关键词: 蜱类, 病原学检测, 尉犁荒漠地区

Abstract: Objective To investigate the population composition and distribution of ticks as well as the natural infection pathogens of Lyme disease, Q fever, babesiosis, spotted fever, and human granulocytic anaplasmosis in the desert area of Yuli, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. Methods Ticks were collected with white cloth or from the body surfaces of host animals. Pathogen detection was performed by PCR. Results A total of 519 ticks (3 species, 2 genera) were identified, including Rhipicephalus pumilio, Rhipicephalus turanicus, and Hyalomma asiaticum; R. pumilio was the predominant species, accounting for 88.25% of all captured ticks. Only two pathogens of tick-borne diseases, spotted fever group rickettsiae and Anaplasma, were detected from R. pumilio, with detection rates of 6.27% and 3.53%, respectively. Conclusion Variable natural infection with spotted fever group rickettsiae and Anaplasma occurs among the ticks in the desert area of Yuli, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China.

Key words: Tick, Pathogen detection, Desert area of Yuli