Ornithodoros kalahariensis, a potential vector for Candidatus Borrelia kalaharica

Candidatus Borrelia kalaharica was proposed as bacterial species in 2016 using DNA extracted from a traveller returning from Southern Africa. We investigated DNA of three soft ticks collected in the Kalahari Game Reserve near Maun, Botswana via PCR. One of the DNA extracts yielded positive results for four Borrelia multilocus sequence typing (MLST) genes with allele sequences closely or exactly matching alleles of Ca. B. kalaharica. Sequencing of PCR products targeting the Ornithodoros 16S rRNA gene revealed closest matches (99 - 100% coverages, >99.7 % identity) to Ornithodoros kalahariensis. Thus, we suggest that Ornithodoros kalahariensis is a potential vector for this Borrelia species.