Ticks and tick-borne pathogens in selected abattoirs and a slaughter slab in Kumasi, Ghana

Background: Ticks are vectors of pathogens that affect the health of animals and humans. With the constant trade of livestock across borders, there is the risk of new tick species invasion accompanied by the spread of infectious tick-borne pathogens. Aim: This study sought to determine the diversity of tick species within abattoirs and a slaughter slab as well as identify the pathogens carried by these ticks. Methods: The ticks were collected from slaughtered cattle, identified and screened for pathogens using PCR and sequencing. Results: A total of 371 ticks were collected from slaughtered cattle across the three sampling sites: Kumasi abattoir (288, 77.63%), Akwatia Line slaughter slab (52, 14.02%) and Suame abattoir (31, 8.35%). The predominant species was Amblyomma variegatum (85.44%) with Rhipicephalus sanguineus (s.l.) (0.27%) as the least occurring species. Total nucleic acid from the tick pools was screened for pathogens based on the nucleoprotein gene region in the S segment of the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) genome, the 295-bp fragment of the transposase gene of the Coxiella burnetii IS1111a element, the 560 bp segment of the ssrRNA gene of Babesia and Theileria, , the 345 bp fragment of the Ehrlichia genus 16SrRNA gene and the rOmpA gene (OmpA) of Rickettsia. . From the 52 tick pools screened, 40(76.92%) were found positive for pathogen DNA. The pathogens identified were Rickettsia africae (69.23%), Rickettsia aeschlimannii (7.69%), C. burnetii (5.77%), uncultured Ehrlichia sp. (5.77%), Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii (3.85%) and CCHFV (3.85%). A significant association was observed among A. variegatum, , Hyalomma rufipes, , Hyalomma truncatum and occurring tick-borne pathogens R. africae, , R. aeschlimannii and uncultured Ehrlichia sp. (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The findings show the occurrence of zoonotic pathogens, suggesting an increased risk of infections among the abattoir workers. There is a need to adopt control measures within the abattoirs to prevent pathogen spread.