1
|
Li S, Zhang L, Zhou P, Li Z, Song H, Song Y, Li C, Xiangzheng W, Wu J. Detection of Babesia spp., Theileria spp., and Anaplasma ovis in Ornithodoros lahorensis from southern Xinjiang, China. J Vet Res 2023; 67:79-85. [PMID: 37008774 PMCID: PMC10062040 DOI: 10.2478/jvetres-2023-0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction
Ticks are blood-sucking arthropods that have negative economic impacts and can spread a variety of diseases through their bites. There are few reports on soft ticks (Acari: Argasidae) and tick-borne pathogens in southern Xinjiang, China. This investigation supplements the available information for this region and is concerned with an argasid tick, apicomplexan parasites of the Babesia and Theileria genera and a bacterium of the Anaplasma genus.
Material and Methods
In this study, 330 soft ticks were collected from nine sampling sites in southern Xinjiang between 2020 and 2021. The ticks were identified according to their morphological characteristics and confirmed as Ornithodoros lahorensis using mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences. Babesia and Theileria were identified at the species level based on two fragments of the 18S rRNA gene, and one set of primers targeting the 16S rRNA gene was used to identify the Anaplasma genus.
Results
Among the 330 samples, one Babesia species (Babesia sp.), two Theileria species (T. ovis and T. annulata), and one Anaplasma (A. ovis) species were detected.
Conclusion
This study provides fundamental evidence for the occurrence of Babesia, Theileria and Anaplasma spp. in soft ticks. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the detection of Babesia sp. and T. annulata in O. lahorensis. Therefore, the potential threat of soft ticks to livestock and humans should not be ignored.
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhang Q, Zhou Q, Han S, Li Y, Wang Y, He H. The genome of sheep ked (Melophagus ovinus) reveals potential mechanisms underlying reproduction and narrower ecological niches. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:54. [PMID: 36717784 PMCID: PMC9887928 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09155-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Melophagus ovinus is considered to be of great veterinary health significance. However, little is known about the information on genetic mechanisms of the specific biological characteristics and novel methods for controlling M. ovinus. RESULTS In total, the de novo genome assembly of M. ovinus was 188.421 Mb in size (330 scaffolds, N50 Length: 10.666 Mb), with a mean GC content of 27.74%. A total of 13,372 protein-coding genes were functionally annotated. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the diversification of M. ovinus and Glossina fuscipes took place 72.76 Mya within the Late Cretaceous. Gene family expansion and contraction analysis revealed that M. ovinus has 65 rapidly-evolving families (26 expansion and 39 contractions) mainly involved DNA metabolic activity, transposases activity, odorant receptor 59a/67d-like, IMD domain-containing protein, and cuticle protein, etc. The universal and tightly conserved list of milk protein orthologues has been assembled from the genome of M. ovinus. Contractions and losses of sensory receptors and vision-associated Rhodopsin genes were significant in M. ovinus, which indicate that the M. ovinus has narrower ecological niches. CONCLUSIONS We sequenced, assembled, and annotated the whole genome sequence of M. ovinus, and launches into the preliminary genetic mechanisms analysis of the adaptive evolution characteristics of M. ovinus. These resources will provide insights to understand the biological underpinnings of this parasite and the disease control strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qingxun Zhang
- grid.458458.00000 0004 1792 6416National Research Center for Wildlife-Borne Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China ,grid.418265.c0000 0004 0403 1840Beijing Milu Ecological Research Center, Beijing, 100076 China
| | - Qingsong Zhou
- grid.458458.00000 0004 1792 6416Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Shuyi Han
- grid.458458.00000 0004 1792 6416National Research Center for Wildlife-Borne Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Ying Li
- grid.262246.60000 0004 1765 430XState Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, 810016 China
| | - Ye Wang
- grid.458458.00000 0004 1792 6416National Research Center for Wildlife-Borne Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Hongxuan He
