Molecular-phylogenetic analyses of Ixodes species from South Africa suggest an African origin of bird-associated exophilic ticks (subgenus Trichotoixodes).

Autor: Hornok S; Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary. hornok.sandor@univet.hu.; HUN-REN-UVMB Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary. hornok.sandor@univet.hu., Kontschán J; Plant Protection Institute, HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research, Budapest, Hungary.; Department of Plant Sciences, Albert Kázmér Faculty of Mosonmagyaróvár, Széchenyi István University, Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary., Takács N; Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.; HUN-REN-UVMB Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary., Heyne H; Epidemiology, Parasites & Vectors (EPV), ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARC-OVR), Onderstepoort, South Africa., Kovács ÁB; HUN-REN Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary.; National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety, HUN-REN Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary., Plantard O; Oniris, INRAE, BIOEPAR, Nantes, France., Keve G; Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.; HUN-REN-UVMB Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary., Fedorov D; HUN-REN-UVMB Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary., Gyuranecz M; HUN-REN Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary.; National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety, HUN-REN Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary.; National Laboratory of Health Safety, HUN-REN Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary., Halajian A; Research Administration and Development, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, 0727, South Africa.; Department of Biodiversity, DSI-NRF SARChI Chair, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, 0727, South Africa.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Parasites & vectors [Parasit Vectors] 2023 Oct 28; Vol. 16 (1), pp. 392. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Oct 28.
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05998-5
Abstrakt: Background: Among hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae), the genus Ixodes comprises the highest number of species, which in turn are most numerous in the Afrotropical zoogeographic region. In South Africa extensive morphological studies have been performed on Ixodes species but only few reports included molecular analyses.
Methods: In this study, 58 Ixodes spp. ticks, collected from ten mammalian and eight avian host species in South Africa, were molecularly and phylogenetically analyzed. In addition, a newly collected sample of the Palearctic Ixodes trianguliceps was included in the analyses.
Results: Among the ticks from South Africa, 11 species were identified morphologically. The majority of ticks from mammals represented the Ixodes pilosus group with two species (n = 20), followed by ticks resembling Ixodes rubicundus (n = 18) and Ixodes alluaudi (n = 3). In addition, single specimens of Ixodes rhabdomysae, Ixodes ugandanus, Ixodes nairobiensis and Ixodes simplex were also found. Considering bird-infesting ticks, Ixodes theilerae (n = 7), Ixodes uriae (n = 4) and ticks most similar to Ixodes daveyi (provisionally named I. cf. daveyi, n = 2) were identified. Molecular analyses confirmed two species in the I. pilosus group and a new species (I. cf. rubicundus) closely related to I. rubicundus sensu stricto. Phylogenetic trees based on concatenated mitochondrial or mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences indicated that the subgenus Afrixodes forms a monophyletic clade with bird-associated exophilic ticks (subgenus Trichotoixodes). Ixodes trianguliceps clustered separately whereas I. alluaudi with their morphologically assigned subgenus, Exopalpiger.
Conclusions: Phylogenetic analyses shed new lights on the relationships of Ixodes subgenera when including multiple sequences from subgenus Afrixodes and African as well as Palearctic species of subgenera Trichotoixodes and Exopalpiger. Subgenera Afrixodes and bird-associated Trichotoixodes share common ancestry, suggesting that the latter might have also originated in Africa. Regarding the subgenus Exopalpiger, I. alluaudi is properly assigned as it clusters among different Australian Ixodes, whereas I. trianguliceps should be excluded.
(© 2023. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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