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The importance of the tortoise tick Hyalomma aegyptium as a carrier of bacterial agents on a wide range

M. Kautman, B. Bilbija, M. Nováková, E. Tkadlec, I. Papoušek, P. Mikulíček, D. Jandzik, H. Javanbakht, G. Tiar, P. Široký

. 2025 ; 16 (2) : 102456. [pub] 20250221

Language English Country Netherlands

Document type Journal Article

Persistent link   https://www.medvik.cz/link/bmc25009627

Ticks are important vectors of various microorganisms, including bacteria. In this study, we examined Hyalomma aegyptium ticks collected from 240 spur-thighed tortoises Testudo graeca at 42 localities in the Mediterranean and Middle East and analysed them for the presence of bacteria of the genera Anaplasma, Borrelia, Coxiella, and Rickettsia. Altogether, 576 out of 928 analysed ticks (62.1%) were positive for at least one of the tested bacteria. The highest prevalence in individual ticks was found for Borrelia turcica (43.6%), followed by Rickettsia (12.3%) and Anaplasma (6.1%). No sample was positive for Coxiella burnetii. Among Rickettsia, we detected two species, Rickettsia africae and Rickettsia aeschlimannii, and also other unspecified Rickettsia. Anaplasma (100% identity with A. phagocytophilum) was detected at 15 (35%) out of 42 studied localities, any of Rickettsia at 28 (67%), and B. turcica at 32 (76%) localities. The geographic distribution of the studied microorganisms varied, with none of them detected in Syria, and only Rickettsia spp. detected in Morocco. Sequence analysis revealed substantial genetic variability in all detected agents, with the most variable (36 new haplotypes) being glpQ gene used as a marker for B. turcica. We also analysed the prevalence of various co-infections among studied ticks, with the mean number of co-infected ticks per tortoise increased with the number of ticks per tortoise. However, the frequencies of co-infected ticks do not indicate the presence of antagonistic or synergistic facilitative interactions between the agents. According to our data, we could expect that the eco-epidemiological importance of H. aegyptium does not stem from their tortoise hosts but rather from the low host specificity of its larvae and nymphs, feeding on a wider spectrum of reptilian, avian, and mammalian hosts.

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$a Ticks are important vectors of various microorganisms, including bacteria. In this study, we examined Hyalomma aegyptium ticks collected from 240 spur-thighed tortoises Testudo graeca at 42 localities in the Mediterranean and Middle East and analysed them for the presence of bacteria of the genera Anaplasma, Borrelia, Coxiella, and Rickettsia. Altogether, 576 out of 928 analysed ticks (62.1%) were positive for at least one of the tested bacteria. The highest prevalence in individual ticks was found for Borrelia turcica (43.6%), followed by Rickettsia (12.3%) and Anaplasma (6.1%). No sample was positive for Coxiella burnetii. Among Rickettsia, we detected two species, Rickettsia africae and Rickettsia aeschlimannii, and also other unspecified Rickettsia. Anaplasma (100% identity with A. phagocytophilum) was detected at 15 (35%) out of 42 studied localities, any of Rickettsia at 28 (67%), and B. turcica at 32 (76%) localities. The geographic distribution of the studied microorganisms varied, with none of them detected in Syria, and only Rickettsia spp. detected in Morocco. Sequence analysis revealed substantial genetic variability in all detected agents, with the most variable (36 new haplotypes) being glpQ gene used as a marker for B. turcica. We also analysed the prevalence of various co-infections among studied ticks, with the mean number of co-infected ticks per tortoise increased with the number of ticks per tortoise. However, the frequencies of co-infected ticks do not indicate the presence of antagonistic or synergistic facilitative interactions between the agents. According to our data, we could expect that the eco-epidemiological importance of H. aegyptium does not stem from their tortoise hosts but rather from the low host specificity of its larvae and nymphs, feeding on a wider spectrum of reptilian, avian, and mammalian hosts.
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$a Bilbija, Branka $u Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Palackého 1946/1, 61242 Brno, Czech Republic
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$a Nováková, Markéta $u Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
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$a Tkadlec, Emil $u Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Šlechtitelů 27, 78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic
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$a Papoušek, Ivo $u Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Palackého 1946/1, 61242 Brno, Czech Republic
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$a Mikulíček, Peter $u Department of Zoology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Mlynska dolina, Ilkovicova 6, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia
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$a Jandzik, David $u Department of Zoology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Mlynska dolina, Ilkovicova 6, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia
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$a Javanbakht, Hossein $u Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
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$a Tiar, Ghoulem $u Functional and Evolutionary Ecology Laboratory, Faculty of Natural and Life Sciences, University Chadli Bendjedid-El Tarf, 76, El Tarf 36000, Algeria; Environment and Biodiversity Research Division, Environmental Research Center, Alzon Castle, Boughazi Said Street, PB 2024, 23000 Annaba, Algeria
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$a Široký, Pavel $u Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Palackého 1946/1, 61242 Brno, Czech Republic; CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Palackého 1946/1, 612 42 Brno, Czech Republic. Electronic address: sirokyp@vfu.cz
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