Search

Piroplasmic parasites such as Theileria and Babesia commonly infect important livestock animals, leading to economic losses in the livestock industry. These parasites are primarily transmitted by ticks found infesting livestock animals. In Malaysia, livestock diseases caused by tick-borne pathogens are still under-studied, even though tick infestations are common in many livestock farms. Here, we molecularly detect a Theileria sp. from Haemaphysalis bispinosa ticks infesting goats in a privately-owned farm in Perak, peninsular Malaysia. PCR was performed on the DNA extracted from ticks to determine the presence of piroplasms. Three ticks were found PCR-positive for piroplasms. Sequence analyses of partial 18S rRNA gene sequences revealed the presence of a Theileria species at 100% identity to Theileria luwenshuni. Our findings suggest the presence of T. luwenshuni, a highly pathogenic Theileria sp. to sheep and goats, in the small ruminant industry in Malaysia.

AcknowledgmentsThis study was supported in parts by the research grants from University of Malaya, under the Research University Grants (RU016-2015) and (RU005-2017), and the Malaysia One Health University Network (MyOHUN) Seed Fund Award (MY/NCO/ACT/P001/SEEDFUND) provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Ticks are vectors for a number of important human and animal pathogens. In this study, Corynebacterium lactis was isolated from Amblyomma testudinarium Koch tick sampled from wild boar in Malaysia. Imaging with transmission electron microscope and complete genome sequencing were performed for C. lactis which shared similar morphology to other Corynebacterium species and was susceptible to most of the commonly used antibiotics. The draft genome revealed a total length of 2,568,615 bp with G+C content of 64.3%. This is the first description of C. lactis isolation from ticks, raising the possibility that ticks could be a vector for this emerging pathogen of companion animals.

Wild rodents are carriers of ectoparasites such as ticks that are vectors of infectious diseases with human and veterinary significances. Due to their close association with human dwellings, synanthropic wild rodents may aid the spread and transmission of tick-borne pathogens. In light of this, an effort was initiated to study the cultivable bacteria within ticks collected from wild rodents trapped in Sungai Congkak Recreational Forest, Selangor. Ticks collected from four different rodent species; Sundamys muelleri, Maxomys whiteheadi, Maxomys rajah and Rattus rattus, were sterilely homogenized and cultured. One unique bacterial isolate originating from an engorged adult female Ixodes granulatus Supino collected off a Sundamys muelleri rat was identified as Paenibacilus lautus via 16S rDNA, ctpA sequencing and biochemical tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that the P. lautus isolate was resistant to ampicillin, penicillin, clindamycin, chloramphenicol, rifampicin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, mirroring the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of clinical strains. Recovery of this opportunistic bacterial pathogen from the tick suggests that it may be transmitted to humans or other hosts through tick bites and cause disease once it enters the bloodstream. Therefore, it is important to remain vigilant due to its pathogenic potential and improve our waste disposal practices to avoid attracting rodents.