Redescription of the numbat tick Ixodes (Sternalixodes) myrmecobii Roberts, 1962 (Acari: Ixodidae) with descriptions of the male and nymph, and new host records

Parasites of wombats (family Vombatidae), with a focus on ticks and tick-borne pathogens

Ticks (Arachnida: Acari) are vectors for pathogens and the biggest threat to animal health. Many Australian ticks are associated with pathogens that impact humans, domestic animals and livestock. However, little is known about the presence or impact of tick-borne pathogens in native Australian wildlife. Wombats are particularly susceptible to the effects of the ectoparasite Sarcoptes scabiei which causes sarcoptic mange, the reason for which is unknown. Factors such as other ectoparasites and their associated pathogens may play a role. A critical understanding of the species of ectoparasites that parasitise wombats and their pathogens, and particularly ticks, is therefore warranted. This review describes the ectoparasites of wombats, pathogens known to be associated with those ectoparasites, and related literature gaps. Pathogens have been isolated in most tick species that typically feed on wombats; however, there are minimal molecular studies to determine the presence of pathogens in any other wombat ectoparasites. The development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies allows us to explore entire microbial communities in ectoparasite samples, allowing fast and accurate identification of potential pathogens in many samples at once. These new techniques have highlighted the diversity and uniqueness of native ticks and their microbiomes, including pathogens of potential medical and veterinary importance. An increased understanding of all ectoparasites that parasitise wombats, and their associated pathogens, requires further investigation.

The first authenticated record of the pangolin tick Amblyomma javanense (Acari: Ixodidae) in Singapore, with notes on its biology and conservation

The first authenticated record of the co-endangered pangolin tick (Amblyomma javanense) is reported from the Republic of Singapore, based on specimens of males and females collected from the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica). The biology of the species is reviewed and steps for its conservation are outlined to ensure its continued survival across its range.

Ixodes heathi n. sp. (Acari: Ixodidae), a co-endangered tick from the critically endangered mountain pygmy possum (Burramys parvus), with notes on its biology and conservation

A new species of co-endangered tick, Ixodes heathi n. sp., is described from specimens of the nymph collected on the critically endangered mountain pygmy possum (Burramys parvus Broom) from the alpine region of Victoria, Australia. Its biology is discussed along with strategies for its conservation.

Ticks in the Lion City: a preliminary review of the tick fauna of Singapore

To this day, the tick fauna of Singapore remains poorly known. Although several studies of select species have been undertaken within Singapore, much of the information regarding Singaporean ticks is fragmentary. To facilitate future study of this group, the scattered information on Singaporean ticks is synthesised in the present work and includes a preliminary checklist of species reported to occur in Singapore, which comprised 14 species in 5 genera, with confirmed records of Argas pusillus, Amblyomma nitidum, Amblyomma varanense, Haemaphysalis doenitzi, Haemaphysalis nadchatrami, Haemaphysalis semermis, Ixodes granulatus, Rhipicephalus microplus, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus, and unconfirmed reports of Amblyomma cordiferum, Amblyomma geoemydae, Amblyomma helvolum, Amblyomma javanense and Amblyomma testudinarium.

A novel Australian tick Ixodes (Endopalpiger) australiensis inducing mammalian meat allergy after tick bite

Tick-induced mammalian meat allergy has become an emergent allergy world-wide after van Nunen et al. first described the association between tick bites and the development of mammalian meat allergy in 2007. Cases of mammalian meat allergy have now been reported on all 6 continents where humans are bitten by ticks, in 17 countries - Australia, United States of America (USA), Europe (France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Italy, and Norway), Asia (Korea and Japan), Central America (Panama), South America (Brazil), and Africa (South Africa and Ivory Coast). To date, in each of these countries, bites from only a single tick species have been linked to the development of mammalian meat allergy: Ixodes holocyclus (Australia), Amblyomma americanum (USA), Ixodes ricinus (Europe), and Ixodes cajennense (Panama) are confirmed as culprits, and Ixodes nipponensis (Japan and Korea), Amblyomma sculptum (Brazil), Amblyomma variegatum (Ivory Coast), and Haemaphysalis longicornis (Japan) suspected of provoking mammalian meat allergy after tick bite. Other tick species remain to be formally identified (South Africa). Identification of tick species associated with development of mammalian meat allergy is crucial to the uptake of public health measures to prevent tick bites from culprit tick species, for both individuals living in these tick-endemic areas and those who choose to visit these regions. We report a tick associated with the enhancement of mammalian meat anaphylaxis after tick bite which is novel for both Australia and the world and establishes Ixodes (Endopalpiger) australiensis as a second tick species associated with mammalian meat allergy in Australia.

The first records of human infestation by the hard tick Ixodes (Endopalpiger) australiensis (Acari: Ixodidae), with a review of human infestation by ticks in Australia

The first record of human infestation and feeding by the native tick species Ixodes australiensis is reported in Australia based on a specimen collected from an adult male. Human infestation by ticks in Australia is reviewed and a concise list of anthropophagic ticks occurring in Australia is presented.