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Background  Previously, twelve  Rickettsia  species were identified in ticks, fleas, sheep keds ( Melophagus ovinus ), bats ( Pipistrellus pipistrellus ) and a tick-bitten patient in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwestern China. Here we aimed to molecularly detect rickettsial agents in red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ), marbled polecat ( Vormela peregusna ) and their ticks.    Methods  During 2018–2019, 12 red foxes, one marbled polecat and their ticks were sampled in two counties and a city of the XUAR. The heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney of these 13 carnivores were dissected, followed by DNA extraction. Hard ticks were identified both morphologically and molecularly. All samples were examined for the presence of rickettsiae by amplifying four genetic markers ( 17-kDa, gltA, ompA, sca1 ).    Results  A total of 26 adult ticks and 28 nymphs (38  Ixodes canisuga , nine  Ixodes kaiseri , six  Haemaphysalis erinacei  and one  Dermacentor marginatus ) were collected from red foxes, and four  Ha. erinacei  ticks were removed from the marbled polecat. Analysis of cytochrome  c  oxidase subunit I ( COI ) gene sequences indicated that 2–32 nucleotides differed between  I. canisuga ,  I. kaiseri  and  Ha. erinacei  from northwestern China and Europe.  Rickettsia raoultii  was detected in three red foxes,  Candidatus  Rickettsia barbariae in a red fox,  Rickettsia sibirica  in a red fox and a marbled polecat, and  R. raoultii  in two tick species ( I. canisuga  and  D .  marginatus ).    Conclusions  To the best of our knowledge,  I. canisuga  and  I. kaiseri  have not been previously reported from red foxes in China. The DNA of  R. sibirica  and  R. raoultii  was detected for the first time in the organs of red foxes, and  R. sibirica  in the organs of a marbled polecat. This is also the first molecular evidence for the presence of  R. raoultii  in  I. canisuga . Our findings expand the range of tick-borne pathogens in wildlife species and associated ticks in China.Supplementary Information  The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13071-021-04718-1.

Rickettsiae in red fox (Vulpes vulpes), marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna) and their ticks in northwestern China