Abstract

Dermacentor reticulatus, also known as ornate dog tick, is an important vector of the causative agents of various tick-borne diseases in humans, livestock and wild animals. The geographical range of D. reticulatus in Europe is fragmented and divided into two main zones: The Western European and the Eastern European zone. To investigate D. reticulatus population structure through its distribution range we used microsatellite markers and compared the genetic diversity of D. reticulatus in 26 selected sites in the western and eastern European distribution areas. A total of 254 unfed adult D. reticulatus ticks were collected from vegetation and genotyped at 5 microsatellite loci, and altogether 26 alleles were detected. The overall FST value of pairwise comparisons among 26 sampling sites was 0.128 and revealed a moderate genetic differentiation. Bayesian-clustering analysis showed that D. reticulatus forms two genetically distinct groups across Europe. Division of D. reticulatus distribution range into Eastern European and Western European populations with a possible recent overlap in Poland has been supported by molecular data obtained in this study.

Full Text
Paper version not known

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

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.