First Records of Possibly Human Pathogenic Rickettsia Species in Bat Ticks, Carios vespertilionis , in Sweden

The Soprano pipistrelle bat, , is a common species in large parts of Sweden. Many of its natural habitats are near human habitations. This creates opportunities for ticks infesting these bats to encounter humans and possibly transmit zoonotic pathogens by tick bites. The bats are often infested with , a tick species that, in addition to bats, has been recorded to bite humans on occasion. This study aimed to investigate if acts as a reservoir for , , Tick-borne encephalitis virus, and species of and and to improve currently used conventional PCR protocols for molecular species determination of spp. Ninety-two ticks were collected from underneath a bat-box harbouring . Pathogen-specific PCR assays showed that 58.4% were positive for spp. and negative for the other pathogens analysed. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the species belong to , , , subsp. , , and a hitherto uncultured sp. Several of these species are considered pathogenic to humans. Given the ecology and behaviour of , it may be a vector of these rickettsiae among bats and occasionally humans. To determine the species with certainty, and to determine if may be a reservoir and vector of the spp., further studies are needed.