Non-Nidicolous Ixodidae Ticks of the Saratov Region: Fauna, Epidemiological Significance, Prospects for Further Research

The aim of the work was to clarify the species spectrum and assess the epizootiological and epidemiological significance of Ixodidae ticks in the Saratov Region.
Materials and methods. Ticks collected from natural biotopes and obtained from population in 2014–2024 were examined by molecular-genetic and serological methods for the presence of pathogens of natural focal diseases. Then, the infection rate was calculated, and the epidemiological significance of various Ixodidae tick species was determined.
Results and discussion. DNA markers of pathogenic Borrelia, Coxiella, Rickettsia of the tick-borne spotted fever group, and the tularemia pathogen antigen have been identified. The importance of various tick species as vectors of pathogens of borreliosis and tularemia is shown. In the Saratov Region, Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus play a key role in the transmission of Borrelia, while D. reticulatus and Rhipicephalus rossicus are vectors of tularemia. Promising areas of research related to Ixodidae ticks include identifying the spread of Rickettsia in the region and studying their ecological features, identifying Francisella-like endosymbionts of Ixodidae ticks, and studying the biological and ecological features of individual species of the family Ixodidae. Determining the role of these ticks in the circulation and spread of tick-borne spotted fever Rickettsia is relevant in regional pathology

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