Medical and Veterinary Entomology最新文献

{"title":"Evaluating the mosquitocidal potential of the isoxazoline sarolaner against the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).","authors":"Kendra A Dagg, Alden S Estep, Edwin R Burgess","doi":"10.1111/mve.12827","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12827","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aedes aegypti Linnaeus 1762 (Diptera: Culicidae) is the primary vector of several pathogens of public health significance. Insecticide-based preventative measures are a key component of vector-borne disease control programmes. However, widespread insecticide resistance threatens the effectiveness of current control strategies. Sarolaner, an isoxazoline insecticide, offers a novel mode of action and is primarily used for controlling ticks, fleas and mites in companion animals. This study evaluates the insecticidal efficacy of sarolaner against both laboratory-susceptible and resistant strains of Ae. aegypti through various exposure routes. In topical assays, sarolaner outperformed permethrin by >8-fold and >21-fold greater efficacy against resistant strains at 24 and 72 h, respectively. Conversely, it underperformed in susceptible strains by over 8-fold and 2-fold at the same time points. In larval assays, sarolaner exhibited >300-fold greater toxicity than spinosad at 24 and 48 h for both susceptible and resistant strains. Blood-feeding assays showed sarolaner was more toxic than ivermectin by over 17-fold and 10-fold in susceptible and resistant strains, respectively, up to 120 h. While sarolaner was less toxic than dinotefuran in resistant strains through sugar feeding, it was over 3-fold more toxic in susceptible strains. Notably, no cross-resistance was detected with dinotefuran or ivermectin through oral, sugar or blood-feeding applications, though slight cross-resistance was observed with permethrin and spinosad. This study highlights sarolaner's potential as an effective adulticide and larvicide against Ae. aegypti, supporting its further evaluation as a candidate for new chemical formulations.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144626685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metataxonomic profiles of bacterial and parasitic communities in Amblyomma spp. ticks collected from wildlife in Colombia: Implications for tick-borne diseases\u0000 Perfiles metataxonómicos de comunidades bacterianas y parasitarias en garrapatas Amblyomma spp. recolectadas de fauna silvestre en Colombia: Implicaciones para las enfermedades transmitidas por garrapatas","authors":"Sarah Sofía Ospina-Sánchez,&nbsp;Daniela Beltrán-Torres,&nbsp;Karime Angarita-Corzo,&nbsp;Nathalia M. Correa-Valencia","doi":"10.1111/mve.12823","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.12823","url":null,"abstract":"<p>As a tropical country, Colombia hosts a wide range of arthropods that can act as vectors of disease-causing pathogens, particularly those carrying hemopathogens. Ticks play a crucial role in the transmission of zoonotic pathogens, impacting both human and veterinary health. The pathogen load of ticks from wildlife is of particular concern, as it can contribute to the spillover of infectious agents to domestic animals and humans, highlighting the need for surveillance and control strategies to mitigate emerging tick-borne diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the presence of microorganisms in ticks collected from wildlife in Antioquia (Colombia) through bioinformatic analysis. A prospective, cross-sectional, random, non-probabilistic, convenience-based study involving tick collection from animals in three different zones of Antioquia was conducted. Initially, vertebrate species were morphologically characterized via taxonomic keys and identification guides for amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Ticks were manually collected from these animals and preserved in absolute ethanol for later taxonomic identification. Genomic DNA was then extracted, and the resulting reads were processed through bioinformatic analysis, achieving taxonomic classification within DNA libraries of gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, and parasites. Additionally, descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables of interest at the animal level (e.g., genus, species, sex, and age group, when applicable) and study zone. A total of 570 ticks, predominantly <i>Amblyomma</i> spp., were obtained from 46 host animals. Ticks from lizards presented the highest bacterial richness and diversity (based on 16S gDNA), whereas ticks from amphibians presented the lowest. Proteobacteria dominated most samples, as shown by taxonomic composition at the phylum, family, and genus levels. Ticks collected from mammals displayed lower diversity and richness than those collected from reptiles. For parasitic communities (18S gDNA), dominant eukaryotes were identified in ticks from mammals, excluding host-related taxa. Overall, lizard-associated ticks presented the most complex microbial diversity, whereas amphibian ticks were less diverse, highlighting the significant variation in microbial and parasitic communities across host species. This study highlights the microbial diversity of ticks from wild hosts in Colombia, focusing on the dominance of <i>Francisella</i>, <i>Rickettsia</i>, <i>Aspergillus</i>, and <i>Penicillium</i>. These findings underscore the need for further research on their ecological roles, transmission dynamics, and potential health risks, aiming to inform strategies to mitigate tick-borne diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"39 3","pages":"478-493"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144626686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Discovery of a new inland population of Leptoconops noei in Italy with sequencing of the first complete mitochondrial genome for the genus.","authors":"Giovanni Naro, Gianluca Lombardo, Alessandro Alvaro, Laura Soresinetti, Francesco Frati, Luigi Marvasi, Emanuele Montomoli, Claudio Bandi, Paolo Gabrieli, Carlo