Recent findings of exotic and rare tick species (Ixodidae) in the Slovak Republic
2026 - Volume: 66 Issue: Suppl pages: 221
https://doi.org/10.24349/9rcc-36f1
ICA 2026 - XVII International Congress of Acarology, 20-24 July 2026, Montpellier
Keywords
Rhipicephalus sanguineus
Ixodes frontalis
Ixodes kaiseri
Hyalomma marginatum
The Slovak Republic
Abstract
Herein we report the occurrences of two exotic tick species, Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Hyalomma marginatum and of the endophilic Ixodes kaiseri, and a new regional record of Ixodes frontalis in Slovakia. Ticks were identified to species and stage according to taxonomic keys. Morphological identification of all species was confirmed molecularly by PCR targeting specific fragments of the cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and 16S rRNA genes Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806) were collected from the walls in an apartment and from two mixed- breed dogs in Bratislava in 2017-2018 (Didyk et al. 2022). Based on molecular analyses ticks clustered in the Rhipicephalus sp. IIa mitochondrial “temperate” lineage, which contains geographically similar ticks from the mid- and western Mediterranean regions. Ixodes kaiseri Arthur, 1957 were collected from the skin of hunted Vulpes vulpes and Meles meles in 2021. Sequence analyses showed that the I. kaiseri isolate from Slovakia was identical to isolates from other European countries (Krumpálová et al. 2023). In July 2022, one questing Hyalomma female, climbing cloths, was collected in district Púchov (western Slovakia). The tick was morphologically and molecular identified as H. marginatum Koch, 1844 Ixodes frontalis (Panzer, 1798) ticks were collected from vegetation in the Botanical Garden of Comenius University in Bratislava in 2023-2025. Molecular analyses showed 100% identity of the I. frontalis DNA sequences with other European isolates of the species. The current findings represent the second record of H. marginatum and the third record of I. frontalis in Slovakia. Although the current risk of introduction of pathogens carried by these ticks to Slovakia is relatively low, continuous monitoring of their occurrence is necessary Acknowledgements: The research was funded by grant APVV-22-0372, Vega2/0083/25, Vega2/0092/26.
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