Abstract
The soft ticks (Ixodida: Argasidae) are ectoparasites of terrestrial vertebrates with a wide geographic distribution, occurring on all continents. These ticks are obligate blood-feeders, most of them show high degrees of host-specialization and several species in arid and tropical regions are important parasites of livestock and men. Species commonly occurring on domestic animals and man are generally well-known, with many studies focusing on their ecology, distribution or vectorial role. However, wildlife-specialist soft ticks are less studied. Nearly half of all soft tick species are bat specialists, with five species (Carios vespertilionis, Chiropterargas boueti, Chiropterargas confusus, Reticulinasus salahi, and Secretargas transgariepinus) occurring in the Western Palearctic. There is no comprehensive study on the distribution, hosts or pathogens in these soft ticks, although most species were shown to carry several viral, bacterial, or protozoan pathogens and also to occasionally infest humans. Based on a literature survey and 1,120 distinct georeferenced records, we present here the geographical range, host selection and vectorial potential for bat-specialist soft ticks occurring in the Western Palearctic (chiefly Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East). Carios vespertilionis shows the largest distribution range and was found on most host species, being ubiquitous wherever crevice-roosting bats occur. All the other species were located only in areas with Mediterranean climate, with Ch. boueti, Chiropteraragas confusus, and R. salahi are missing entirely from Europe. These three species have a host spectrum of bats roosting primarily in caves, while S. transgariepinus and Ca. vespertilionis is feeding primarily on crevice-roosting bat species. All but one of these soft tick species are known to feed on humans and may be vectors of important disease agents (Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., Bartonella spp., Ehrlichia spp., Babesia spp., several nairo-, and flaviviruses). As several crevice-roosting bat species show a continuous adaptation to human-altered areas, with certain species becoming common city-dwellers in the Western Palearctic, the study of bat specialist soft ticks is also important from an epidemiologic point of view.
Highlights
Ticks (Ixodoidea) are obligate blood-feeding arthropods, with a wide-spread occurrence and ∼935 species known as parasites of terrestrial vertebrates [1, 2]
Most of soft ticks inhabit holes and crevices and have access to hosts only occasionally, they developed extreme adaptations to prolonged fasting and short feeding bouts whenever hosts are available [12]. Their vectorial capacity for several important zoonotic diseases is well-known, including human relapsing fever, tick-borne relapsing fevers or African swine fever causing severe economic losses [6, 13]
While most of these soft tick species are tropical in their distribution, there are at least five species which regularly occur on bats in the Western Palearctic
Summary
Ticks (Ixodoidea) are obligate blood-feeding arthropods, with a wide-spread occurrence and ∼935 species known as parasites of terrestrial vertebrates [1, 2]. Most members of the family are characterized by a single, prolonged larval blood feeding and multiple, short blood feeding events of subsequent developmental stages on several host individuals, other adaptations (e.g., no larval feeding or lack of blood-feeding in adults, etc.) were recorded in certain species [11] By doing so, these ticks are capable of taking up pathogens (viral, bacterial, or protozoan) and transfering them to other hosts, they have important vectorial role [6]. All the known 17 species of the Nearctic soft tick genus Antricola (and Parantricola) are exclusive parasites of bats [15], together with all species belonging to the subgenus Carios, Chiropterargas, Nothoaspis, and Reticulinasus, and several other species from the genera Alectorobius and Ornithodoros (Supplementary Material and references therein) While most of these soft tick species are tropical in their distribution, there are at least five species which regularly occur on bats in the Western Palearctic. In the wake of recent climate change events and urbanization trends in bats’ distribution, we intended to look for the abiotic (climate linked) and biotic (host distribution linked) factors regulating the distribution of bat specialist soft ticks in the Western Palearctic
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call