Molecular identification of Rhipicephalus species (Acari: Ixodidae) parasitizing livestock from Iran

Abstract

This study was designed to identify populations of Rhipicephalus sanguineus collected from Iran and also to study molecular taxonomy of Rhipicephalus species using cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences. Tick specimens were collected from livestock (sheep and goat) in 14 Iranian provinces. DNA of individual specimens was extracted and PCR was done on these samples. So, 62 sequencing (33 COI and 29 ITS2) were done, successfully. Morphologically, we identified four Rhipicephalus species, namely R. bursa, R. sanguineus (s.l.), R. sanguineus (s.s.), and R. turanicus based on taxonomic keys. The data obtained from the phylogenetic analyses of COI and ITS2 fragments present a possible conflict regarding the identity of R. sanguineus species. Thus, the molecular identification of R. sanguineus group might be different according to mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. The results show a phylogenic conflict based on COI and ITS2 phylogeny in a tree topology. We dealt with three genetic entities in R. sanguineus group (i.e. R. sanguineus (s.s.), R. sanguineus (s.l.), and R. turanicus) based on COI phylogeny and two genetic clades (i.e. R. sanguineus (s.s.) and R. sanguineus (s.l.)/R. turanicus) according to ITS2 phylogeny.

Keywords:

• Variation
• Rhipicephalus
• molecular identification
• conflict
• COI
• ITS2

Acknowledgments

We would like to appreciate our colleagues Faezeh Faghihi, Mirlashari, Ghaffari, Haj-Kazemi, Erfani, Changizi, Hajizadeh, Seyyed Payman Ziapour. Moreover, we give our best special thanks to Fatemeh Naseri, Jalile Nejati, Masuod Yaryan, Jalil Gaber Hashemi, Kourosh Arzemani, Zabihollah-e Zarei, Mojtaba Beik Mohammadi, Peyvand Biglari, and Nasibeh Hosseini-Vasoukolaei for supporting us in the collection of tick samples from different provinces in Iran.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no competing personal or financial interests.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financially supported by the grant no. 82240 from Tehran University of Medical Sciences.