The Presence of in Ticks Collected from Ungulates in Continental Eastern Europe.

Introduction: is a common tick parasite of small-to-medium size ungulates, principally in warm, temperate, and subtropical areas. Although common in livestock and showing a wide geographic distribution, its epidemiological role in tick-borne bacterial disease is barely known. This study addressed the knowledge gap and aimed to screen for the presence of and spotted fever group (SFG) species in ticks collected from domestic animals in Romania, Eastern Europe.

Material And Methods: A total of 64 pools of ticks collected from small ungulates were tested by PCR for DNA presence using group-specific primers. Specific testing was performed for , , , , and SFG . The positive samples were purified and sequenced, and sequences analysis was used to identify the species and to confirm the PCR results.

Results: The only pathogen identified in this study was . The obtained sequences confirmed the PCR results. The presence of in in Romania and in ticks from sheep was shown for the first time in this study.

Conclusion: Based on these findings, it may be presumed that the DNA originated from ticks; however, the vectorial role of (and other arthropod species) in the transmission of should be proved experimentally.