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Identification of tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected from wild animals in Turkey

Parasitology Research volume 119, pages 3083–3091 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Many enzootic life cycles involving wild animals and non-nidicolous ixodids are still unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to report the identified tick species collected from seven different animal species (red deer, brown bear, gray wolf, Eurasian lynx, red fox, European hare, and Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise) living in the wild in Turkey and to investigate the presence of a wide range of tick-borne microorganisms in the tick samples obtained from these animals. The collected ticks (n = 98) were identified as Dermacentor reticulatus, Haemaphysalis parva, Hyalomma aegyptium, Hyalomma excavatum, Hyalomma marginatum, Ixodes ricinus, and Rhipicephalus turanicus. All engorged ticks collected from the wild animals and unfed larvae (n = 30) obtained from a single Rh. turanicus female were also analyzed individually for tick-borne bacterial and protozoan agents via PCR-sequencing. The molecular analyses revealed the presence of Babesia sp. tavsan2, Theileria capreoli, four Hepatozoon spp. (Hep. ursi, Hep. canis, Hep. felis, and Hepatozoon sp.), Hemolivia mauritanica, and three SFG rickettsiae (Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae, Ca. R. goldwasserii, and Rickettsia hoogstraalii) in the collected ticks. This represents the first report of Th. capreoli, Hep. ursi, and Ca. R. barbariae in ticks from Turkey. The evolutionary relationships of microbes in the different host and tick species are also discussed. Multiple novel tick-host associations in the tick life cycle were also revealed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the General directorate of Nature conservation and National Parks of Turkey for their valuable collaboration in obtaining tick samples from wild animals and thank Drs. İrem Ergin and Oytun Şenel for their valuable help in obtaining of tick samples from a fox and hare in the Unit for Wild Animals at Ankara University. Two wolves that ticks were collected in this study were the monitored animals as part of a project (project no. 2015K100090) entitled “Arrangement and Monitoring of Wildlife Road Crossing” and conducted by the General directorate of Nature conservation and National Parks, and this project was funded by the Ministry of Development. The authors would like to thank Ali Onur Sayar for his valuable help in obtaining of tick samples from two wolves. The preliminary results of this study were presented as an oral presentation at the 21st Congress of Parasitology, September 28–October 03, 2019, İzmir, Turkey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

    Ömer Orkun

  2. General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ankara, Turkey

    Hasan Emir

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  1. Ömer Orkun
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  2. Hasan Emir
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Correspondence to Ömer Orkun.

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Ethical statement

All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for care and use of wild animals were followed. Two gray wolves that ticks were collected in this study are subject as part of the national wild animals monitoring program conducted by the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks of Turkey with the approval number 2014/6841. Additionally, a tortoise investigated in this study was found to be infested by ticks during a field study and this tortoise was then released into the same place at the same time just after removed their ticks. Only tick samples were collected from live animals and no other medical intervention (such as blood or tissue collections) was undertaken on these animals for this study.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict and interest.

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Orkun, Ö., Emir, H. Identification of tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected from wild animals in Turkey. Parasitol Res 119, 3083–3091 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-020-06812-2

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Keywords

  • Theileria capreoli
  • Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae
  • Hepatozoon ursi
  • Non-nidicolous ixodid ticks
  • Dermacentor reticulatus
  • Phylogeny