- grid.458458.00000 0004 1792 6416National Research Center for Wildlife-Borne Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Liu YH, Ma YM, Tian HO, Yang B, Han WX, Zhao WH, Chai HL, Zhang ZS, Wang LF, Chen L, Xing Y, Ding YL, Zhao L. First determination of DNA virus and some additional bacteria from Melophagus ovinus (sheep ked) in Tibet, China. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:988136. [PMID: 36147838 PMCID: PMC9486064 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.988136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Melophagus ovinus (sheep ked) is one of the common ectoparasites in sheep. In addition to causing direct damage to the host through biting and sucking blood, sheep ked is a potential vector of helminths, protozoa, bacteria, and viruses. Sheep M. ovinus samples from three regions in Tibet were selected for DNA extraction. The 16S rDNA V3-V4 hypervariable region was amplified, after genomic DNA fragmentation, Illumina Hiseq libraries were constructed. The 16S rRNA sequencing and viral metagenomics sequencing were separately conducted on the Illumina Novaseq 6000 platform and molecular biology software and platforms were employed to analyze the sequencing data. Illumina PE250 sequencing results demonstrated that the dominant bacteria phylum in M. ovinus from Tibet, China was Proteobacteria, where 29 bacteria genera were annotated. The dominant bacterial genera were Bartonella, Wolbachia, and Arsenophonus; Bartonella chomelii, Wolbachia spp., and Arsenophonus spp. were the dominant bacterial species in M. ovinus from Tibet, China. We also detected Kluyvera intermedia, Corynebacterium maris DSM 45190, Planomicrobium okeanokoites, and Rhodococcus erythropolis, of which the relative abundance of Kluyvera intermedia was high. Illumina Hiseq sequencing results demonstrated that 4 virus orders were detected in M. ovinus from Tibet, China, and 3 samples were annotated into 29 families, 30 families, and 28 families of viruses, respectively. Virus families related to vertebrates and insects mainly included Mimiviridae, Marseilleviridae, Poxviridae, Ascoviridae, Iridoviridae, Baculoviridae, Hytrosaviridae, Nudiviridae, Polydnaviridae, Adomaviridae, Asfarviridae, Hepeviridae, Herpesviridae, and Retroviridae; at the species level, the relative abundance of Tupanvirus_soda_lake, Klosneuvirus_KNV1, and Indivirus_ILV1 was higher. African swine fever virus and many poxviruses from the family Poxviridae were detected, albeit their relative abundance was low. The dominant bacterial phylum of M. ovinus from Tibet, China was Proteobacteria, and the dominant bacterial genera were Bartonella, Wolbachia, and Arsenophonus, where 23 out of 29 annotated bacteria genera were first reported in M. ovinus. Kluyvera intermedia, Corynebacterium maris DSM 45190, Planomicrobium okeanokoites, and Rhodococcus erythropolis were detected for the first time. All DNA viruses detected in this study have been reported in M. ovinus for the first time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Hong Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology in Animal Disease, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot, China
| | - Yi-Min Ma
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
| | - Hong-Ou Tian
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
| | - Bo Yang
- Animal Disease Control Center of Ordos, Ordos City, China
| | - Wen-Xiong Han
- Inner Mongolia Saikexing Reproductive Biotechnology (Group) Co., Ltd., Hohhot, China
| | - Wei-Hong Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
| | - Hai-Liang Chai
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
| | - Zhan-Sheng Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
| | - Li-Feng Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
| | - Lei Chen
- Shanghai Origingene Bio-pharm Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Xing
- Shanghai Origingene Bio-pharm Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Yu-Lin Ding
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology in Animal Disease, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot, China
| | - Li Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology in Animal Disease, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wang X, Yang Z, Zhang Y, Cheng F, Xing X, Wen F, Hu Y, Chen C, Wei B, Bai P, Wang X, Liu Y, Zhang H, Hao B, Wang S. Tandem mass tag labeled quantitative proteomic analysis of differential protein expression on total alkaloid of Aconitum flavum Hand.-Mazz. against melophagus ovinus. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:951058. [PMID: 35968012 PMCID: PMC9365070 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.951058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Melophagus ovinus disease is a common ectoparasitosis, which can lead to a decrease in animal production performance, product quality, and even death. Aconitum flavum Hand.-Mazz. has many pharmacological activities including insecticidal, heat-clearing, analgesic, and dehumidifying. However, there are few researches focused on the effects and related mechanism of Aconitum flavum Hand.-Mazz. in killing Melophagus ovinus. In this study, 11 alkaloids of Aconitum flavum Hand.-Mazz. were detected, and its total alkaloid activity was determined. The results showed when the total alkaloid concentration was 64 mg/ml and the treatment time was 16 h, the killing rate of Melophagus ovinus reached 100%. Through the observation of the differences in the surface of Melophagus ovinus in each experimental group, it was found that the morphology of the posterior end of the female Melophagus ovinus in the alkaloid treatment group was significantly different from that of the blank and positive control groups, and most of the epidermal tissue was obsessive and missing. Moreover, the enzyme activity determination results of 64 mg/ml group were significantly different when compared with the normal control group, while there was no significant difference in other groups. Then, the Melophagus ovinus gene library was established by the unreferenced genome transcriptome sequencing, the proteomic comparison was performed using tandem mass tag labeled protein detection technology, and finally, the samples were quantitatively analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry tandem and bioinformatics methods. Based on the above experimental results, it was speculated that Aconitum flavum Hand.