BACKGROUND Camel production in Saudi Arabia is severely affected by various diseases and by inadequate veterinary services. Ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) affect the health and wellbeing of camels consequently diminishing their productivity and performances. In addition, camels may act as hosts for TBPs (e.g. Anaplasma phagocytophilum) causing diseases in humans. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of ixodid ticks and molecularly investigate the associated pathogens in camels from Saudi Arabia. METHODS Blood and tick samples were collected from camels (n = 170) in Riyad Province of Saudi Arabia. Ticks were morphologically identified, and blood of camels were molecularly screened for apicomplexan (i.e. Babesia spp., Theileria spp., Hepatozoon spp.) and rickettsial parasites (i.e. Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp.). RESULTS Of the 170 camels examined, 116 (68.2%; 95% CI: 60.9-75.1%) were infested by ticks with a mean intensity of 2.53 (95% CI: 2.4-2.6). In total of 296 ticks collected, Hyalomma dromedarii was the most prevalent (76.4%), followed by Hyalomma impeltatum (23.3%) and Hyalomma excavatum (0.3%). Of the tested animals, 13 (7.6%; 95% CI: 4.3-12.8%) scored positive to at least one TBP, with Anaplasma platys (5.3%; 95% CI: 2.7-9.9%) being the most prevalent species, followed by Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Anaplasma sp., Ehrlichia canis and Hepatozoon canis (0.6% each; 95% CI: 0.04-3.4%). None of the camels were found to be co-infected with more than one pathogen. All samples tested negative for Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. CONCLUSIONS The present study reveals the occurrence of different tick species and TBPs in camels from Saudi Arabia. Importantly, these camels may carry A. phagocytophilum and A. platys, representing a potential risk to humans.

中文翻译：

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来自沙特阿拉伯利雅得省的骆驼（骆驼驼）的Ti和相关病原体。

背景技术沙特阿拉伯的骆驼生产受到各种疾病和兽医服务不足的严重影响。壁虱和壁虱传播的病原体（TBP）影响骆驼的健康和福祉，从而降低其生产力和性能。另外，骆驼还可以作为TBP的宿主（例如吞噬嗜性无浆细胞（Anaplasma phagocytophilum））导致人类疾病。当前的研究旨在确定ix虫的流行程度，并从分子上调查沙特阿拉伯骆驼中的相关病原体。方法从沙特阿拉伯利雅得省的骆驼（n = 170）中采集血液和壁虱样本。虫在形态上被鉴定，并且对骆驼的血液进行分子筛选以检测apicomplexan（即Babesia spp。，Theileria spp。，Hepatozoon spp。）和病寄生虫（即Ehrlichia spp。和Anaplasma spp。）。结果在检查的170头骆驼中，有116头（68.2％； 95％CI：60.9-75.1％）被by虫侵染，平均强度为2.53（95％CI：2.4-2.6）。在总共收集到的296滴答中，dromedarii菌是最普遍的（76.4％），其次是impaltatum的Hyalomma（23.3％）和exatum的Hyalomma（0.3％）。在测试的动物中，有13只（7.6％; 95％CI：4.3-12.8％）至少对一个TBP得分为阳性，其中无浆无鳍板栗（5.3％; 95％CI：2.7-9.9％）是最普遍的物种，其次吞噬细胞无形体，无形体种，犬埃里希氏菌和犬肝炎（分别为0.6％; 95％CI：0.04-3.4％）。没有发现骆驼与一种以上病原体同时感染。所有样品测试巴氏杆菌属均为阴性。和Theileria spp。结论本研究揭示了沙特阿拉伯骆驼中不同the种和TBPs的发生。