Surveillance of ticks and tick-borne microorganisms in two natural protected areas in Andalusia, South of Spain
- 1Departamento de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Centro de Rickettsiosis y Enfermedades Transmitidas por Artrópodos Vectores (CRETAV), Hospital U. San Pedro-CIBIR, Logroño, Spain
- 2Agencia de Medio Ambiente y Agua de Andalucía, Consejería de Sostenibilidad y Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, Seville, Spain
Abstract
Background: Spain has two of the most singular ecosystems of Europe with exclusive habitats and unique biodiversity, Doñana and Los Alcornocales, that are key nodes along the East Atlantic flyway between Europe and Africa. The high biodiversity supports a relevant wildlife richness in continuous dispersion that may favor the emergence of tick-borne pathogens, but data from these environments remain scarce.
Methods: From April 2018 to March 2019, questing ticks and associated microorganisms (Borrelia spp., spotted fever group Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., Neoehrlichia spp., and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus) were monitored.
Results: Questing ticks were found in all the sampling campaigns, and 4726 specimens belonging to 10 species, dominated by Hyalomma lusitanicum, were collected. Candidatus Rickettsia rioja, R. slovaca, R. raoultii, R. aeschlimannii, R. monacensis, R. barbariae, R. massiliae, Borrelia lusitaniae, and Ehrlichia species were detected. Viruses were not amplified.
Conclusions: These results highlight the protected areas as natural foci of tick-borne pathogens and underscore the need for integrated surveillance.
Graphical Abstract:
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-026-07580-1.
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BibTeX
@article{palomar2026surveillance,
title = {{Surveillance of ticks and tick-borne microorganisms in two natural protected areas in Andalusia, South of Spain}},
author = {Ana M. Palomar and Aránzazu Portillo and Sonia Santibáñez and Cristina San José and Elena Rayas and Ventura Talavera and Eugenio Mallofret and Elena Migens and José A. Oteo},
journal = {Parasites \& Vectors},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s13071-026-07580-1},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-026-07580-1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Surveillance of ticks and tick-borne microorganisms in two natural protected areas in Andalusia, South of Spain
AU - Ana M. Palomar
AU - Aránzazu Portillo
AU - Sonia Santibáñez
AU - Cristina San José
AU - Elena Rayas
AU - Ventura Talavera
AU - Eugenio Mallofret
AU - Elena Migens
AU - José A. Oteo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/10
JO - Parasites & Vectors
DO - 10.1186/s13071-026-07580-1
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-026-07580-1
AB - Background: Spain has two of the most singular ecosystems of Europe with exclusive habitats and unique biodiversity, Doñana and Los Alcornocales, that are key nodes along the East Atlantic flyway between Europe and Africa. The high biodiversity supports a relevant wildlife richness in continuous dispersion that may favor the emergence of tick-borne pathogens, but data from these environments remain scarce. Methods: From April 2018 to March 2019, questing ticks and associated microorganisms (Borrelia spp., spotted fever group Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., Neoehrlichia spp., and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus) were monitored. Results: Questing ticks were found in all the sampling campaigns, and 4726 specimens belonging to 10 species, dominated by Hyalomma lusitanicum, were collected. Candidatus Rickettsia rioja, R. slovaca, R. raoultii, R. aeschlimannii, R. monacensis, R. barbariae, R. massiliae, Borrelia lusitaniae, and Ehrlichia species were detected. Viruses were not amplified. Conclusions: These results highlight the protected areas as natural foci of tick-borne pathogens and underscore the need for integrated surveillance. Graphical Abstract: Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-026-07580-1.
SN - 1756-3305
ER -