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Background  A few billion birds migrate annually between their breeding grounds in Europe and their wintering grounds in Africa. Many bird species are tick-infested, and as a result of their innate migratory behavior, they contribute significantly to the geographic distribution of pathogens, including spotted fever rickettsiae. The aim of the present study was to characterize, in samples from two consecutive years, the potential role of migrant birds captured in Europe as disseminators of  Rickettsia -infected ticks.    Methods  Ticks were collected from a total of 14,789 birds during their seasonal migration northwards in spring 2009 and 2010 at bird observatories on two Mediterranean islands: Capri and Antikythira. All ticks were subjected to RNA extraction followed by cDNA synthesis and individually assayed with a real-time PCR targeting the citrate synthase ( gltA ) gene. For species identification of  Rickettsia , multiple genes were sequenced.    Results  Three hundred and ninety-eight (2.7%) of all captured birds were tick-infested; some birds carried more than one tick. A total number of 734 ticks were analysed of which 353 ± 1 (48%) were  Rickettsia -positive; 96% were infected with  Rickettsia aeschlimannii  and 4% with  Rickettsia africae  or unidentified  Rickettsia  species. The predominant tick taxon,  Hyalomma marginatum  sensu lato constituted 90% ( n  = 658) of the ticks collected. The remaining ticks were  Ixodes frontalis, Amblyomma  sp.,  Haemaphysalis  sp.,  Rhipicephalus  sp. and unidentified ixodids. Most ticks were nymphs (66%) followed by larvae (27%) and adult female ticks (0.5%). The majority (65%) of ticks was engorged and nearly all ticks contained visible blood.    Conclusions  Migratory birds appear to have a great impact on the dissemination of  Rickettsia -infected ticks, some of which may originate from distant locations. The potential ecological, medical and veterinary implications of such  Rickettsia  infections need further examination.

Spotted fever Rickettsia species in Hyalomma and Ixodes ticks infesting migratory birds in the European Mediterranean area