infection in Tunisian Merguez, a traditional processed sausage beef meat

March 01, 2021 Journal Article
Epidemiological investigation of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus infection among the one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) in southern Tunisia

Epidemiological investigation of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus infection among the one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) in southern Tunisia

January 01, 2021 Journal Article
Estimates of genetic parameters and trends for reproduction traits in Bonga sheep, Ethiopia

Estimates of genetic parameters and trends for reproduction traits in Bonga sheep, Ethiopia

November 24, 2020 Journal Article
Field synchronization of Ethiopian Highland sheep for fixed time artificial insemination: improvement of conception rate with a double injection of prostaglandin at 11 days

Field synchronization of Ethiopian Highland sheep for fixed time artificial insemination: improvement of conception rate with a double injection of prostaglandin at 11 days

September 04, 2020 Journal Article
Seroprevalence of anti‐Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis antibodies in female sheep in Tunisia

Seroprevalence of anti‐Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis antibodies in female sheep in Tunisia

August 01, 2020 Journal Article
Community-based sheep breeding programs generated substantial genetic gains and socioeconomic benefits

Community-based sheep breeding programs generated substantial genetic gains and socioeconomic benefits

July 01, 2020 Journal Article
Individual variability among autochthonous sheep in Northern Tunisia to infection by abomasum nematodes and Babesia/Theileria parasites

Individual variability among autochthonous sheep in Northern Tunisia to infection by abomasum nematodes and Babesia/Theileria parasites

June 25, 2020 Journal Article
Increased number of large non‐atretic follicles and co‐dominance effects account for high litter sizes in Bonga sheep

Increased number of large non‐atretic follicles and co‐dominance effects account for high litter sizes in Bonga sheep

May 27, 2020 Journal Article
Genome‑wide scans identify known and novel regions associated with prolifcacy and reproduction traits in a sub‑Saharan African indigenous sheep (Ovis aries)

Genome‑wide scans identify known and novel regions associated with prolifcacy and reproduction traits in a sub‑Saharan African indigenous sheep (Ovis aries)

December 01, 2019 Journal Article
Neospora caninum Natural Infection in Tunisian Rams: Serological Study and Molecular Identification of Infection in Semen

Neospora caninum Natural Infection in Tunisian Rams: Serological Study and Molecular Identification of Infection in Semen

December 01, 2019 Journal Article
Infestation of small ruminants by the metacestode stage of Taenia hydatigena in slaughterhouse, North East Tunisia

Infestation of small ruminants by the metacestode stage of Taenia hydatigena in slaughterhouse, North East Tunisia

November 29, 2019 Journal Article
Community‐based breeding programmes are a viable solution for Ethiopian small ruminant genetic improvement but require public and private investments

Community‐based breeding programmes are a viable solution for Ethiopian small ruminant genetic improvement but require public and private investments

September 30, 2019 Journal Article
Community‐based breeding programmes are a viable solution for Ethiopian small ruminant genetic improvement but require public and private investment

Community‐based breeding programmes are a viable solution for Ethiopian small ruminant genetic improvement but require public and private investment

September 01, 2019 Journal Article
Genetic progress and economic benefit of community-based breeding programs for sheep out- and upscaling options in Ethiopia

Genetic progress and economic benefit of community-based breeding programs for sheep out- and upscaling options in Ethiopia

August 01, 2019 Journal Article
Risk Factors for Reproductive Disorders and Major Infectious Causes of Abortion in Sheep in the Highlands of Ethiopia

Risk Factors for Reproductive Disorders and Major Infectious Causes of Abortion in Sheep in the Highlands of Ethiopia

August 01, 2019 Journal Article
Chamomile Methanolic Extract Mitigates Small Bowel Inflammation and ROS Overload Related to the Intestinal Nematodes Infection in Mice

Chamomile Methanolic Extract Mitigates Small Bowel Inflammation and ROS Overload Related to the Intestinal Nematodes Infection in Mice

March 01, 2019 Journal Article
Effect of supplementation by cactus (Opuntia ficus indica f. inermis) cladodes on reproductive response and some blood metabolites of female goat on pre-mating phase

Effect of supplementation by cactus (Opuntia ficus indica f. inermis) cladodes on reproductive response and some blood metabolites of female goat on pre-mating phase

March 01, 2019 Journal Article
Toxoplasma gondii infection and toxoplasmosis in North Africa: a review

Toxoplasma gondii infection and toxoplasmosis in North Africa: a review

February 15, 2019 Journal Article
Livelihoods Strategies and Household Resilience to Food Insecurity: A Case Study from Rural Tunisia

Livelihoods Strategies and Household Resilience to Food Insecurity: A Case Study from Rural Tunisia

February 11, 2019 Journal Article
Molecular survey and genetic characterization of Anaplasma centrale, A. marginale and A. bovis in cattle from Algeria

