Molecular Detection of Tick-Borne Bacteria from (Acari: Ixodidae) Ticks Collected from Reptiles in South Africa.

Reptiles are hosts for various tick species and tick-associated organisms, many of which are zoonotic. However, little is known about the presence and diversity of tick-borne bacteria infecting reptiles and their ticks in South Africa. ticks ( = 253) collected from reptiles were screened for the presence of , , and species by amplification, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA, 23S rRNA, , , and genes, respectively. This study recorded the presence of reptile associated species and -like endosymbiont in South Africa for the first time. Furthermore, a spotted fever group species was observed in 7 and 14 from tortoises of genera and . -like endosymbiont was observed from 2 collected from the Mozambique spitting cobra, . and spp., were not detected from the current samples. Although the direct evidence that reptiles can act as reservoir hosts remains to be determined, observations from this study provide indications that reptilian ticks may play a role in the transmission of pathogenic bacteria to homothermic animals. Furthermore, the absence of spp., and . does not mean that these pathogens should be completely neglected.