Culturable pathogenic bacteria in ticks parasitizing farm animals and rodents in Malaysia
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2020
Abstract
Ticks are vectors of bacteria, protozoa and viruses capable of causing serious and life threatening diseases in humans and animals. Disease transmission occurs through the transfer of pathogen from tick bites to susceptible humans or animals. Most commonly known tick-borne pathogens are obligate intracellular microorganisms but little is known on the prevalence of culturable pathogenic bacteria from ticks capable of growth on artificial nutrient media. One hundred and forty seven ticks originating from dairy cattle, goats and rodents were collected from nine selected sites in Peninsular Malaysia. The culture of surface-sterilized tick homogenates revealed the isolation of various pathogenic bacteria including, Staphylococcus sp., Corynebacterium sp., Rothia sp., Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and Bacillus sp. and its derived genera. These pathogens are among those that affect humans and animals. Findings from this study suggest that in addition to the regular intracellular pathogens, ticks could also harbor extracellular pathogenic bacteria. Further studies, hence, would be needed to determine if these extracellular pathogens could contribute to human or animal infection.
Keywords
Animals, Domestic, Bacteria, Cattle, Female, Goats, Malaysia, Male, Rodentia, Ticks
Divisions
tidrec
Publication Title
Tropical Biomedicine
Volume
37
Issue
3
Publisher
Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine
Publisher Location
C/O INST MEDICAL REEARCH, JALAN PAHANG, KUALA LUMPUR, 50588, MALAYSIA