Exploring the dynamic adult hard ticks-camel-pathogens interaction

Publication Type

Journal Article

Journal Name

mSphere

Publication Date

11-1-2024

Abstract

The ability of ticks to interact and adapt to differentecologies and hosts determines their vectorial competence for various pathogens; however, ticks-livestock-pathogens interaction studies are limited. With our ticks-hosts-pathogens interface studies, we found 14 species of hard ticks feeding on various livestock. Ticks showed a strong preference for one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius). The camel nostril was the most preferred predilection site. The most prevalent tick species on camels was Hyalomma rufipes. We found two novel Amblyomma gemma variants which are distinct both morphologically and genetically from previously described Amblyomma gemma. The signature odors from camel breath and body were attractive to adult H. rufipes, demonstrating ticks utilize camel-derived metabolites to findtheir host. Our research shows that H. rufipesand camel hosts have unique and shared pathogens showing H. rufipes' vector and dromedary camel's reservoir host qualities. Our study unravels the dynamic interactions between hard ticks, pathogens, and host camels that all influencethe likelihood of pathogen adaptation and transmission dynamics.

Keywords

arid and semi-arid ecologies, communication, diversity, hosts, metabolites, molecular markers, pathogens, predilection, Ticks

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