Abstract：
Soft ticks pose significant health risks as vectors of various pathogens. This study explored the spatio-temporal distribution and genetic relationships of the soft tick species Argas persicus infesting domestic hens (Gallus gallus domesticus) across different districts in Pakistan. An examination of 778 hens revealed a notable tick infestation prevalence of 70.82%, with a total of 1299 ticks collected from 551 hens. The overall mean intensity was 2.19 soft ticks per infested chicken, and the overall mean abundance was 1.61 soft ticks per examined hen. Morphological identification confirmed all collected ticks (n = 1210) as A. persicus, comprising 719 males, 333 females, 121 nymphs, and 38 larvae. The Haveli, Muzaffarabad, and Kotli districts had the highest infestation rates, while Bagh had the lowest. Molecular analyses of tick DNA, focusing on 16S rDNA and 12S rDNA sequences, revealed genetic similarities among A. persicus soft ticks from Pakistan and other regions, providing insights into their evolutionary history. Importantly, no Babesia, Rickettsia, or Anaplasma infections were detected in the examined samples. These findings enhance the understanding of soft tick infestation patterns and the genetic diversity of A. persicus in the studied region.
摘要：
软蜱作为各种病原体的载体构成重大健康风险。这项研究探索了巴基斯坦不同地区感染家鸡（Gallusgallusdomesticus）的软tick物种Argaspersicus的时空分布和遗传关系。对778只母鸡的检查显示，明显的蜱侵扰患病率为70.82%，总共从551只母鸡中收集了1299只蜱。总体平均强度为每只感染鸡2.19个软蜱，每只受检母鸡的总体平均丰度为1.61个软蜱。形态学鉴定证实所有收集的蜱(n=1210)为A.persicus,包括719名男性，333名女性，121个若虫,和38只幼虫。Haveli,穆扎法拉巴德,Kotli地区的感染率最高，而巴格是最低的。蜱DNA的分子分析,专注于16SrDNA和12SrDNA序列，揭示了来自巴基斯坦和其他地区的A.persicus软蜱之间的遗传相似性，提供对他们进化史的见解。重要的是,没有巴贝西亚,立克次体,或在被检查的样本中检测到无性体感染。这些发现增强了对该地区软蜱侵染模式和A的遗传多样性的理解。
