AUTHOR=Ni Jun , Ren Qiaoyun , Lin Hanliang , Aizezi Malike , Luo Jin , Luo Yi , Ma Zhan , Chen Ze , Liu Wenge , Guo Junhui , Qu Zhiqiang , Xu Xiaofeng , Wu Zegong , Tan Yangchun , Wang Jinming , Li Youquan , Guan Guiquan , Luo Jianxun , Yin Hong , Liu Guangyuan 

TITLE=Molecular Evidence of Bartonella melophagi in Ticks in Border Areas of Xinjiang, China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.675457

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2021.675457

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Bartonella</italic> are gram-negative intracellular bacteria; certain species of <italic>Bartonella</italic> can cause diseases in mammals and humans. Ticks play a major role in the transmission of <italic>Bartonella</italic>. Xinjiang is the largest province in China according to land area and has one-third of the tick species in China; the infection rate of <italic>Bartonella</italic> in ticks in the Xinjiang border areas has not been studied in detail. Therefore, this study investigated tick infections by <italic>Bartonella</italic> in Xinjiang border areas, and the purpose of the study was to fill in gaps in information regarding the genetic diversity of tick infections by <italic>Bartonella</italic> in Xinjiang. We tested 1,549 tick samples from domestic animals (sheep and cattle) for <italic>Bartonella</italic> using <italic>ribC</italic>-PCR. Positive samples from the <italic>ribC</italic>-PCR assay for <italic>Bartonella</italic> spp. were further subjected to PCR assays targeting the ITS, <italic>rpoB</italic> and <italic>gltA</italic> genes followed by phylogenetic analyses. <italic>Bartonella</italic> DNA was detected in 2.19% (34/1,549) of tick samples, and the ITS, <italic>rpoB</italic> and <italic>gltA</italic> genes of <italic>ribC</italic> gene-positive samples were amplified to identify nine samples of <italic>Bartonella melophagi</italic>. In this study, molecular analysis was used to assess the presence and genetic diversity of <italic>B. melophagi</italic> in ticks collected from sheep and cattle from Xinjiang, China. This study provides new information on the presence and identity of <italic>B. melophagi</italic> in ticks from sheep and cattle.</p>