Investigation ofandin Pakistan, with notes on the detection of tickborne Rickettsiales.

Abstract

There is limited information on the occurrence ofandticks, as well as associatedandspecies in Pakistan. Addressing this knowledge gap, the current study aimed at morphomolecular confirmation of these ticks and molecular assessment of associated Rickettsiales bacteria (, andspp.) in Balochistan, Pakistan. A total of 314 ticks were collected from 74 of 117 (63.2%) hosts, including 41 of 74 (55.4%) goats and 33 of 74 (44.5%) sheep. Subsequently, a subset of microscopically identified ticks was subjected to DNA extraction and PCR to amplify 16S rDNA andfragments. Additionally,,andfragments were targeted forspp. and 16S rDNA fragments for bothandspp. The 16S rDNA andsequences ofdemonstrated 100% identity with those of the same species previously reported from Pakistan. The 16S rDNA andsequences ofexhibited 99.52 and 100% identities, respectively, with corresponding species reported from China, Kazakhstan, and Turkey. Theandfragments associated with.showed 100% identities withreported from Egypt, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Pakistan, and Senegal. The 16S rDNA sequences ofsp. andsp. associated with both.and.exhibited 99.67 and 100% identities with unknownsp. andsp. reported from Morocco and Pakistan, respectively. In the 16S rDNA andphylogenetic trees of ticks,.and.from the current study clustered with their respective species. Similarly, inandphylogenetic trees of,of the present study clustered with the same species, whereassp. andsp. of this study clustered with undeterminedspp. andspp. in the 16S rDNA phylogenetic tree of Anaplasmataceae. Among the DNA samples from the screened ticks, a coinfection rate of,sp., andsp. (2 of 80, 2.5%) was observed in, whereas individual infection rates were noted as follows:(8 of 80, 10%),sp. (5 of 80, 6.3%), andsp. (5 of 80, 6.3%). This study marks the first record of molecular characterization of.and.as well as the detection of associated,sp., andsp. in Balochistan, Pakistan.