Polidori, Sara Epis","doi":"10.1111/mve.12828","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12828","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Ceratopogonidae family, comprising over 6000 described species, includes the genus Leptoconops, which has been understudied despite its ecological significance and biting nuisance to humans. Here, we document the presence of inland Leptoconops noei populations for the first time in Italy in an area previously considered environmentally atypical for this species. Our findings expand the known range of L. noei, traditionally confined to coastal areas, and highlight its potential to colonise diverse habitats. Interestingly, despite the thorough morphological and molecular identification of sampled individuals and their clear assignment to the species L. noei, a notable morphological variability was observed in the sensory structures of the maxillary palps, suggesting the possibility of a new morphotype or environment-driven adaptations. Phylogenetic analyses of COX1 sequences revealed negligible genetic differentiation between the newly discovered inland population and coastal populations, suggesting recent separation or gene-flow connection. These findings underscore the ecological adaptability of L. noei, which poses risks of human-biting nuisance, allergic reactions and even possible economic losses in recreative areas, in a range of locations wider than previously assumed. Additionally, this study reports the first complete mitochondrial genome for the genus Leptoconops, offering valuable genetic insights for taxonomic clarification, evolutionary studies and future research on the biology of Ceratopogonidae.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144608736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Overlooked factors in vector control: Addressing biological compromises in pyrethroid-resistant Aedes aegypti.","authors":"Nilu Limboo, Subhajit Das, Prapti Das, Dhiraj Saha","doi":"10.1111/mve.12821","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12821","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aedes aegypti mosquitoes account for the highest number of infections among vector-borne diseases and continue to present a formidable global health challenge. Due to the nonavailability of direct treatment of dengue, vector control relies on the use of insecticides currently dominated by pyrethroids. Recurring applications of these insecticides lead to transgenerational impacts on their fitness and resistance dynamics. This study investigates the threat to vector control techniques by altered biological fitness, metabolic and molecular properties after selection with permethrin exposure. Populations of Ae. aegypti were treated with a sublethal dose of permethrin (LC₅₀) in each generation, and their resistance status, together with its effect on biological fitness and transgenerational features, were analysed. To understand the different mechanisms of resistance development, detoxifying enzyme activity, the presence of kdr mutation and cuticular thickness were also analysed. Throughout the study, a prolonged larval and pupal stage was noted with reduced fecundity and hatchability. Moreover, biochemical assays revealed a major role of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases behind permethrin resistance, which was supported by a piperonyl butoxide assay. Major kdr mutations F1534C and V1016G were also found. Overall, reduction in life traits of resistant populations may seem in favour of vector management but this may be the manipulative strategy of Ae. aegypti to divert the essential fuels away from these features and invest it towards the maintenance of insecticide resistance. Therefore, to effectively combat resistance, insecticides must be used judiciously as part of a comprehensive strategy that includes non-insecticide methods and regular surveillance.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144584307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Automated identification of spotted-fever tick vectors using convolutional neural networks.","authors":"Isadora R C Gomes, Vinícius L Miranda, José Fabrício C Leal, Igor P Oliveira, Paula J Silva, Karla Bitencourth, Claudio M Rodrigues, Liege R Siqueira, Marcelo B Labruna, Gilberto S Gazeta, Marinete Amorim, Rodrigo Gurgel-Gonçalves","doi":"10.1111/mve.12822","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12822","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ticks are key ectoparasites for the One Health approach, as they are vectors of pathogens that infect humans, domestic and wild animals. The bacteria Rickettsia rickettsii and R. parkeri are the aetiological agents of tick-borne spotted fever (SF) in South America, where Amblyomma sculptum, A. aureolatum, A. ovale and A. triste are the main vectors. Studies in the medical and biological fields show that artificial intelligence, through machine learning, has great potential to assist researchers and health professionals in image identification practices. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) AlexNet, ResNet-50 and MobileNetV2 for identifying tick species transmitting SF bioagents. We organised an image database with the following groups: females (368), males (458), dorsal (423), ventral (403), low resolution (328), high resolution (498) and all together (sex+position+resolution = 826), to identify the three main vectors of SF bioagents (Amblyomma aureolatum, A. ovale and A. sculptum), two other possible vectors (A. triste and A. dubitatum) and the species A. cajennense sensu stricto (s.s.), which has similar morphology to A. sculptum but no known vectorial capacity. To evaluate the network's performance, we measured accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. We used Grad-CAM to highlight the regions of the images most relevant to the predictions. CNNs achieved accuracy rates of ~90% in identifying ticks and showed sensitivities of 59%-100% according to species, sex, position or image resolution. When considering all images, both AlexNet and MobileNetV2 recorded the best sensitivity and specificity values in identifying SF vectors. The most relevant areas for classifying species varied according to algorithms. Our results support the idea of using CNNs for the automated identification of tick species transmitting SF bioagents in South America. Our database could support the development of tick identification apps to aid public health surveillance and contribute to citizen science.