Identification of spp in Tian Shan wapiti deer () in Xinjiang, China.

spp. are important zoonotic tick-borne pathogens that impact on human health. There are few reports on the prevalence and molecular genetic characteristics of Cervidae species in China. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate the presence of spp. in blood samples of Tian Shan wapiti () in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, and conduct phylogenetic analyses. A total of 50 blood samples (wild deer n = 26, and captive deer n = 24) were collected from the deer. PCR was used to detect spp. in the blood samples. Forty percent (20) of the samples were found to contain spp. Three species DNA were detected in deer blood samples: (n = 13), (n = 18), and (n = 11). Among the 20 spp. positive samples, 14 were mixed infection of two or three pathogens. The prevalence of species in wild deer was significantly higher than that of captive deer, 73.1% (19) vs 4.2% (1) respectively, ( < 0.01). Two sequence types (AB1, and AB2), three sequence types (AO1-AO3), and one sequence type (AP1) were obtained in this study. The sequences of AO1 shared 100% identity with a human isolate from Cyprus. Our results suggest that wild deer are more likely to become infected with spp. than captive individuals, and thus, could potentially transmit pathogens to humans.