Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026
Extraction of Saliva, Haemolymph, Salivary Glands, and Midgut from Individual Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)
Published on: October 31, 2025
Antibodies against rickettsia in humans and potential vector ticks from Dhofar, Oman
M A Idris1, A Ruppel, T Petney
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O.Box: 35, Postal Code: 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman; ; Department of Tropical Hygiene and Public Health and.
Objective:
To determine the extent of rickettsial infections prevalence of potential vector ticks in the rural population of Dhofar, Oman.
Method:
Human sera (n = 347) were obtained from six rural localities (school children, farmers, outpatients) in Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman. Sera were tested by immunofluorescence for the presence of antibodies reacting with Rickettsia conorii antigen.
Results:
More than half the samples (59%) gave positive reactions (titres of at least 1:64). Ticks (n=707) were collected from cattle, camels and goats (n=102) and included Amblyomma variegatum, Hyalomma a. anatolicum, H. dromedarii, H. rufipes and Rhipicephalus spp., all of which can potentially transmit rickettsiae to humans.
Conclusion:
The results suggest that rickettsial infections are common among the rural population of Dhofar.