-Mazz. total alkaloids may cause the imbalance of protein disulfide isomerase expressions by affecting the regulation of Hsp40 cellular protein homeostasis and the oxidation of protein disulfide isomerase and related proteins. This would affect the selective recognition of signal sequence, the targeted transport of Sec 61, and the correct folding of the three-dimensional structure of amino acid chain, weakening the clearance of amino acid chains that cannot be correctly folded and eventually resulting in the killing of Melophagus ovinus. This study preliminarily revealed the mechanism of Aconitum flavum Hand.-Mazz. total alkaloids against Melophagus ovinus and provided a theoretical basis for the screening of Melophagus ovinus action targets and the development of new veterinary drugs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinjian Wang
- Key Laboratory of New Animal Drug Project, Gansu Province, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhen Yang
- Key Laboratory of New Animal Drug Project, Gansu Province, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yujun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of New Animal Drug Project, Gansu Province, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Feng Cheng
- Key Laboratory of New Animal Drug Project, Gansu Province, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyong Xing
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Fengqin Wen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yonghao Hu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Changjiang Chen
- Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station of Huangyuan County, Xining, China
| | - Bin Wei
- Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station of Huangyuan County, Xining, China
| | - Pengxia Bai
- Qinghai College of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Technology, Xining, China
| | - Xuehong Wang
- Key Laboratory of New Animal Drug Project, Gansu Province, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Key Laboratory of New Animal Drug Project, Gansu Province, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hongjuan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of New Animal Drug Project, Gansu Province, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Baocheng Hao
- Key Laboratory of New Animal Drug Project, Gansu Province, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Shengyi Wang
- Key Laboratory of New Animal Drug Project, Gansu Province, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Zhang QX, Wang Y, Li Y, Han SY, Wang B, Yuan GH, Zhang PY, Yang ZW, Wang SL, Chen JY, Zhong HS, Han XQ, He HX. Vector-Borne Pathogens with Veterinary and Public Health Significance in Melophagus ovinus (Sheep Ked) from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10020249. [PMID: 33671750 PMCID: PMC7926330 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10020249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Melophagus ovinus (sheep ked) is a hematophagous ectoparasite that mainly parasitizes sheep. In addition to causing inflammation, wool loss, and skin damage to the animal hosts, M. ovinus also serves as a vector for a variety of pathogens and is highly likely to participate in the life and transmission cycle of pathogenic organisms. Herein, we investigated the presence and molecular characterization of vector-borne pathogens in M. ovinus from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. A total of 92 M. ovinus pools collected from the Qinghai province of China were screened for the presence of selected vector-borne pathogens. The overall positive rate of A. ovis, A. bovis, A. phagocytophilum, and T. ovis in M. ovinus was 39.1%, 17.4%, 9.8%, and 89.1%, respectively. All of the samples were negative for Border disease virus (BDV), other Anaplasma species, Babesia spp., Rickettsia spp., and Borrelia spp. Co-infection of different Anaplasma species and T. ovis occurred in 51.2% of all samples with T. ovis. The positive rates of A. ovis, A. bovis, and A. phagocytophilum in different regions and altitudes of the sampling sites were significantly different. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of target genes confirmed their identity with corresponding pathogens. Our results elucidate the occurrence and molecular characterization of Anaplasma spp. and Theileria spp. in M. ovinus, which could act as potential zoonotic reservoirs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the detection of A. bovis and A. phagocytophilum DNA in M. ovinus. This study gives the first extensive molecular survey of vector-borne pathogens with veterinary and public health significance in M. ovinus from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Xun Zhang
- National Research Center for Wildlife-Born Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (Q.-X.Z.); (Y.W.); (S.-Y.H.); (B.W.); (G.-H.Y.); (P.-Y.Z.); (Z.-W.Y.); (S.-L.W.)
- National Research Center for Wildlife-Born Diseases, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ye Wang
- National Research Center for Wildlife-Born Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (Q.-X.Z.); (Y.W.); (S.-Y.H.); (B.W.); (G.-H.Y.); (P.-Y.Z.); (Z.-W.Y.); (S.-L.W.)
- Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
| | - Ying Li
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China;
| | - Shu-Yi Han
- National Research Center for Wildlife-Born Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (Q.-X.Z.); (Y.W.); (S.-Y.H.); (B.W.); (G.-H.Y.); (P.-Y.Z.); (Z.-W.Y.); (S.-L.W.)
| | - Bo Wang
- National Research Center for Wildlife-Born Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (Q.-X.Z.); (Y.W.); (S.-Y.H.); (B.W.); (G.-H.Y.); (P.-Y.Z.); (Z.-W.Y.); (S.-L.W.)
- National Research Center for Wildlife-Born Diseases, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Guo-Hui Yuan
- National Research Center for Wildlife-Born Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (Q.-X.Z.); (Y.W.); (S.-Y.H.); (B.W.); (G.-H.Y.); (P.-Y.Z.); (Z.-W.Y.); (S.-L.W.)
| | - Pei-Yang Zhang
- National Research Center for Wildlife-Born Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (Q.-X.Z.); (Y.W.); (S.-Y.H.); (B.W.); (G.-H.Y.); (P.-Y.Z.); (Z.-W.Y.); (S.-L.W.)
- National Research Center for Wildlife-Born Diseases, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zi-Wen Yang
- National Research Center for Wildlife-Born Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (Q.-X.Z.); (Y.W.); (S.-Y.H.); (B.W.); (G.-H.Y.); (P.-Y.Z.); (Z.-W.Y.); (S.-L.W.)
- National Research Center for Wildlife-Born Diseases, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shuang-Ling Wang
- National Research Center for Wildlife-Born Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (Q.-X.Z.); (Y.W.); (S.-Y.H.); (B.W.); (G.-H.Y.); (P.-Y.Z.); (Z.-W.Y.); (S.-L.W.)
| | - Ji-Yong Chen
- Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center of Yushu, Yushu 815099, China;
| | - Hai-Shun Zhong
- Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station of Xunhua, Xunhua 811100, China;
| | - Xue-Qing Han
- Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, Beijing 100176, China;
| | - Hong-Xuan He
- National Research Center for Wildlife-Born Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (Q.-X.Z.); (Y.W.); (S.-Y.H.); (B.W.); (G.-H.Y.); (P.-Y.Z.); (Z.-W.Y.); (S.-L.W.)
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Keds, the enigmatic flies and their role as vectors of pathogens. Acta Trop 2020; 209:105521. [PMID: 32447028 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Hippoboscid flies (Diptera: Hippoboscidae), commonly known as keds or louse flies, have been for long time overlooked by the scientific community, and their vector role of infectious agents to humans and domestic animals has been scantly investigated. This is partly due to the fact that the host range for most species is primarily restricted to wildlife, being rarely reported on domestic animals and humans. This led to a scarce scientific knowledge about their biology, ecology, behaviour, epidemiology as well as vector competence. However, the life history of some hippoboscid species, e.g., Melophagus ovinus, Lipoptena cervi and Hippobosca equina, suggests that these ectoparasites are important candidates to vector infectious disease agents (e.g., Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., Bartonella spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Theileria ovis). Indeed, the peculiar biological and behavioural traits (i.e., obligatory blood sucking and reproductive physiology) of many ked species make them a suitable pabulum for pathogen's multiplication and for their transmission to receptive hosts. Therefore, studies focusing on the ked bio-ecological aspects as well as on their vector role are advocated along with the control of keds affecting different animal species. This review discusses current information on keds, highlighting their importance as vectors of pathogens of medical and veterinary concern to all animal species, with a special focus on mammals.
Collapse
|