Molecular detection of piroplasms, , and species in Kazakhstan.

Tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) are a global public health issue. However, there have been few reports on the prevalence of piroplasms, , and in Kazakhstan. To understand the distribution of piroplasms, , and pathogens carried by ticks in Kazakhstan, a total of 10,461 ticks were collected from natural hosts (e.g., cattle, sheep, and horses) in six oblasts in eastern, southern, and western Kazakhstan between 2022 and 2024. After morphological identification, 272 representative ticks were further used for species-level detection and partial genotyping analysis of TBPs. Two species ( and ), four species (, , , and ), two species ( and ), and three species were detected. Furthermore, genotype B of , genotype 1 (Chitose) of , and genotype A of were confirmed. For the first time, , three phylogeny-independent spp., genotype B of , and genotype A of were found in Kazakhstan. These findings expand our understanding of the geographical distribution of piroplasms, , and in Central Asia.