Molecular detection of tick-borne pathogen diversities in ticks from livestock and reptiles along the shores and adjacent islands of Lake Victoria and Lake Baringo, Kenya

Abstract

Diverse neglected tick-borne diseases are widespread along the shores and islands of Lakes Baringo and Victoria in Kenya. The diversity of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) and specific interactions with tick and vertebrate host species is poorly understood in the region. This article discusses the role of reptiles in tick-borne pathogen epidemiology. During the wet months (April–May; October–December) of 2012–2013, the investigators sampled 13 tick species that are potential vectors of ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, rickettsiosis, theileriosis, and babesiosis from livestock, poultry houses, and reptiles in domestic surroundings along the shores and islands of Lake Baringo and Lake Victoria in Kenya. They identified high frequencies of potential disease agents of livestock disease in both Amblyomma and Rhipicephalus pools of ticks sampled from livestock in both study areas (as well as from tortoises); from livestock and dogs in both regions; and from monitor lizards at Lake Victoria. The new tick–host–pathogen interactions found have implications on the risk of disease transmission to humans and domestic animals and highlight the complexity of TBP ecologies, which may include reptiles as reservoir species, in sub-Saharan Africa. This work is partly funded by the UK Department for International Development, a core donor of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology