Molecular Detection of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks Collected From Hainan Island, China

Background: Kinds of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and protozoa are transmitted by ticks as vectors, and they have deeply impact on human and animal health worldwide. MethodsTo better understand the genetic diversity of bacteria and protozoans carried by ticks in Chengmai county of Hainan province, China, 285 adult hard ticks belonging to two species ( Rhipicephalus sanguineu s: 183, 64.21% and R. microplus 102, 35.79%) from dogs, cattle, and goats were colleted. Rickettsiales bacteria, Coxiellaceae bacteria, Babesiidae, and Hepatozoidae were identified in these ticks by amplifying the 18S rRNA, 16S rRNA ( rrs ), citrate synthase ( gltA ), and heat shock protein ( groEL ) genes. ResultsOur data revealed the presence of four recognized species and two Candidatus spp. of Anaplasmataceae and Coxiellaceae in locality. ConclusionsIn sum, these data reveal an extensive diversity of Anaplasmataceae bacteria, Coxiellaceae bacteria, Babesiidae, and Hepatozoidae in ticks from Chengmai county, highlighting the need to understand the tick-borne pathogen infection in local animals and humans.