Tick-host bloodmeal associations are important factors when characterizing risks of associated pathogen transmission and applying appropriate management strategies. Despite their biological importance, comparatively little is known about soft tick (Argasidae) host associations in the United States compared to hard ticks (Ixodidae). In this study, we evaluated a PCR and direct Sanger sequencing method for identifying the bloodmeal hosts of soft ticks. We collected 381 cave-associated Ornithodoros turicata near San Antonio, Texas, USA, and also utilized eight colony-reared specimens fed artificially on known host blood sources over 1.5 years ago. We correctly identified the vertebrate host bloodmeals of two colony-reared ticks (chicken and pig) up to 1,105 days post-feeding, and identified bloodmeal hosts from 19 out of 168 field-collected soft ticks, including raccoon (78.9%), black vulture (10.5%), Texas black rattlesnake (5.3%), and human (5.3%). Our results confirm the retention of vertebrate blood DNA in soft ticks and advance the knowledge of argasid host associations in cave-dwelling O. turicata.

在表征相关病原体传播的风险和应用适当的管理策略时，蜱宿主血粉关联是重要因素。尽管它们具有生物学重要性，但与硬蜱（硬蜱科）相比，美国对软蜱（Argasidae）寄主协会知之甚少。在这项研究中，我们评估了一种 PCR 和直接 Sanger 测序方法，用于识别软蜱的血粉宿主。我们收集了 381 个与洞穴相关的鸟笼草在美国德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥附近，还利用了 1.5 年前在已知宿主血源上人工喂养的八个菌落饲养标本。我们正确识别了两个群落饲养的蜱（鸡和猪）在喂食后长达 1,105 天的脊椎动物宿主血粉，并从 168 个现场采集的软蜱中的 19 个中识别出血粉宿主，包括浣熊 (78.9%)、黑秃鹰(10.5%)、德克萨斯黑响尾蛇 (5.3%) 和人类 (5.3%)。我们的研究结果证实了脊椎动物血液 DNA 在软蜱中的保留，并提高了洞穴居住中 argasid 宿主关联的知识O. turicata.