Bat-associated ticks as a potential link for vector-borne pathogen transmission between bats and other animals.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Potentially zoonotic pathogens have been previously detected in bat-associated ticks, but their role in disease transmission and their frequency of feeding on non-bat hosts is poorly known.

Methodology/principal findings

We used molecular blood meal analysis to reveal feeding patterns of the bat-associated tick species Ixodes ariadnae, I. simplex, and I. vespertilionis collected from cave and mine walls in Central and Southeastern Europe. Vertebrate DNA, predominantly from bats, was detected in 43.5% of the samples (70 of 161 ticks) but in these ticks we also detected the DNA of non-chiropteran hosts, such as dog, Canis lupus familiaris, wild boar, Sus scrofa, and horse, Equus caballus, suggesting that bat-associated ticks may exhibit a much broader host range tha

SUBMITTER: Szentivanyi T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11540221 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature