Molecular detection of pathogens in ticks associated with domestic animals from the Colombian Caribbean region

Tick-borne diseases constitute a problem for livestock and public health. Given the socio-economic and environmental conditions of the Colombian Caribbean, ticks are particularly abundant, in turn exposing domestic animals and people in contact with them to such diseases. This study evaluates the presence ofBabesiaspp.,Anaplasmaspp.,Coxiellaspp. andBorreliaspp. in domestic animal ticks (Amblyomma mixtum,A. dissimile,Dermacentor nitens,Rhipicephalus sanguineusandR. microplus) by conventional PCR. Findings show a prevalence of 12.5% ofBabesia, 0% ofBorrelia, 39.4% ofAnaplasmaand 52.9% ofCoxiella, whereas 6.2% of a total sample of 104 tick pools presented coinfections betweenBabesiaandAnaplasma. Among the molecularly identified species areBa. vogeli,Ba. bigeminaandA. marginale, in addition to twoCoxiellaspecies-one beingC. mudrowiaeand the other similar to an undescribed endosymbiont ofRhipicephalussp. It is necessary to evaluate the vector capacity of ticks such asA. mixtum,D. nitensandR. sanguineusin the transmission ofA. marginale. Moreover, it is necessary to explore the role that bacteria of the genusCoxiellamight have both in the health of humans and animals, and in the metabolism and reproduction of ticks. This is the first report onBabesia vogeliandB. bigeminain ticks from the Colombian Caribbean, representing a risk to animal and human health.