Abstract
Following the description of Babesia behnkei in the region of St. Katherine, Sinai, the present study was undertaken to determine the role of local tick species as vectors of piroplasms. First we assessed the local fauna of ticks, especially species occurring on rodents, camels and encountered in the environment, and then we compared genotypes of ticks from isolated wadis. Finally, we assessed the role of local tick species as potential vectors of Babesia spp. During our expedition to the Sinai Massif in a 4-week period in August–September 2012, 393 ticks were collected, including 235 adult questing ticks collected from the environment (ground level in the wadis) and 158 engorging ticks from camels and rodents. Amplification and sequencing of a 600 bp fragment of the conservative 18S rDNA and a 440 bp fragment of the more variable mitochondrial (mt) 16S rDNA were carried out to enable the identification of 54 ticks and to assess the genetic variability of ticks collected from two distant isolated wadis. The camel tick Hyalomma dromedarii constituted the majority (80–90%) of adult ticks collected from three wadis in the Sinai Mountains near St. Katherine. Among juvenile ticks collected from rodents, three genotypes were identified: H. dromedarii; Hyalomma sp. showing low homology with H. dromedarii, H. lusitanicum or H. aegyptium; and Rhipicephalus sp. A new genotype of Hyalomma was identified in an isolated montane valley, W. Gebal. Babesia/Theileria DNA was not detected in any of the ticks, which is likely due to the low infection rate in the limited number of ticks that were examined.
Highlights
Hard ticks from the family Ixodidae are important ectoparasites and vectors of numerous pathogens worldwide
In the semi-desert montane habitats of the Sinai Massif, camels play a vital role in the transportation of goods, including food and tourists, and H. dromedarii is a tick species that is known to have a significant impact on camel health (Elghali and Hassan 2009)
It is known to be a vector of the Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) (Akuffo et al 2016; Biglari et al 2016; Whitehouse 2004)
Summary
Hard ticks from the family Ixodidae are important ectoparasites and vectors of numerous pathogens worldwide. Hyalomma is a genus of hard-bodied ticks, common in Asia, Europe, and North Africa These ticks exhibit great geographical and individual variability, causing problems with identification of constituent species (Apanaskevich and Horak 2010). It is known to be a vector of the Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) (Akuffo et al 2016; Biglari et al 2016; Whitehouse 2004). Questing ticks of this species adopt an aggressive strategy for finding potential hosts, and even humans can be attacked by these ticks while walking along tracks frequently used by camels or while stopping and/or camping near camel rest sites. We expected this tick species to be the most prevalent in our collection of ticks from both hosts (camels, rodents) and the environment (paths in montane valleys, wadis)
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