Detection of microorganisms in the saliva and midgut smears of different tick species (Acari: Ixodoidea) in Egypt.
Investigation of 1789 field-collected adult ticks in Egypt for the presence of microorganisms revealed the following: the protozoan, Babesia bigemina, B. canis; Theileria annulata, and the rickettesia Aegyptianella pullorum (Carpano) were found in the saliva and the mid-guts smears of eight ixodid and two argasid tick species. The infected percent was higher in cattle and dog ticks than it was in fowl ticks; it was also higher in salivary glands (S) than in the midguts (M). Identification of protozoa using microscopic image analysis, showed that: Hyalomma spp. (Koch) were infected with T. annulata; the genera Boophilus (Curtice) and Rhipicephalus Koch were infected with B. bigemina, and B. canis respectively; Argas spp. (Latreille) were infected with A. pullorum. The bacterial disease agents: Staphylococcus, Streptococcus and Yersinia were detected in (S) and (M) of eight ixodids and one argasid tick species; Bacillus was only found in H. anatolicum excavatum, (Koch). Escherichia coli was isolated only from A. persicus (Oken) midguts.
El Kammah
Kawther M
KM
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
Oyoun
Laila M I
LM
Abdel-Shafy
Sobhy
S
D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000469:parasitology*; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D001403:Babesia / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D004534:Egypt; D026863:Ixodidae / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D016796:Theileria annulata / Q000302:isolation & purification*