Ticks without borders: microbiome of immature neotropical tick species parasitizing migratory songbirds along northern Gulf of Mexico.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The long-distance, seasonal migrations of birds make them an effective ecological bridge for the movement of ticks. The introduction of exotic tick species to new geographical regions can cause the emergence of novel tick-borne pathogens. This study examined the prevalence of exotic tick species parasitizing migratory songbirds at stopover sites along the northern Gulf of Mexico using the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene.

Methods

Overall, 421 individual ticks in the genera Amblyomma, Haemaphysalis, and Ixodes were recorded from 28 songbird species, of which Amblyomma and Amblyomma longirostre were the most abundant tick genera and species, respectively. A high throughput 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing approach characterized the microb

SUBMITTER: Karim S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11609183 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature