AUTHOR=Ali Abid , Obaid Muhammad Kashif , Almutairi Mashal M. , Alouffi Abdulaziz , Numan Muhammad , Ullah Shafi , Rehman Gauhar , Islam Zia Ul , Khan Sher Bahadar , Tanaka Tetsuya 

TITLE=Molecular detection of Coxiella spp. in ticks (Ixodidae and Argasidae) infesting domestic and wild animals: with notes on the epidemiology of tick-borne Coxiella burnetii in Asia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1229950

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2023.1229950

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Tick-borne <italic>Coxiella</italic> spp. are emerging in novel regions infecting different hosts, but information regarding their occurrence is limited. The purpose of this study was the molecular screening of <italic>Coxiella</italic> spp. in various ticks infesting goats, sheep, camels, cattle, wild mice, and domestic fowls (<italic>Gallus gallus domesticus</italic>) in various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Morphologically identified tick species were confirmed by obtaining their <italic>cox1</italic> sequences and were molecularly screened for <italic>Coxiella</italic> spp. by sequencing <italic>GroEL</italic> fragments. Almost 345 out of 678 (50.9%) hosts were infested by nine tick species. Regarding the age groups, the hosts having an age &gt;3 years were highly infested (192/345, 55.6%), while gender-wise infestation was higher in female hosts (237/345, 68.7%). In collected ticks, the nymphs were outnumbered (613/1,119, 54.8%), followed by adult females (293/1,119, 26.2%) and males (213/1,119, 19.7%). A total of 227 ticks were processed for molecular identification and detection of <italic>Coxiella</italic> spp. The obtained <italic>cox1</italic> sequences of nine tick species such as <italic>Hyalomma dromedarii, Hyalomma anatolicum, Haemaphysalis cornupunctata, Haemaphysalis bispinosa, Haemaphysalis danieli, Haemaphysalis montgomeryi, Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides, Rhipicephalus microplus</italic>, and <italic>Argas persicus</italic> showed maximum identities between 99.6% and 100% with the same species and in the phylogenetic tree, clustered to the corresponding species. All the tick species except <italic>Ha. danieli</italic> and <italic>R. microplus</italic> were found positive for <italic>Coxiella</italic> spp. (40/227, 17.6%), including <italic>Coxiella burnetii</italic> (15/40, 6.7%), <italic>Coxiella</italic> endosymbionts (14/40, 6.3%), and different <italic>Coxiella</italic> spp. (11/40, 4.9%). By the BLAST results, the <italic>GroEL</italic> fragments of <italic>Coxiella</italic> spp. showed maximum identity to <italic>C. burnetii, Coxiella</italic> endosymbionts, and <italic>Coxiella</italic> sp., and phylogenetically clustered to the corresponding species. This is the first comprehensive report regarding the genetic characterization of <italic>Coxiella</italic> spp. in Pakistan's ticks infesting domestic and wild hosts. Proper surveillance and management measures should be undertaken to avoid health risks.</p>