Ixodid ticks of Western Palearctic bats: ecology, host-parasite relationships, geographic distribution and zoonotic importance.

IF 2.6 2区 农林科学 Q1 VETERINARY SCIENCES
Frontiers in Veterinary Science Pub Date : 2025-06-18 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.3389/fvets.2025.1517704
Attila D Sándor, Cristian Domșa, Áron Péter, Sándor Hornok
{"title":"Ixodid ticks of Western Palearctic bats: ecology, host-parasite relationships, geographic distribution and zoonotic importance.","authors":"Attila D Sándor, Cristian Domșa, Áron Péter, Sándor Hornok","doi":"10.3389/fvets.2025.1517704","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bats in the Western Palearctic are host for diverse array of ectoparasites, including three ixodid ticks (<i>Ixodes ariadnae</i>, <i>I. simplex</i>, and <i>I. vespertilionis</i>), which are highly specialized to parasitize these mammals. In this study we collected and analyzed 3,965 host-tick records across 31 bat species from published literature, online sources, and unpublished field data. Individual bat-specialist ticks showed distinct host preferences, with cave-dwelling bats accounting for over 90% of all records. <i>Ixodes vespertilionis</i> was the most generalist of them, with a broad host range and distribution, while <i>I. simplex</i> was highly host-specific, primarily parasitizing a single host species, <i>Miniopterus schreibersii</i>. <i>Ixodes ariadnae</i> had a similar host spectrum as <i>I. vespertilionis</i> but more restricted geographical range, likely influenced by seasonal and life history factors. Our findings revealed substantial geographical overlap in tick distributions across Central and Eastern Europe. Free-living tick stages were predominantly found in caves, and males were observed more frequently than females. Non-bat specific, as well generalist ticks such as <i>Ixodes ricinus</i> and <i>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</i> s.l. were rare on bats, with larger bat species being the more common hosts. These ticks may host DNA of several bacterial, viral, and parasitic pathogens, suggesting an important role in pathogen transmission to bats and possibly other mammals. This study underscores the ecological significance of bat-specialist ticks and highlights the need for further research on their distribution, host interactions, and role in zoonotic disease transmission.</p>","PeriodicalId":12772,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Veterinary Science","volume":"12 ","pages":"1517704"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12213338/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Frontiers in Veterinary Science","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1517704","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"VETERINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Bats in the Western Palearctic are host for diverse array of ectoparasites, including three ixodid ticks (Ixodes ariadnae, I. simplex, and I. vespertilionis), which are highly specialized to parasitize these mammals. In this study we collected and analyzed 3,965 host-tick records across 31 bat species from published literature, online sources, and unpublished field data. Individual bat-specialist ticks showed distinct host preferences, with cave-dwelling bats accounting for over 90% of all records. Ixodes vespertilionis was the most generalist of them, with a broad host range and distribution, while I. simplex was highly host-specific, primarily parasitizing a single host species, Miniopterus schreibersii. Ixodes ariadnae had a similar host spectrum as I. vespertilionis but more restricted geographical range, likely influenced by seasonal and life history factors. Our findings revealed substantial geographical overlap in tick distributions across Central and Eastern Europe. Free-living tick stages were predominantly found in caves, and males were observed more frequently than females. Non-bat specific, as well generalist ticks such as Ixodes ricinus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. were rare on bats, with larger bat species being the more common hosts. These ticks may host DNA of several bacterial, viral, and parasitic pathogens, suggesting an important role in pathogen transmission to bats and possibly other mammals. This study underscores the ecological significance of bat-specialist ticks and highlights the need for further research on their distribution, host interactions, and role in zoonotic disease transmission.

古北西部蝙蝠的易移蜱:生态学、寄主-寄生虫关系、地理分布和人畜共患的重要性。
古北西部的蝙蝠是多种体外寄生虫的宿主,包括三种伊蚊蜱(Ixodes ariadnae, I. simplex和I. vespertilionis),它们高度专业化地寄生在这些哺乳动物身上。在这项研究中,我们从已发表的文献、在线资源和未发表的实地数据中收集并分析了31种蝙蝠的3,965条宿主蜱虫记录。个别蝙蝠专家蜱表现出不同的寄主偏好,穴居蝙蝠占所有记录的90%以上。其寄主范围和分布范围较广,具有较强的寄主特异性,主要寄生于单一寄主schreiberiminiopterus。其寄主谱与大叶草依蚊相似,但地理分布范围较窄,可能受季节和生活史因素的影响。我们的研究结果显示,中欧和东欧的蜱虫分布有很大的地理重叠。自由生活的蜱虫阶段主要在洞穴中发现,雄性比雌性更常见。非蝙蝠特异性蜱虫,以及一般蜱虫,如蓖麻蜱和血蜱,在蝙蝠身上很少见,更大的蝙蝠物种是更常见的宿主。这些蜱虫可能携带多种细菌、病毒和寄生虫病原体的DNA,这表明它们在向蝙蝠和其他哺乳动物传播病原体方面发挥了重要作用。本研究强调了蝙蝠专用蜱的生态意义,并强调了对其分布、宿主相互作用及其在人畜共患疾病传播中的作用进行进一步研究的必要性。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Frontiers in Veterinary Science Veterinary-General Veterinary
CiteScore
4.80
自引率
9.40%
发文量
1870
审稿时长
14 weeks
期刊介绍: Frontiers in Veterinary Science is a global, peer-reviewed, Open Access journal that bridges animal and human health, brings a comparative approach to medical and surgical challenges, and advances innovative biotechnology and therapy. Veterinary research today is interdisciplinary, collaborative, and socially relevant, transforming how we understand and investigate animal health and disease. Fundamental research in emerging infectious diseases, predictive genomics, stem cell therapy, and translational modelling is grounded within the integrative social context of public and environmental health, wildlife conservation, novel biomarkers, societal well-being, and cutting-edge clinical practice and specialization. Frontiers in Veterinary Science brings a 21st-century approach—networked, collaborative, and Open Access—to communicate this progress and innovation to both the specialist and to the wider audience of readers in the field. Frontiers in Veterinary Science publishes articles on outstanding discoveries across a wide spectrum of translational, foundational, and clinical research. The journal''s mission is to bring all relevant veterinary sciences together on a single platform with the goal of improving animal and human health.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:604180095
Book学术官方微信