Molecular Survey and Genetic Analysis of in Ticks Infesting Dogs in Northern Taiwan.

is a tick-transmitted zoonotic pathogen in dogs. We conducted a molecular survey for screening of infection in ticks infesting dogs and identified its genetic identity in Taiwan. A total of 1195 ticks were collected and examined for infection by nested-PCR assay targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene. In general, infection was detected in 1.5% of examined ticks, and was detected in nymph, male and female stages with infection rates of 0.6%, 1.31% and 2.76%, respectively. The highest monthly prevalence was observed in August with an infection rate of 5.91%. Genetic identity was analyzed by comparing the 16S rRNA gene sequences obtained from 11 Taiwan strains and 15 other strains representing five genospecies of spp., including two outgroups ( and ). Results revealed that all Taiwan strains were genetically affiliated to the same clade within various strains documented in GenBank with a high sequence similarity (99.7-100%) and that they can be clearly distinguished from other genospecies of . This study provides the first evidence of identified in ticks and highlights the potential threat for human infections in Taiwan.