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Tick species from Africa by migratory birds: a 3-year study in Italy

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Abstract

The role of resident or migratory birds in dispersal of tick species and tick-borne pathogens is still poorly known in Italy. We report here the results of a 3-year project based on sampling ticks from migratory birds, as well as from the vegetation at three stop-over sites for migrants, namely the islands of Ventotene (Latium), Asinara (Sardinia) and Ustica (Sicily). During the spring seasons from 2017–2019, in total 2681 ticks were collected, 2344 of which were sampled from migratory birds and 337 from the vegetation. Ticks were identified by morphology or by molecular tools when necessary. In total, 16 tick species were identified among which the following were exclusively found on birds: Hyalomma rufipes (43.3%), Hy. truncatum (0.1%), Ixodes frontalis (11.8%), Ix. inopinatus (0.2%), Ix. ricinus (3%), Haemaphysalis punctata (0.08%), Hae. erinacei (0.1%), Amblyomma variegatum (0.08%) and Argas vulgaris 0.1%), whereas five species were exclusively collected from the vegetation: Rhipicephalus bursa (10.5%), Rh. turanicus (5.9%), Rh. sanguineus sensu lato (2%), Rh. pusillus (2.4%), Hae. sulcata (0.08%). Hy. marginatum (10.3%) and Ix. ventalloi (9.3%) were found both on birds and on the vegetation on the island Ustica. It is worth noting that the search for ticks on the vegetation did not detect allochthonous tick species. Although we found several interesting local species and allochthonous ticks like Hy. rufipes, Am. variegatum and Ar. vulgaris on birds, further investigations are needed to better define the possible role of migratory birds in the introduction of ticks and tick-borne diseases in Italy, above all after the evidence of imported ticks positive to Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus in several European countries.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the bird-ringers responsible for the ornithological stations and volunteers, the local authorities and the inhabitants of Ventotene, Asinara and Ustica islands for their kind hospitality, full support and their collaboration, pivotal in this study. The authors are also grateful to Drs. A. Capobianco Dondona, G. Cosseddu, G. Mancini, working at Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise in Teramo, Italy, and to Dr Francesco Severini working at Istituto Superiore di Sanità in Rome, Italy.

Funding

The research was in the frame of the project ‘Risk of introduction and spread of vector-borne viruses in Italy’ (IZS AM 03/14 RC), funded by the Italian Ministry of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161, Rome, Italy

    L. Toma, M. Menegon & M. Di Luca

  2. Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, Campo Boario, 64100, Teramo, Italy

    E. Mancuso, S. G. d’Alessio, I. Pascucci, F. Monaco & M. Goffredo

  3. Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, Bird Migration Research Area, Via Ca’ Fornacetta 9, Ozzano dell’ Emilia, Bologna, Italy

    F. Spina

  4. Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche “T. Rosati” Sezione Di Pesaro, Via Canonici 140, 61122, Villa Fastiggi, Pesaro, Italy

    I. Pascucci

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Toma, L., Mancuso, E., d’Alessio, S.G. et al. Tick species from Africa by migratory birds: a 3-year study in Italy. Exp Appl Acarol 83, 147–164 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-020-00573-4

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