AUTHOR=Zhao Na , Pan Kai , Teng Zhongqiu , Wang Hongliang , Zhang Xue , Ren Hongyu , Yi Lei , He Jia , Cai Kun , Qin Tian 

TITLE=Molecular detection reveals diverse tick-borne bacterial and protozoan pathogens in two tick species from Yingshan County of Hubei Province, China in 2021–2022

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1298037

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2023.1298037

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>In this study, a total of 179 ticks infesting ruminant livestock, including 166 <italic>Haemaphysalis longicornis</italic> ticks and 13 <italic>Rhipicephalus microplus</italic> ticks were collected from Yingshan county of Hubei province, China in 2021–2022. PCR testing and sequence analysis revealed that the ticks infected with various species of pathogens including <italic>Rickettsia</italic> (<italic>R. japonica</italic>), <italic>Anaplasma</italic> (<italic>A. bovis</italic>, <italic>A. ovis</italic>, <italic>A. platys</italic>, and <italic>Ca.</italic> A. boleense), <italic>Ehrlichia</italic> (<italic>E. minasensis</italic> and <italic>Ehrlichia</italic> sp.), <italic>Theileria</italic> (<italic>T. orientalis</italic> and <italic>T. luwenshuni</italic>), and <italic>Babesia</italic> (<italic>B. bigemina</italic>). The infection rates of these pathogens were 0.56, 16.76, 7.26, 2.79 and 0.56%. respectively, while only 3 of 13 <italic>R. microplus</italic> ticks were detected to be infected wth <italic>Ehrlichia</italic> sp.<italic>, A. bove</italic>., or <italic>T. luwenshuni</italic>. Our results revealed that a variety of tick-borne pathogens highly carried by these ticks, specially <italic>Ha. longicornis</italic>. Therefore, it is necessary to make effective control of the ticks and the tick-borne diseases in the County.</p>