Amblyomma sparsum Neumann 1899 on migratory birds from Africa: First records in Italy

Migratory birds play an important role in transporting ixodid ticks and tick-borne pathogens between continents. During the Boreal spring, migratory birds reach Europe, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa or from northern African countries but not much is known about the diversity and ecology of the tick...

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Main Authors: Michela Menegon, Elisa Mancuso, Marco Di Luca, Francesca Casale, Luis Neves, Andeliza Smit, Francesco Severini, Michele Castelli, Andrea Di Giulio, Silvio G. d'Alessio, Maria Goffredo, Federica Monaco, Luciano Toma
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-11-01
Series:Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000803
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author Michela Menegon
Elisa Mancuso
Marco Di Luca
Francesca Casale
Luis Neves
Andeliza Smit
Francesco Severini
Michele Castelli
Andrea Di Giulio
Silvio G. d'Alessio
Maria Goffredo
Federica Monaco
Luciano Toma
author_facet Michela Menegon
Elisa Mancuso
Marco Di Luca
Francesca Casale
Luis Neves
Andeliza Smit
Francesco Severini
Michele Castelli
Andrea Di Giulio
Silvio G. d'Alessio
Maria Goffredo
Federica Monaco
Luciano Toma
author_sort Michela Menegon
collection DOAJ
description Migratory birds play an important role in transporting ixodid ticks and tick-borne pathogens between continents. During the Boreal spring, migratory birds reach Europe, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa or from northern African countries but not much is known about the diversity and ecology of the ticks they spread. From 2017 to 2022, in the framework of two consecutive projects focused on sampling migratory birds from Africa to Europe, a total of 27 immature Amblyomma ticks were collected from migratory birds, belonging to 8 species, captured on the Island of Ventotene, an important stop-over site in the Mediterranean Sea. In the absence of adult specimens, morphological identification was limited to assigning these ticks to the Amblyomma genus. In this study, sequencing and comparative analysis of three mitochondrial molecular markers (12S rDNA, 16S rDNA, COI) were performed to achieve taxonomic identification. Sequences obtained from Ventotene specimens matched at 100% identity with Amblyomma sparsum. In conclusion, this study documented that immature stages of this species belonging to the Amblyomma marmoreum complex reached the Pontine Islands for six consecutive years. The entry of alien tick species and their potentially transmitted pathogens deserves further study, also in light of the globally ongoing climate change.
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spelling doaj-art-34e52b74401e48bd83fa9f77ca91cb782025-08-20T02:39:08ZengElsevierTicks and Tick-Borne Diseases1877-96032024-11-0115610238710.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102387Amblyomma sparsum Neumann 1899 on migratory birds from Africa: First records in ItalyMichela Menegon0Elisa Mancuso1Marco Di Luca2Francesca Casale3Luis Neves4Andeliza Smit5Francesco Severini6Michele Castelli7Andrea Di Giulio8Silvio G. d'Alessio9Maria Goffredo10Federica Monaco11Luciano Toma12Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, ItalyIstituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, 64100 Teramo, ItalyIstituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, ItalyIstituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, 00146 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, 0110 Onderstepoort, South Africa; Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, MozambiqueDepartment of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, 0110 Onderstepoort, South AfricaIstituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, 00146 Rome, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, 64100 Teramo, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, 64100 Teramo, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, 64100 Teramo, ItalyIstituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; Corresponding author.Migratory birds play an important role in transporting ixodid ticks and tick-borne pathogens between continents. During the Boreal spring, migratory birds reach Europe, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa or from northern African countries but not much is known about the diversity and ecology of the ticks they spread. From 2017 to 2022, in the framework of two consecutive projects focused on sampling migratory birds from Africa to Europe, a total of 27 immature Amblyomma ticks were collected from migratory birds, belonging to 8 species, captured on the Island of Ventotene, an important stop-over site in the Mediterranean Sea. In the absence of adult specimens, morphological identification was limited to assigning these ticks to the Amblyomma genus. In this study, sequencing and comparative analysis of three mitochondrial molecular markers (12S rDNA, 16S rDNA, COI) were performed to achieve taxonomic identification. Sequences obtained from Ventotene specimens matched at 100% identity with Amblyomma sparsum. In conclusion, this study documented that immature stages of this species belonging to the Amblyomma marmoreum complex reached the Pontine Islands for six consecutive years. The entry of alien tick species and their potentially transmitted pathogens deserves further study, also in light of the globally ongoing climate change.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000803Amblyomma sparsumMigratory birdsItalyVentoteneMitochondrial molecular markers
spellingShingle Michela Menegon
Elisa Mancuso
Marco Di Luca
Francesca Casale
Luis Neves
Andeliza Smit
Francesco Severini
Michele Castelli
Andrea Di Giulio
Silvio G. d'Alessio
Maria Goffredo
Federica Monaco
Luciano Toma
Amblyomma sparsum Neumann 1899 on migratory birds from Africa: First records in Italy
Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases
Amblyomma sparsum
Migratory birds
Italy
Ventotene
Mitochondrial molecular markers
title Amblyomma sparsum Neumann 1899 on migratory birds from Africa: First records in Italy
title_full Amblyomma sparsum Neumann 1899 on migratory birds from Africa: First records in Italy
title_fullStr Amblyomma sparsum Neumann 1899 on migratory birds from Africa: First records in Italy
title_full_unstemmed Amblyomma sparsum Neumann 1899 on migratory birds from Africa: First records in Italy
title_short Amblyomma sparsum Neumann 1899 on migratory birds from Africa: First records in Italy
title_sort amblyomma sparsum neumann 1899 on migratory birds from africa first records in italy
topic Amblyomma sparsum
Migratory birds
Italy
Ventotene
Mitochondrial molecular markers
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000803
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