Molecular survey and genetic characterization of Anaplasma centrale, A. marginale and A. bovis in cattle from Algeria

April 30, 2018 Journal Article
Molecular detection and phylogenetic analyses of Toxoplasma gondii from naturally infected sheep in Northern and Central Tunisia

Molecular detection and phylogenetic analyses of Toxoplasma gondii from naturally infected sheep in Northern and Central Tunisia

December 20, 2017 Journal Article
High- milking sheep have a lower ovulation rate and tend to yield fewer embryos in response to superovulation and intrauterine artificial insemination

High- milking sheep have a lower ovulation rate and tend to yield fewer embryos in response to superovulation and intrauterine artificial insemination

October 30, 2017 Journal Article
FecXBar a Novel BMP15 mutation responsible for prolificacy and female sterility in Tunisian Barbarine Sheep

FecXBar a Novel BMP15 mutation responsible for prolificacy and female sterility in Tunisian Barbarine Sheep

May 15, 2017 Journal Article
Feed supplementation improves estrus response and increases fertility of sheep induced to breed out of season

Feed supplementation improves estrus response and increases fertility of sheep induced to breed out of season

March 31, 2017 Journal Article
GnRH and prostaglandin-based synchronization protocols as alternatives to progestogen-based treatments in sheep

GnRH and prostaglandin-based synchronization protocols as alternatives to progestogen-based treatments in sheep

December 31, 2016 Journal Article
Potential anthelmintic effect of Capparis spinosa (Capparidaceae) as related to its polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity

Potential anthelmintic effect of Capparis spinosa (Capparidaceae) as related to its polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity

November 27, 2016 Journal Article
First report of the in vitro nematicidal effects of camel milk

First report of the in vitro nematicidal effects of camel milk

September 15, 2016 Journal Article
Effect of the infection with the nematode Haemonchus contortus (Strongylida: Trichostrongylidae) on the haematological, biochemical, clinical and reproductive traits in rams

Effect of the infection with the nematode Haemonchus contortus (Strongylida: Trichostrongylidae) on the haematological, biochemical, clinical and reproductive traits in rams

August 30, 2016 Journal Article
First Molecular Identification and Genetic Characterization of Theileria lestoquardi in Sheep of the Maghreb Region

First Molecular Identification and Genetic Characterization of Theileria lestoquardi in Sheep of the Maghreb Region

June 28, 2016 Journal Article
Correlation of polyphenolic content with radical-scavenging capacity and anthelmintic effects of Rubus ulmifolius (Rosaceae) against Haemonchus contortus

Correlation of polyphenolic content with radical-scavenging capacity and anthelmintic effects of Rubus ulmifolius (Rosaceae) against Haemonchus contortus

May 15, 2016 Journal Article
Recurrent 3-day cycles of water deprivation for over a month depress mating behaviour but not semen characteristics of adult rams

Recurrent 3-day cycles of water deprivation for over a month depress mating behaviour but not semen characteristics of adult rams

February 29, 2016 Journal Article
Strategic Feeding Alternating a 2-months’ Feeding Restriction and a Short Boost of the Feeding Level Increases Conception Rate in Sheep

Strategic Feeding Alternating a 2-months’ Feeding Restriction and a Short Boost of the Feeding Level Increases Conception Rate in Sheep

January 01, 2016 Journal Article
Chemical composition, insecticidal and in vitro anthelmintic activitiesof Ruta chalepensis (Rutaceae) essential oil

Chemical composition, insecticidal and in vitro anthelmintic activitiesof Ruta chalepensis (Rutaceae) essential oil

November 15, 2015 Journal Article
Melatonin administration enhances the reproductive capacity of young rams under a southern Mediterranean environment

Melatonin administration enhances the reproductive capacity of young rams under a southern Mediterranean environment

July 01, 2015 Journal Article
First molecular isolation of Mycoplasma ovis from small ruminants in North Africa

First molecular isolation of Mycoplasma ovis from small ruminants in North Africa

June 08, 2015 Journal Article
Non-genetic sources of variation of milk production and reproduction and interactions between both classes of traits in Sicilo-Sarde dairy sheep

Non-genetic sources of variation of milk production and reproduction and interactions between both classes of traits in Sicilo-Sarde dairy sheep

September 01, 2014 Journal Article
Efficiency of Oestrous Synchronization by GnRH, Prostaglandins and Socio-Sexual Cues in the North African Maure Goats

Efficiency of Oestrous Synchronization by GnRH, Prostaglandins and Socio-Sexual Cues in the North African Maure Goats

June 30, 2014 Journal Article
Prevalence of piroplasms in small ruminants in North-West Tunisia and the first genetic characterisation of Babesia ovis in Africa

Prevalence of piroplasms in small ruminants in North-West Tunisia and the first genetic characterisation of Babesia ovis in Africa

May 22, 2014 Journal Article