Molecular Detection of Spp. and in Cattle, Water Buffalo, and () Ticks in Luzon Island of the Philippines.

and are zoonotic, tick-borne pathogens that can cause febrile illnesses with or without other symptoms in humans, but may cause subclinical infections in animals. There are only a few reports on the occurrence of these pathogens in cattle and water buffalo in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. In this study, molecular detection of and in the blood and in the () ticks of cattle and water buffalo from five provinces in Luzon Island of the Philippines was done. A total of 620 blood samples of cattle and water buffalo and 206 tick samples were collected and subjected to DNA extraction. After successful amplification of control genes, nested PCR was performed to detect of and of . No samples were positive for , while 10 (cattle = 7, water buffaloes = 3), or 1.6% of blood, and five, or 1.8% of tick samples, were -positive. Sequence analysis of the positive amplicons showed 99-100% similarity to reported isolates. This molecular evidence on the occurrence of in Philippine ruminants and cattle ticks and its zoonotic nature should prompt further investigation and surveillance to facilitate its effective control.