Occurrence of novel and emergent tick-borne pathogens in a Kenyan biodiversity hotspot

摘要

Background: Ticks are important vectors of emerging infectious zoonotic pathogens that significantly contribute to public and animal health burdens. Limited understanding of pathogen diversity and their tick vectors especially in areas of intensified human-livestock-wildlife interactions often constrains development of better disease prevention and control strategies. Here, we aimed to gain insight on diversity of pathogens and their tick vectors collected from Shimba Hills National Reserve (SHNR), one of Kenya's high biodiversity areas facing considerable human encroachment.