Tick‑borne microorganisms in Amblyomma tigrinum (Acari: Ixodidae) from the Patagonian region of Argentina

WINTER M, SEBASTIAN P, TARRAGONA EL, FLORES FS, ABATE SD, NAVA S

EXPERIMENTAL AND APPLIED ACAROLOGY

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2024

0168-8162

This study presents the results of the molecular detection of tick-borne microorganisms inAmblyomma tigrinum Koch collected near the city of Viedma, Río Negro, Argentina. Tickswere collected in their non-parasitic stage, on pet dogs and on Lycalopex gymnocercus(Pampa fox). Also, six tick samples from humans were analyzed. All ticks were morpho-logically identified to species level and genomic DNA was extracted. The DNA sampleswere examined by end point PCR assays to amplified DNA of Anaplasma sp., Babesia sp.,Ehrlichia sp., Rickettsia sp. and Theileria sp. Although all tested DNA samples from thecollected ticks resulted negative to the detection of Piroplasmida and Rickettsia spp., 16samples (16.5%, including all hosts) were positive in the 16S rDNA gene PCR that detectsbacteria from the Anaplasmataceae family. Phylogenetic analysis of seven obtained partialsequences resulted in the identification of three bacteria: two Ehrlichia spp. (related to Ehr-lichia sp. strain Iberá and strain Viedma) and Candidatus Anaplasma boleense. The latterfinding represents the first detection of this novel Candidatus species in A. tigrinum. Basedon the results of this study, it must be assumed that the diversity of bacteria of the Anaplas-mataceae family in Argentina is greater than previously thought, and that these bacteria caninfect a wide range of domestic and wild animals.