High Prevalence and New Genotype of in Ticks Infesting Camels in Somalia.

is the causative agent of Q fever. It can infect animals, humans, and birds, as well as ticks, and it has a worldwide geographical distribution. To better understand the epidemiology of in Somalia, ticks infesting camels were collected from five different regions, including Bari, Nugaal, Mudug, Sool, and Sanaag, between January and March 2018. Collected ticks were tested for and -like endosymbiont DNA by using IS1111, , and -target PCR assays. Moreover, sequencing of the 16S-rRNA was conducted. Molecular characterization and typing were done by -gene analysis and plasmid-type identification. Further typing was carried out by 14-marker Multi-Locus Variable-Number Tandem Repeats (MLVA/VNTR) analysis. The investigated ticks ( = 237) were identified as spp. ( = 227, 95.8%), spp. ( = 8, 3.4%), and spp. ( = 2, 0.8%), and 59.1% (140/237) of them were positive for spp. While Sanger sequencing and plasmid-type identification revealed a that harbours the QpRS-plasmid, MLVA/VNTR genotyping showed a new genotype which was initially named D21. In conclusion, this is the first report of in ticks in Somalia. The findings denote the possibility that is endemic in Somalia. Further epidemiological studies investigating samples from humans, animals, and ticks within the context of "One Health" are warranted.