Perveen Nighat, Muzaffar Sabir Bin, Al-Deeb Mohammad Ali
Department of Biology, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates.
Insects. 2021 Nov 11;12(11):1016. doi: 10.3390/insects12111016.
Ticks are important arthropod vectors that serve as reservoirs of pathogens. Rapid urbanization and changes in animal breeding practices could be causing a rise in tick burden on animals. Studies on tick distribution on livestock and tick molecular diversity from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are limited. The aim of this study was to (i) provide molecular and morphological identification of tick species, (ii) compare tick infestation between different hosts, (iii) compare tick infestation in relation to the sex of the host, and (iv) assess the prevalence of tick species on hosts. A total of 5950 ticks were collected from camels (4803 ticks), cows (651 ticks), goats (219 ticks), and sheep (277 ticks). Ticks were identified based on morphological characters at the species level using taxonomic keys. In addition, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification of the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and 16S rRNA mitochondrial genes was used to identify ticks. Four species were confirmed based on molecular and morphological characterization, namely, , , , and . (94.3%) was the most abundant species, followed by (32.8%). Camels were heavily infested (94%) with ticks as compared to cows (38%), sheep (37%), and goats (14%). Widespread occurrence of these four tick species in the UAE poses a risk of spreading tick-borne pathogens wherever the conditions of infection prevail.
蜱虫是重要的节肢动物传播媒介，也是病原体的宿主。快速的城市化进程和动物养殖方式的改变可能导致动物身上蜱虫负担的增加。关于阿拉伯联合酋长国（阿联酋）家畜身上蜱虫分布和蜱虫分子多样性的研究有限。本研究的目的是：（i）对蜱虫种类进行分子和形态学鉴定；（ii）比较不同宿主之间的蜱虫感染情况；（iii）比较与宿主性别相关的蜱虫感染情况；（iv）评估宿主身上蜱虫种类的流行率。总共从骆驼（4803只蜱虫）、奶牛（651只蜱虫）、山羊（219只蜱虫）和绵羊（277只蜱虫）身上采集了5950只蜱虫。使用分类学检索表根据形态特征在物种水平上鉴定蜱虫。此外，利用细胞色素氧化酶亚基1（cox1）和16S rRNA线粒体基因的聚合酶链反应（PCR）扩增来鉴定蜱虫。根据分子和形态学特征确认了四种蜱虫，即[蜱虫种类1]、[蜱虫种类2]、[蜱虫种类3]和[蜱虫种类4]。[蜱虫种类1]（94.3%）是最常见的种类，其次是[蜱虫种类2]（32.8%）。与奶牛（38%）、绵羊（37%）和山羊（14%）相比，骆驼身上蜱虫感染严重（94%）。这四种蜱虫在阿联酋广泛存在，在感染条件普遍存在的任何地方都有传播蜱传病原体的风险。
