Identification of tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected from wild animals in Turkey

Many enzootic life cycles involving wild animals and non-nidicolous ixodids are still unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to report the identified tick species collected from seven different animal species (red deer, brown bear, gray wolf, Eurasian lynx, red fox, European hare, and Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise) living in the wild in Turkey and to investigate the presence of a wide range of tick-borne microorganisms in the tick samples obtained from these animals. The collected ticks (n = 98) were identified as Dermacentor reticulatus, Haemaphysalis parva, Hyalomma aegyptium, Hyalomma excavatum, Hyalomma marginatum, Ixodes ricinus, and Rhipicephalus turanicus. All engorged ticks collected from the wild animals and unfed larvae (n = 30) obtained from a single Rh. turanicus female were also analyzed individually for tick-borne bacterial and protozoan agents via PCR-sequencing. The molecular analyses revealed the presence of Babesia sp. tavsan2, Theileria capreoli, four Hepatozoon spp. (Hep. ursi, Hep. canis, Hep. felis, and Hepatozoon sp.), Hemolivia mauritanica, and three SFG rickettsiae (Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae, Ca. R. goldwasserii, and Rickettsia hoogstraalii) in the collected ticks. This represents the first report of Th. capreoli, Hep. ursi, and Ca. R. barbariae in ticks from Turkey. The evolutionary relationships of microbes in the different host and tick species are also discussed. Multiple novel tick-host associations in the tick life cycle were also revealed.