Redescription of <i>Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) elliptica</i> (Koch, 1844), an old taxon of the <i>Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) leachi</i> group from East and southern Africa, and of <i>Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) leachi</i> (Audouin, 1826) (Ixodida, Ixodidae

Koch (1844) originally described only the male of Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) elliptica (Koch, 1844), which he named Rhipistoma ellipticum. For the past century, however, this name has been considered a junior synonym of Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) leachi (Audouin, 1826), or a nomen nudum. We redescribe here the male and larva of H. (R.) elliptica and describe the female and nymph for the first time. Our redescription is based on the male holotype, plus numerous specimens from southern and East Africa. The adults of this tick parasitize domestic and wild carnivores, and the immature stages infest rodents in these regions. For comparative purposes redescriptions of all parasitic stages of H. (R.) leachi are provided. It parasitizes the same hosts as H. (R.) elliptica in Egypt, and in northeastern, Central, West and East Africa

Redescription of Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) elliptica (Koch, 1844), an old taxon of the Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) leachi group from East and southern Africa, and of Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) leachi (Audouin, 1826) (Ixodida, Ixodidae)

Koch (1844) originally described only the male of Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) elliptica (Koch, 1844), which he named Rhipistoma ellipticum. For the past century, however, this name has been considered a junior synonym of Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) leachi (Audouin, 1826), or a nomen nudum. We redescribe here the male and larva of H. (R.) elliptica and describe the female and nymph for the first time. Our redescription is based on the male holotype, plus numerous specimens from southern and East Africa. The adults of this tick parasitize domestic and wild carnivores, and the immature stages infest rodents in these regions. For comparative purposes redescriptions of all parasitic stages of H. (R.) leachi are provided. It parasitizes the same hosts as H. (R.) elliptica in Egypt, and in northeastern, Central, West and East Africa

Transmission expérimentale du virus de la fièvre hémorragique de Crimée-Congo : place de trois espèces vectrices dans les cycles de maintenance et de transmission au Sénégal

Dans cet article, nous rapportons la place de trois espèces de tiques Amblyomma variegatum (Fabricius, 1794), Hyalomma marginatum rufipes (Koch, 1844) et Hyalomma truncatum (Koch, 1844) dans les cycles de maintenance et de transmission du virus de la fièvre hémorragique de Crimée-Congo (CCHF) au Sénégal. Les imagos de ces espèces ont été infectés par inoculation intra-coelomique. La réplication du virus, les transmissions verticale (transovarienne et transtasiale) et horizontale pour les différentes stases ont été étudiées par les techniques d'isolement sur souriceaux nouveau-nés, d'immunofluorescence indirecte, par la réaction de polymérisation en chaine et par ELISA.Les résultats obtenus ont montré que 15 jours après l'inoculation, des taux d'infection de 100 % ont été obtenus avec Hyalomma marginatum rufipes et Hyalomma truncatum. Ce taux passe à 60 % chez Amblyomma variegatum. Les imagos des trois espèces infectées ont transmis le virus à leurs hôtes ou cours du repas sanguin (100 %). Une transmission transovarienne élevée pour les espèces Hyalomma marginatum rufipes et Hyalomma truncatum a été observée avec respectivement 53 et 50 % de larves positives en immunofluorescence indirecte. Ce taux passe à 12 % chez Amblyomma variegatum. L'infection des tiques ne persiste pas au-delà de la première génération chez les trois espèces étudiées. Les tiques sont donc des vecteurs-réservoirs temporaires mais pas des réservoirs permanents du virus CCHF

Contribution to the knowledge of ticks (Acarina: Ixodidae) in Gabon

International audienceFew data are available on the distribution of tick species in Gabon. We report the results of a survey of ticks collected from wild and domestic animals, and in the environment, in several regions of Gabon. We identified four tick species for the first time in Gabon, namely Haemaphysalis paralaechi, Ixodes aulacodi, Rhipicephalus annulatus and Rhipicephalus simpsoni and we report 28 tick species for this countr

A note on Hyalomma nitidum, its distribution and its hosts

The paper summarises the morphological characteristics, the known geographical dis- tribution and hosts of Hyalomma nitidum, a tick which has never been properly characterised. H. nitidum was first described in Cameroon in 1919, long considered as a synonym of Hyalomma truncatum and recognised as a separate and valid species only since the early 1970s. H. nitidum occurs from Senegal to the Central African Republic in more humid conditions than H. truncatum, roughly to the south of the isohyet of 900 mm. Adults are parasitic on various wild and domestic ungulates, on which immatures have not been found. Nymphs, identified after moulting to adults, have been found on a hare, and tentatively identified larvae and nymphs of this species have also been collected on hare as well as on a zebra mouse. The tick has been found infected with the virus of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, so far no other disease associations are known

First evidence of Anaplasma platys in Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodida) collected from dogs in Africa

A total of 27 ticks, comprising Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) (n = 21), Haemaphysalis leachi (Andouin) (n = 4) and Haemaphysalis paraleachi (Camicas, Hoogstraal & EI Kammah) (n = 2) were recovered from two clinically healthy female dogs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. DNA of Anaplasma platys was detected in a female R. sanguineus, using primers derived from the 16S rRNA gene, which amplify members of the family Anaplasmataceae. Anaplasma platys DNA was also detected in the blood of one of the dogs. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial sequences of the 16S rRNA, the gItA and the groEL genes ranged the detected agent within the Anaplasma clade. This is the first reported detection of A. platys in ticks in Africa. This finding raises the question of the possible involvement of R. sanguineus in A. platys infection of dogs.The articles have been scanned with a HP Scanjet 8300; 600dpi, saved in TIFF format. Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.mn201