Species composition and morpho-molecular identification of field-collected ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) across ecosystems of tick-borne disease cases in West Malaysia

The public health risk of ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) have been steadily increasing, partly due to ticks expanding their range into human proximity. However, there is lack of up-to-date information on tick species composition in West Malaysia, particularly within high-risk ecosystems for tick exposure. This study investigates the presence of tick species in 6 ecosystems of Pahang and Terengganu, where human TBD cases have been reported, through morphological and molecular identification approaches. A total of 153 small mammals were caught, dominantly from recreational forest (RF), belonging to 13 species. Of these, 68 were infested with ticks, to make an overall prevalence of 44.4%. Additionally, a total of 351 individual of feeding and questing ticks were collected. A mix life stages of these ticks were then identified as Amblyomma cordiferum Neumann 1899, Amblyomma geoemydae (Cantor, 1847), Amblyomma testudinarium Koch 1844, Dermacentor auratus Supino 1897, Dermacentor compactus Neumann 1901, Dermacentor steini (Schulze, 1933), Dermacentor tricuspis (Schulze, 1933), Dermacentor sp., Haemaphysalis hystricis Supino 1897, Haemaphysalis sp., and Ixodes granulatus Supino 1897. The most prevalent species was D. auratus (43%), followed by D. steini (16%) and I. granulatus (12.3%). Interestingly, this study is the first to report high infestation of various developmental stages of ticks on Tupaia glis (Diard, 1820) in Malaysia, highlighting its potential as a competent host for both and ticks and pathogens. These findings offer valuable evidence for public health authorities and sheds new light on tick species in TBD-related ecosystems, which can be applied for tick-management programs in Malaysia.