Full Text Available

Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.

Identification of selected South African ticks using morphological traits and DNA barcoding

Mini Dissertation (Wildlife Health, Ecology and Management)--University of Pretoria 2022.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Other Authors: Chaisi, Mamohale E.
Format: Thesis
Language:en_US
Published: University of Pretoria 2022
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867613547083595776
access_status_str Open Access
author2 Chaisi, Mamohale E.
author_browse Chaisi, Mamohale E.
author_facet Chaisi, Mamohale E.
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2022 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Mini Dissertation (Wildlife Health, Ecology and Management)--University of Pretoria 2022.
format Thesis
id oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/86776
institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language en_US
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:37:52.763Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2022
publishDateRange 2022
publishDateSort 2022
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
record_format dspace
source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/86776 Identification of selected South African ticks using morphological traits and DNA barcoding Chaisi, Mamohale E. Khumalonoz@gmail.com Oosthuizen, Marinda C. Khumalo, Nozipho Ticks DNA barcoding 16S rRNA Wildlife COI Microscopy UCTD Mini Dissertation (Wildlife Health, Ecology and Management)--University of Pretoria 2022. The study aimed to identify and characterise ticks collected from selected wildlife species from selected areas in South Africa using morphological traits and DNA barcoding. The ticks were collected during necropsy and stored at the South African National Biodiversity Institution-National Zoological Gardens (SANBI/NZG) Biobank. A total of 48 individual tick specimens (adult, engorged and nymphs) from 13 hosts of captive wildlife were morphologically identified using appropriate morphological keys. DNA was extracted from whole ticks, followed by amplification of the COI and 16S rRNA genes. Amplification was confirmed by gel electrophoresis, and the amplicons were sequenced. The following tick species were morphologically identified from different species of wild animals: Amblyomma hebraeum, Haemaphysalis elliptica, Amblyomma hebraeum, Amblyomma nuttalli, Ixodes spp., Hyalomma truncatum, Hyalomma rufipes, Otobius megnini, Rhipicentor nuttalli, Rhipicephalus simus, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Amblyomma (Aponomma) exornatum, Rhipicephalus evertsi mimeticus and Rhipicephalus spp cf. sp nr pravus. Amblyomma spp. were the most common species, and represented 22.9% of the identified ticks. Sequencing results confirmed the morphologically results, and indicated that the new sequences were 95 – 100% similar to published sequences of ticks from wild and domestic animals, and vegetation in different parts of southern Africa. However, sequences of three tick species that were morphologically identified as Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Hyalomma truncatum and Rhipicephalus simus, were closely similar to published sequences of Rhiphicephalus mimeticus, Hyalomma glabrum and Rhipicephalus gertrudae, respectively. The findings of this study confirm previous reports that wildlife in South Africa harbour a wide diversity of ticks of veterinary and public health importance, and that COI and 16S rRNA genes are suitable markers for characterisation of ticks. This study also highlights the risk of transmission of ticks and tick-borne diseases to new areas and hosts during translocation of wild animals. Future work should assess the risk of these ticks as vectors of tick-borne infections of human and livestock in order to inform management of tick-borne diseases, including tick-borne zoonoses, in captive facilities in South Africa. Production Animal Studies MSc (Wildlife Health, Ecology and Management) Unrestricted 2022-08-12T06:21:07Z 2022-08-12T06:21:07Z 2022-09-09 2022-07 Mini Dissertation * https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/86776 DOI: 10.25403/UPresearchdata.20508780 10.25403/UPresearchdata.20508780 en_US © 2022 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle Ticks
DNA barcoding
16S rRNA
Wildlife
COI
Microscopy
UCTD
Identification of selected South African ticks using morphological traits and DNA barcoding
title Identification of selected South African ticks using morphological traits and DNA barcoding
title_full Identification of selected South African ticks using morphological traits and DNA barcoding
title_fullStr Identification of selected South African ticks using morphological traits and DNA barcoding
title_full_unstemmed Identification of selected South African ticks using morphological traits and DNA barcoding
title_short Identification of selected South African ticks using morphological traits and DNA barcoding
title_sort identification of selected south african ticks using morphological traits and dna barcoding
topic Ticks
DNA barcoding
16S rRNA
Wildlife
COI
Microscopy
UCTD
url https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/86776