Molecular characterization of tick-borne bacterial and protozoan pathogens in parasitic ticks from Xinjiang, China

作者：Bingjie Wang, Zhiqiang Liu, Shiying Zhu, Jinchao Zhang, Wei Qi, Jianyu Wang, Dongfang Li, Lan He, Junlong Zhao · 发表于：Parasites & Vectors · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s13071-025-06857-1 · 被引用次数：11 · 研究领域：Vector-borne infectious diseases、Bartonella species infections research、Zoonotic diseases and public health

BACKGROUND: Ticks are a type of hematophagous parasite, serving as critical vectors of pathogens that cause numerous human and animal diseases. Climate change has driven the geographical expansion of tick populations and increased the global transmission risk of tick-borne diseases. However, there has been a lack of comprehensive data on tick species distribution and their associated pathogen profiles in Xinjiang, China. METHODS: Ticks were collected from 19 sampling sites across nine regions in Xinjiang. The species were identified using both morphological and molecular biological methods. The presence of tick-borne bacterial and protozoan pathogens was detected through polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Finally, sequencing and phylogenetic analyses were performed to further characterize the identified ticks and pathogens. RESULTS: A total of 1093 ticks were collected and identified, representing four genera and nine species, with Hyalomma asiaticum being the dominant species. Haplotype diversity and genetic differentiation analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene of the dominant species demonstrated that the Hy. asiaticum population in Xinjiang exhibits high haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.734), low nucleotide diversity (π = 0.00403), and significant genetic differentiation (Fst = 0.19716). Pathogen detection using PCR revealed an infection rate of 9.3% for Anaplasma, 18.1% for Rickettsia, and 9.0% for piroplasms. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA sequences indicated that the An...