Detection of Tick-Borne Bacterial and Protozoan Pathogens in Ticks from the Zambia-Angola Border.

Tick-borne diseases (TBDs), including emerging and re-emerging zoonoses, are of public health importance worldwide; however, TBDs tend to be overlooked, especially in countries with fewer resources, such as Zambia and Angola. Here, we investigated , , and Apicomplexan pathogens in 59 and 96 adult ticks collected from dogs and cattle, respectively, in Shangombo, a town at the Zambia-Angola border. We detected and in 15.6% of and 41.7% of ticks, respectively. was detected in 18.8% of , and Midichloria mitochondrii was determined in . We also detected and in ticks with a 4.4% and 6.7% prevalence, respectively. In addition, was detected in 6.5% of and 4.3% of . Coinfection of and were observed in 4.2% of . This is the first report of M. mitochondrii and , and the second report of , in the country. and are pathogenic to humans, and , , , and are pathogenic to animals. Therefore, individuals, clinicians, veterinarians, and pet owners should be aware of the distribution of these pathogens in the area.