Molecular detection of pathogens in ticks associated with domestic animals from the Colombian Caribbean region

Tick-borne diseases constitute a problem for livestock and public health. Given the socio-economic and environmental conditions of the Colombian Caribbean, ticks are particularly abundant, in turn exposing domestic animals and people in contact with them to such diseases. This study evaluates the presence of Babesia spp., Anaplasma spp., Coxiella spp. and Borrelia spp. in domestic animal ticks (Amblyomma mixtum, A. dissimile, Dermacentor nitens, Rhipicephalus sanguineus and R. microplus) by conventional PCR. Findings show a prevalence of 12.5% of Babesia, 0% of Borrelia, 39.4% of Anaplasma and 52.9% of Coxiella, whereas 6.2% of a total sample of 104 tick pools presented coinfections between Babesia and Anaplasma. Among the molecularly identified species are Ba. vogeli, Ba. bigemina and A. marginale, in addition to two Coxiella species—one being C. mudrowiae and the other similar to an undescribed endosymbiont of Rhipicephalus sp. It is necessary to evaluate the vector capacity of ticks such as A. mixtum, D. nitens and R. sanguineus in the transmission of A. marginale. Moreover, it is necessary to explore the role that bacteria of the genus Coxiella might have both in the health of humans and animals, and in the metabolism and reproduction of ticks. This is the first report on Babesia vogeli and B. bigemina in ticks from the Colombian Caribbean, representing a risk to animal and human health.