1.Molecular screening of Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Brucella in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting farm ruminants in Peninsular Malaysia
Kazim A.R. ; Low V.L. ; Houssaini J. ; Tappe D. ; Heo C.C.
Tropical Biomedicine 2026;43(No. 1):26-31
Ticks are obligate hematophagous arachnids that parasitize both humans and animals. While considerable
research in Malaysia has focused on bacterial detection in ticks, knowledge of tick-borne Anaplasma,
Ehrlichia and Brucella in farm ruminants remains limited. In this study, 1,241 ticks comprising of four
species (Rhipicephalus microplus, Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides, Haemaphysalis bispinosa, and
Haemaphysalis wellingtoni) were collected from 674 farm ruminants across Peninsular Malaysia. The ticks
were pooled and molecularly screened for Anaplasma and Ehrlichia using 16S rRNA gene primers, and
Brucella using the BSCP31 gene primer. Out of 130 tick pools, five (3.85%) tested positive for Anaplasma
and two (1.54%) for Ehrlichia. No Brucella DNA was detected in all four tick species. All positive pools
consisted exclusively of R. microplus, with no pathogens identified in the other three tick species. BLAST
analysis revealed that the Anaplasma sequences were identical to Anaplasma marginale, A. platys, and
Candidatus “Anaplasma boleense”, while the Ehrlichia sequences were identical to Ehrlichia ewingii.
This study represents the first screening for Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Brucella in ticks infesting farm
ruminants in Peninsular Malaysia.
2.Two new records of chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera) from the Oriental honey buzzard [Pernis ptilorhynchus (Temminck, 1821)] and house crow (Corvus splendens Viellot, 1817) in Malaysia
Kazim, A.R. ; Houssaini, J. ; Tappe, D. ; Heo, C.C. ; Vellayan, S.
Tropical Biomedicine 2023;40(No.4):416-421
We report two new records of chewing lice from avian pets in Peninsular Malaysia: Colpocephalum
apivorus Tendeiro, 1958 from an Oriental honey buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus (Temminck, 1821)),
and Myrsidea splendenticola Klockenhoff, 1973 from an albino house crow (Corvus splendens Vieillot,
1817). The scarcity of louse records from avian pets and wild birds, and the lack of louse research in
Malaysia are discussed.


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