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144560515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bayesian population-based assessment of ascertainment bias in flea-borne typhus surveillance in California, 2011-2019.","authors":"Kyle Yomogida, Anne Kjemtrup, Mireille Ibrahim, Zuelma Contreras, Van Ngo, Umme-Aiman Halai, Sharon Balter, Matt Feaster, Matthew Zahn, Eric Shearer, Rochelle Sorvillo, Nora Balanji, Cindy Torres, Belinda Prado, Charsey Porse, Vicki Kramer, Beatriz Martínez-López","doi":"10.1111/mve.12816","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12816","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In California, public health disease surveillance data for flea-borne typhus (FBT) are generated by healthcare providers and laboratories who are responsible for notifying local health jurisdictions when the disease is detected. When accounting for the associations between socioeconomic status (SES) factors (age, race and ethnicity, poverty, unemployment, housing status and land use), R. typhi reservoir host presence (e.g., rats, cats, opossums), and healthcare-seeking behaviours, it is reasonable to consider whether these factors also lead to under-reporting of FBT surveillance and distorted estimations of incidence. This study aimed to evaluate population-level associations between SES factors and FBT surveillance reporting using a Bayesian hierarchical model including a spatially autocorrelated random effect. Census tract-level covariates were sourced from the American Community Survey and Healthy Places Index (HPI). Specifying a zero-inflated Poisson distribution to FBT surveillance report counts, we estimated spatially smoothed, census tract-level estimates of FBT surveillance report rates and attributed variability in report rates to census tract characteristics. Socioeconomic advantage, as measured by the HPI, had the largest effect (IRR = 1.34 [1.07, 1.69]), corresponding to a 34% increase in FBT surveillance reporting for every point increase in HPI score for census tracts. The results herein suggest that FBT surveillance may be biased in its ascertainment of surveillance data, which may be helpful in contextualising and interpreting current trends in FBT epidemiology.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144475851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decade-long persistence of high levels of pyrethroid resistance in Triatoma infestans populations of the Argentine Chaco.","authors":"María Sol Gaspe, Marta Victoria Cardinal, Mariano Cáceres, Gustavo Fabián Enriquez, Pablo Luis Santo-Orihuela, Julián Antonio Alvarado-Otegui, Alejandra Alvedro, María Carla Cecere, Claudia Viviana Vassena, Ricardo Esteban Gürtler","doi":"10.1111/mve.12819","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12819","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The emergence of insecticide resistance is one of the major challenges vector control programmes face worldwide. For Chagas disease and its main vector Triatoma infestans, pyrethroid-resistant foci have severely compromised vector control and elimination efforts across sections of northern Argentina and Bolivia. We assessed the status and spatiotemporal distribution of pyrethroid resistance in T. infestans populations in Castelli (Argentine Chaco), where it had reached record levels, and tested whether the village-level prevalence of house infestation was associated with pyrethroid resistance. We also monitored the infestation and pyrethroid resistance status of a reinfested (index) house in an adjacent municipality (Pampa del Indio) under sustained triatomine surveillance and control. Eighty-three georeferenced populations of T. infestans collected in 13 villages over 2018-2024 were tested for susceptibility to deltamethrin by discriminant-dose assays. Widespread pyrethroid resistance occurred in 12 villages; 45% of the tested bug populations had very low mortality (<45%). Pyrethroid resistance levels were spatially heterogeneous between and within villages, were negatively associated with house infestation at the village level and reached record resistance ratios (RR₅₀ > 2400). Pampa del Indio's index house remained persistently infested with high resistance levels despite pyrethroid applications and other interventions (i.e., repeated control failures) over a 7-year period. Castelli's highly resistant focus has persisted for >10 year despite the near absence of government-sponsored pyrethroid applications. Alternative insecticides effective against pyrethroid-resistant T. infestans populations are urgently needed to suppress them and curtail their propagation. Sustainable triatomine control in this high-risk scenario requires an integrated vector management framework including housing and peridomestic modifications combined with community-based triatomine surveillance.