title: High degree of mitochondrial gene heterogeneity in the bat tick species Ixodes vespertilionis, I. ariadnae and I. simplex from Eurasia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Phylogeographical studies allow precise genetic comparison of specimens, which were collected over large geographical ranges and belong to the same or closely related animal species. These methods have also been used to compare ticks of veterinary-medical importance. However, relevant data are missing in the case of ixodid ticks of bats, despite (1) the vast geographical range of both Ixodes vespertilionis and Ixodes simplex, and (2) the considerable uncertainty in their taxonomy, which is currently unresolvable by morphological clues.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the present study 21 ticks were selected from collections or were freshly removed from bats or cave walls in six European and four Asian countries. The DNA was extracted and PCRs were performed to amplify part of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI), 16S and 12S rDNA genes, followed by sequencing for identification and molecular-phylogenetic comparison.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No morphological differences were observed between Ixodes vespertilionis specimens from Spain and from other parts of Europe, but corresponding genotypes had only 94.6 % COI sequence identity. An I. vespertilionis specimen collected in Vietnam was different both morphologically and genetically (i.e. with only 84.1 % COI sequence identity in comparison with I. vespertilionis from Europe). Two ticks (collected in Vietnam and in Japan) formed a monophyletic clade and shared morphological features with I. ariadnae, recently described and hitherto only reported in Europe. In addition, two Asiatic specimens of I. simplex were shown to differ markedly from European genotypes of the same species. Phylogenetic relationships of ticks showed similar clustering patterns with those of their associated bat host species.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although all three ixodid bat tick species evaluated in the present study appear to be widespread in Eurasia, they exhibit pronounced genetic differences. Data of this study also reflect that I. vespertilionis may represent a species complex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary. hornok.sandor@aotk.szie.hu.
authors.forename: Sándor
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hornok
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Pathology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. aestrada@unizar.es.
authors.forename: Agustín
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Estrada-Peña
authors.affiliation: Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary. jkontschan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jenő
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authors.lastname: Kontschán
authors.affiliation: INRA, Biologie, Epidémiologie et Analyse de Risque en santé animale, Nantes, France. olivier.plantard@oniris-nantes.fr.|LUNAM Université, Oniris, Ecole nationale vétérinaire, agroalimentaire et de l'alimentation Nantes-Atlantique, Nantes, France. olivier.plantard@oniris-nantes.fr.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Plantard
authors.affiliation: Independent researcher, Langenburg, Germany. libellen@berndkunz.de.
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kunz
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. amihalca@usamvcluj.ro.
authors.forename: Andrei D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Mihalca
authors.affiliation: Solar View Cottage, Upper Mawprem, Shillong, Meghalaya, India. adora_thabah@yahoo.co.uk.
authors.forename: Adora
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authors.lastname: Thabah
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Medical Entomology, Centre of Exellence for Food and Vector-Borne Zoonoses, Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia. snezanat@imi.bg.ac.rs.
authors.forename: Snežana
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authors.lastname: Tomanović
authors.affiliation: Chair of Animal Ecology and Zoogeography, Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia. jelena.burazerovic@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jelena
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authors.lastname: Burazerović
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary. takacs.nora@aotk.szie.hu.
authors.forename: Nóra
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takács
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary. gorfol.tamas@gmail.com.|Institute for Veterinary Medical Research, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary. gorfol.tamas@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Tamás
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authors.lastname: Görföl
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Eszterházy Károly College, Eger, Hungary. batfauna@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Péter
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authors.lastname: Estók
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam. tuvuongtan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vuong Tan
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary. krisztina.sz347@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Krisztina
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authors.lastname: Szőke
authors.affiliation: SaBio. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC, Ciudad Real, Spain. mariaisabel.garcia@uclm.es.
authors.forename: Isabel G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Fernández de Mera
authors.affiliation: SaBio. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC, Ciudad Real, Spain. jose_delafuente@yahoo.com.|Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, USA. jose_delafuente@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de la Fuente
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Saitama Medical University, Iruma-gun, Japan. m.takahashi@wish.ocn.ne.jp.
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Toyama Institute of Health, Imizu, Toyama, Japan. cymothoid@yahoo.co.jp.
authors.forename: Takeo
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authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Japan. a-takano@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp.
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mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001208:Asia; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000469:parasitology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D005060:Europe; D014644:Genetic Variation; D018884:Ixodes / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D058974:Phylogeography; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; C075526:RNA, ribosomal, 12S; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV