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9 October 2018 Diversity of Rickettsiae in Feeding and Questing Ticks Collected From a Malaysian Forest Reserve Area
Kai Ling Kho, Poai Ean Tan, Sun Tee Tay
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Abstract

High seropositivity to Rickettsia conorii and Rickettsia felis has been reported in Malaysian indigenous community living in settlements adjacent to forest areas. The current study was conducted to determine the type and distribution of rickettsiae in feeding and questing ticks that were collected from a forest reserve area at Kuala Lompat in Pahang, Malaysia. Using PCR assays targeting citrate synthase (gltA), outer membrane protein A (ompA) and B (ompB) genes, rickettsiae were detected from approximately one-third of 98 ticks (mainly Dermacentor and Haemaphysalis spp.) collected from the forest reserve. BLAST analysis reveals the predominance of Rickettsia sp. RF2125 in both feeding and questing ticks and Rickettsia sp. TCM1 in the questing ticks. Sequences exhibiting close genetic relationship with Rickettsia raoultii, Rickettsia tamurae, Rickettsia heilongjiangensis, and Rickettsia asiatica were also detected from the ticks. This study highlights the diversity of rickettsial species and potential tick vectors which may contribute to the high seropositivity observed among the local communities.

© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Kai Ling Kho, Poai Ean Tan, and Sun Tee Tay "Diversity of Rickettsiae in Feeding and Questing Ticks Collected From a Malaysian Forest Reserve Area," Journal of Medical Entomology 56(2), 547-552, (9 October 2018). https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjy168
Received: 11 May 2018; Accepted: 26 August 2018; Published: 9 October 2018
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KEYWORDS
Forest reserve
Malaysia
Rickettsia
ticks
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