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Francisella -Like Endosymbiont in Dermacentor reticulatus Collected in Portugal

2010; Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.; Volume: 11; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1089/vbz.2010.0014

1557-7759

Isabel Lopes de Carvalho, Nuno Santos, Teresa Soares, Líbia Zé‐Zé, Maria Sofia Núncio,

Insect and Pesticide Research

In Portugal, recent studies have confirmed the presence of Francisella tularensis in Dermacentor reticulatus. Bacterial endosymbionts with significant homology to F. tularensis have been described in several species of ticks. In this work we identified Francisella-like endosymbionts in D. reticulatus ticks (39%), confirming the presence of these bacteria in Portugal. This finding should be considered in future studies using molecular approaches to detect Francisella prevalence in ticks and environmental samples.