Morphological and molecular divergence of Rhipicephalus turanicus tick from Albania and China

Hong-Yu Li,Ji-Zhou Lv,Ren-Fu Shao,Li-Ping Guo,Shan-Shan Zhao,Róbert Farkas,Yuan-Zhi Wang,Sándor Hornok,Chuang-Fu Chen

doi:10.1007/s10493-017-0189-8

Abstract

Rhipicephalus turanicus is an important tick species potentially carrying tick-borne pathogens. Several tick species have obvious subspecies divergence. However few studies aimed to examine the existence of divergence within R. turanicus. Therefore, a detailed morphological and molecular analysis was conducted for comparing R. turanicus from the Mediterranean Basin (represented by Albania) and Central Asia (Northwestern China). Altogether 315 adult ticks of R. turanicus (103 from Albania and 212 from China) were morphologically and molecularly analysed. DNA samples were used for mitochondrial 16S rRNA and cox1 gene sequences analysis. In addition, as potentially genetic markers, three fragments including partial nad1-16S rRNA, nad2-cox1, cox1-tRNA-Lys, were designed and then phylogenetically analyzed. Based on detailed morphological observations, only basis capituli length:width ratio (females), the length, the width and the length:width ratio of the scutum (males) had differences between R. turanicus from China and Albania. Gene divergences of 16S rRNA, cox1, partial nad1-16S rRNA, nad2-cox1 and cox1-tRNA-Lys from China and Albania ticks were 3.53–4.84, 3.57–4.92, 3.57–4.07, 3.57–4.39 and 3.18–4.69%, respectively. The evaluated five genetic markers revealed two phylogenetic branches in R. turanicus. Obvious differences exist within R. turanicus based on morphological and genetic analysis. Three newly designed genetic markers (partial nad1-16S rRNA, nad2-cox1 and cox1-tRNA-Lys) in this study may be suitable genetic tools for identification and analysis in R. turanicus. Subspecies analysis of R. turanicus from other regions of the world should be initiated in the future.

Highlights

Rhipicephalus turanicus is widely distributed in the Mediterranean sub-region, Africa and Asia, infesting a rich variety of domestic and wild hosts such as sheep, cattle, horses, dogs, cats, and Corsican hares, occasionally even human beings (Chochlakis et al 2014; DantasTorres et al 2013)
Three parameters were significantly different between R. turanicus males from China and Albania, i.e. the length, the width and the length: width ratio of the scutum (P = 0.0125, 0.0018 and 0.0027, respectively) (Additional Table 3)
The observed differences between one parameter of female and three parameters of male R. turanicus collected in China and Albania might be partialy interpreted as geographically related intraspecific morphological variations

Summary

Introduction

Rhipicephalus turanicus is widely distributed in the Mediterranean sub-region, Africa and Asia, infesting a rich variety of domestic and wild hosts such as sheep, cattle, horses, dogs, cats, and Corsican hares, occasionally even human beings (Chochlakis et al 2014; DantasTorres et al 2013). It is a potential or competent vector of several categories of tick-borne pathogens such as Rickettsia spp. Based on complete mitochondrial sequence analysis of the members of Rhipicephalus sanguineus complex (with at least 17 species), 3 mitochondrial hypervariable region fragments, namely, partial nad1-16S rRNA gene, partial nad2-cox gene and partial cox1-tRNA-Lys gene, together with Cox and 16S rRNA fragments and detailed morphological study were analysed to investigate divergence of R. turanicus originated from Albania and Northwestern China

Material and methods

Results and discussion

Conclusion