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144475852","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Arthropod Ectoparasites of Synanthropic rodents in northern-central Italy.","authors":"Filippo Maria Dini, Silvia Crucitti, Talita Bordoni, Roberta Galuppi","doi":"10.1111/mve.12818","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12818","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Synanthropic rodents, due to their close contact with humans, have always been a concern because of their substantial impact on both the economy and public health. This study aims to investigate the presence of ectoparasites in rodents captured during pest control campaigns in various Italian provinces (Bologna, Forlì-Cesena, Rimini, Ravenna, Arezzo) in northern-central Italy. We examined a total of 140 carcasses of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus - 81 samples), black rats (Rattus rattus - 49 samples) and house mice (Mus musculus - 10 samples). Skin samples were collected, digested in sodium hydroxide and microscopically examined after the enrichment method. The results revealed the presence of Polyplax spinulosa lice in 44 subjects (31.4%), Myobiidae mites in 13 subjects (9.3%), Laelaps echidninus and Notoedres muris in 7 subjects respectively (5%) and mesostigmata mites in 3 (2.1%). A specimen of Rattus norvegicus was positive for the flea Nosopsyllus fasciatus. The conducted research has provided an overview of the arthropods present on the fur and skin of synanthropic mice and rats in the surveyed provinces. This study represents a baseline investigation, particularly considering the lack of nationwide and scarce European data.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144326126","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Field studies of Culex mosquitoes in Tanzania and Kenya: A systematic review motivated by changing Rift Valley fever virus transmission patterns.","authors":"Catherine Andrews, Joshua Longbottom, Joel Lutomiah, Jennifer S Lord","doi":"10.1111/mve.12811","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12811","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Culex mosquitoes are assumed to be secondary vectors of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), with Aedes being the most important for initiating outbreaks. However, environmental change may be affecting the role Culex species play in transmission. We aimed to curate a collection of published studies from Tanzania and Kenya, identify gaps in research concerning Culex communities and establish whether sufficient spatio-temporal published data may be available for future meta-analysis. This presents a first step in leveraging published data to better understand the role of Culex in maintaining RVFV transmission. We carried out a systematic search of the published literature using Web of Science for studies that sampled Culex in Tanzania or Kenya, up until the 28th April 2023. We determined motivations for studies, their duration and the geographic coverage in relation to an RVFV risk map. We then assessed species identification methods and how these may have impacted results. Of 275 studies, 17 explicitly stated the motivation for the study was RVFV. Despite most studies being motivated by other topics, there was good coverage of studies reporting mosquito sampling in areas associated with the risk of RVFV outbreaks. Fifty studies were at least 12 months in duration. In terms of species identification, studies were c. 14 times more likely to have identified more species than just the Culex pipiens complex if they stated that they used a Culex specific key. Although the majority of published studies sampling Culex in Kenya and/or Tanzania did not state RVFV explicitly as a key motivation for research, we propose that drawing on the data contained within these wider studies may still be of value for understanding how RVFV transmission is maintained. Our work here presents a first step to this end.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144285385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High prevalence of Rickettsia spp. among moderately dense population of Dermacentor reticulatus ticks in South-central Poland.","authors":"Zbigniew Zając, Aneta Woźniak, Joanna Kulisz, Angélique Foucault-Simonin, Dasiel Obregón, Sara Moutailler, Katarzyna Bartosik, Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz","doi":"10.1111/mve.12817","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12817","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dermacentor reticulatus ticks play a crucial role in the circulation and maintenance of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) foci in the environment. From a medical perspective, this species is particularly significant in transmitting TBPs classified within the spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR), primarily Rickettsia slovaca and R. raoultii. Moreover, in recent years, notable changes in the distribution of the species have been observed across various countries, including Poland. We hypothesized that south-central Poland, particularly the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, represents the current southern boundary of the continuous range of D. reticulatus ticks in the country. Our aim was to assess the population density and the prevalence of Rickettsia spp. in ticks collected from the studied area. For this purpose, 34 research sites were designated for field surveys. In total, 910 adult D. reticulatus ticks were collected and identified. Molecular analysis for the detection of Rickettsia spp. was conducted on a randomly selected subset of individual ticks. Selected PCR-positive samples underwent phylogenetic analysis. Using a random forest model, we explored the relative importance of environmental factors driving tick density. The model revealed that altitude, followed by humidity, were the primary determinants of tick density, while temperature and seasonality had negligible impacts. The mean density of D. reticulatus within its contiguous range was 3.3 ± 5.0 specimens per 100 m² (0.00-16.7/100 m²). Surveyed tick populations showed a high prevalence of Rickettsia spp. (24.00%-74.19%). Sequencing of the gltA gene in the selected PCR-positive samples confirmed that the analyzed strains belonged to the SFGR. In conclusion, our findings suggest that south-central Poland currently forms the boundary of the contiguous range of the D. reticulatus population, which is characterized by moderate density and a high prevalence of Rickettsia spp. This study underscores the influence of ecological factors on tick distribution and highlights the need for continued surveillance of this medically significant vector and its associated pathogens.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144275315","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}