Abstract
Ticks host a wide range of zoonotic pathogens and are a significant source of diseases that affect humans and livestock. However, little is known about the pathogens associated with bat ticks. We have collected ectoparasites from bat carcasses over a seven year period. Nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) were extracted from 296 ticks removed from bats and the species designation was confirmed in all ticks as Argas (Carios) vespertilionis. A subset of these samples (n = 120) were tested for the presence of zoonotic pathogens by molecular methods. Babesia species, Rickettsia spp., within the spotted fever group (SFG), and Ehrlichia spp. were detected in ticks removed from 26 bats submitted from 14 counties across England. The prevalence of Rickettsia spp. was found to be highest in Pipistrellus pipistrellus from southern England. This study suggests that the tick species that host B. venatorum may include the genus Argas in addition to the genus Ixodes. As A. vespertilionis has been reported to feed on humans, detection of B. venatorum and SFG Rickettsia spp. could present a risk of disease transmission in England. No evidence for the presence of flaviviruses or Issyk-Kul virus (nairovirus) was found in these tick samples.
Highlights
Bats (Chiroptera) are widely distributed across the United Kingdom (UK), with 17 species that breed indigenously[1]
Phylogenetic analyses using sequences derived from the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16 S ribosomal RNA confirmed this designation (Fig. 2B,C)
A range of hard ticks including I. vespertilionis, I. ariadnae, I. simplex, I. ricinus and D. reticulatus have been reported to infest bats[3,16,17]
Summary
Bats (Chiroptera) are widely distributed across the United Kingdom (UK), with 17 species that breed indigenously[1]. Bats are recognized as reservoirs or carriers of numerous species of viruses, bacteria and protozoan parasites, many with zoonotic potential to infect humans[2,3] They host a range of ectoparasites that could play a role in the transmission of pathogenic organisms. Other tick species associated with bats include I. simplex, I. ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus[3,8] Both I. ricinus and A. vespertilionis are widely distributed across the UK9. These ticks can bite humans and have the potential to transmit pathogens between bats and human[4,10]. A range of vector-borne pathogens have been detected in bat ticks including piroplasms (Babesia vesperuginis, B. crassa, B. canis, Theileria capreoli, and T. orientalis), Borrelia (Borrelia burgdorferi, Bo. CPB1), Rickettsia spp., Ehrlichia www.nature.com/scientificreports/. In order to assess the risk of pathogen transmission from bat-associated ticks, the distribution and species abundance of ticks collected from bats across the UK has been investigated and tested for a range of tick-borne pathogens
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