Microbial community variations in adult ticks from single locations in Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.

INTRODUCTION

The camel-infesting tick, , is a prominent ectoparasite in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, critically impacting camel health and acting as a vector for tick-borne pathogens. Despite prior studies on its microbiota, the effects of geographic origin and sex on microbial community structure and functional stability remain poorly understood.

METHODS

To address this, we characterized the bacterial microbiota of ticks collected from camels in Tunisia (TUN) and Saudi Arabia (SA) using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, microbial network analysis, and metabolic pathway prediction.

RESULTS

Our findings indicate a dominant presence of endosymbionts in Tunisian ticks, suggesting adaptive roles of ticks in arid ecosystems. Keystone taxa, particularly and , were identified as central to microbial network structure and resilience. Moreover, network robustness analyses demonstrated enhanced ecological stability in the Tunisian tick microbiota under perturbation, indicative of higher resilience to environmental fluctuations compared to Saudi Arabian ticks. Additionally, functional pathway predictions further revealed geographically distinct metabolic profiles between both groups (Tunisia vs. Saudi Arabia and males vs. females), underscoring environmental and biological influences on H. dromedarii microbiota assembly.

DISCUSSION

These results highlight region-specific and sex-specific microbial adaptations in , with potential implications for pathogen transmission dynamics and vector resilience. Understanding these microbial interactions may contribute to improved strategies for tick control and tick-borne disease prevention.