Authors

Discussion

Tick-borne pathogens are emerging worldwide and pose an increased risk to both human and animals. However, little is known about the presence and diversity of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) infecting reptiles in South Africa. In particular, the role of ectotherms in the epidemiology of these pathogens is unknown, despite the fact that reptiles and their exported ticks have been implicated with TBPs of livestock. A hundred and forty ticks collected from reptiles were screened for the presence of Coxiella burnetii, Anaplasma, Rickettsia, and Borrelia species by amplification, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA, gltA, OmpA, and Fla genes, respectively. This study recorded for the first time the presence of Borrelia species in 11 Amblyomma marmoreum, and Rickettsia species in 7 Amblyomma marmoreum and 12 Amblyomma sylvaticum from tortoises of genera Kinixys and Chersina in South Africa. Coxiella burnetii and Anaplasma 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 A. marmoreum and A. sylvaticum may play a role in the transmission of pathogenic bacteria to homothermic animals. Furthermore, the absence of Anaplasma spp., and C. burnetii does not mean that these pathogens should be completely neglected. Accumulation of this epidemiological information from multiple individuals and/or species of reptiles and different developmental stages of ticks in future studies should be informative.