Bacterial and protozoan agents found in Hyalomma aegyptium (L., 1758) (Ixodida: Ixodidae) collected from Testudo graeca L., 1758 (Reptilia: Testudines) in Corum Province of Turkey
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Tarih
2020
Dergi Başlığı
Dergi ISSN
Cilt Başlığı
Yayıncı
Elsevier Gmbh
Erişim Hakkı
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
Özet
Hyalomma aegyptium (L., 1758) (Ixodida: Ixodidae) is a hard tick and the main host for adults are Palearctic tortoises of the genus Testudo, while larvae and nymphs are less host-specific and nymphs also attach to humans. In the present study, a total of 261 H. aegyptium ticks were removed from 26 Testudo graeca L., 1758 in Corum Province of Turkey. The most prevalent pathogens identified molecularly in the ticks were Hemolivia mauritanica (51.9 %), followed by Rickettsia aeschlimannii (32.6 %), Ehrlichia spp. (30.2 %), and Bartonella bovis (0.8 %). All samples were negative for Coxiella burnetii, Francisella tularensis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia spp., Hepatozoon spp. and Theileria spp. Overall, 97.4 % of the examined adult ticks and 26.3 % of nymphs were infected with at least one pathogen, while 40.9 % of all ticks were infected with only one pathogen, 27.4 % with two pathogens, and 9.9 % with three pathogens, concomitantly. Overall, 80.8 % of the examined blood smears of tortoises were H. mauritanica-positive, and the mean intensity of parasitemia was 4.8 % (1-21). As a conclusion, since the examined tortoises were sampled in gardens and vineyards close to human habitation, and as a rela-tively large percentage of them were infested with ticks carrying pathogenic agents affecting also humans, the importance of tortoises, their ticks and pathogens in terms of the public health should be farther examined.
Açıklama
Anahtar Kelimeler
Hyalomma aegyptium, Testudo graeca, Hemolivia mauritanica, Rickettsia aeschlimannii, Bartonella bovis, EhrRlichia spp., Turkey
Kaynak
Ticks And Tick-Borne Diseases
WoS Q Değeri
Q2
Scopus Q Değeri
Q1
Cilt
11
Sayı
5
