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New host record of Amblyomma pakhtunensis on the Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) with detection of a distinct Borrelia lineage

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Abstract

Pangolins are mammals of the order Pholidota, with most species listed as endangered or critically endangered. They are distributed in both Asia and Africa, with the Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) found in South Asia, including Pakistan. The tick genus Amblyomma, in the family Ixodidae, is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions and infests a variety of terrestrial and semi terrestrial vertebrates. The bacterial genus Borrelia is Gram-negative and consists of three main groups, one of which is mainly linked to reptiles, some birds, and mammals. This study focuses on investigating the Indian pangolin as a potential host for Amblyomma pakhtunensis, a recently described tick species previously reported only on monitor lizards and with no known microbial associations. It also aims to determine whether ticks from pangolins contain Borrelia species and assesses their phylogenetic relationships. Ticks collected from a pangolin were morphologically identified as A. pakhtunensis. DNA from a subset of ticks was extracted to confirm their molecular identity and to detect Borrelia spp. in these ticks using conventional PCR. For the former, a partial fragment of tick 16S rRNA was targeted, while for the latter, partial fragments of the Borrelia 16S rRNA, flaB, and glpQ genes were targeted for amplification. A single live pangolin, conventionally identified as M. crassicaudata, was found. Twenty‑seven ticks were collected (16 males, 11 females), all morphologically identified as A. pakhtunensis. BLAST analysis of A. pakhtunensis 16S rDNA sequence showed 99.75% identity with the same tick species. BLAST analysis of Borrelia 16S rDNA and flaB sequences revealed highest identities of 99.25% and 95.91%, respectively, with Candidatus Borrelia javanense. The overall Borrelia infection rate was 50% (5/10), with infections detected in 4/5 female ticks and 1/5 male tick. In both 16S rDNA and flaB based phylogenetic analyses, the detected Borrelia species clustered with Candidatus B. javanense from China. In addition to expanding the vertebrate host diversity of A. pakhtunensis, this study also expands knowledge of the third group of Borrelia by extending their known vertebrate host range and genetic diversity. This study can enhance our understanding of the regional epidemiology of tick-borne diseases and may specifically aid pangolin conservation strategies by taking into account the control of ticks and their associated pathogens.

Data availability

All DNA sequences generated in this study are publicly available in GenBank under the following accession numbers: PX387109, PX387536, and PX394402.

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Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful and acknowledge Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), for providing the necessary funding for this research.

Funding

The authors thank the Ongoing Research Funding Program, (ORF-2026-1440), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, Australia

    Mehran Khan

  2. Institute of Zoological sciences, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan

    Muhammad Adnan & Muhammad Khan

  3. Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan

    Abdul Majid & Abid Ali

  4. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Mashal M. Almutairi & Brekhna Faheem

  5. Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Asma F. Alotaibi & Alanoud T. Aljasham

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Contributions

A.A: Conceptualization, Project administration, Supervision, Data curation, Methodology, writing original draft, Writing—review and editing, Visualization; M.E.K.: Data curation, Software, Methodology, Writing original draft, Writing—review and editing, Visualization, Morphology; M.U.K: Data curation, Software, Methodology, Writing original draft, Writing—review and editing, visualization, Morphology; A.M: Data curation, Methodology, Writing original draft, Writing—review and editing, Visualization; B.F: Data curation, Methodology, Writing original draft, Writing—review and editing, Visualization; M.A: Conceptualization, Supervision, Data curation, Methodology, Writing original draft, Writing—review and editing, Visualization; M.M.A: Data curation, Methodology, Writing original draft, Writing—review and editing, Visualization; A.F.A: Data curation, Methodology, Writing original draft, Writing—review and editing, Visualization; A.T.A: Data curation, Methodology, Writing original draft, Writing—review and editing, Visualization.

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Khan, M., Adnan, M., Majid, A. et al. New host record of Amblyomma pakhtunensis on the Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) with detection of a distinct Borrelia lineage.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-45336-0

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Keywords

  • Pangolin
  • Tick

  • Amblyomma pakhtunensis

  • Borrelia
  • Phylogeny
  • Pakistan

Source: Ecology - nature.com

Transforming waste into worth: Procambarus clarkii carapace as a high-performance biosorbent for methyl red dye

Flow-driven patterns of whale shark movement in the Red Sea

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