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Molecular analysis of Ixodes granulatus, a possible vector tick for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Taiwan

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Abstract

The genetic identity of Ixodes granulatus ticks was determined for the first time in Taiwan. The phylogenetic relationships were analyzed by comparing the sequences of mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA gene obtained from 19 strains of ticks representing seven species of Ixodes and two outgroup species (Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Haemaphysalis inermis). Four major clades could be easily distinguished by neighbour-joining analysis and were congruent by maximum-parsimony method. All these I. granulatus ticks of Taiwan were genetically affiliated to a monophyletic group with highly homogeneous sequences (92.2–99.3% similarity), and can be discriminated from other Ixodes species and other genera of ticks with a sequence divergence ranging from 11.7 to 30.8%. Moreover, intraspecific analysis revealed that two distinct lineages are evident between the same species of I. granulatus ticks collected from Taiwan and Malaysia. Our results demonstrate that all these I. granulatus ticks of Taiwan represent a unique lineage distinct from the common vector ticks (I. ricinus complex) for Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by a grant from the National Science Council (NSC96-2314-B-016-025-MY3), Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department and Graduate Institute of Entomology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Li-Lian Chao & Wen-Jer Wu

  2. Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, 114, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Li-Lian Chao & Chien-Ming Shih

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  1. Li-Lian Chao
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  2. Wen-Jer Wu
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Correspondence to Chien-Ming Shih.

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Chao, LL., Wu, WJ. & Shih, CM. Molecular analysis of Ixodes granulatus, a possible vector tick for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Taiwan. Exp Appl Acarol 48, 329–344 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-009-9244-4

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