Molecular Characteristics of Rickettsia in Ticks Collected along the Southern Border of Mongolia

Tick-borne infections are a significant threat to public health, particularly in regions where individuals frequently enter tick habitats. Roughly 26% of the population in Mongolia practice nomadic pastoralism and are considered at high risk of exposure to ticks and the diseases they carry. This study tested ticks from Mongolia's southern border for Rickettsia spp. to better understand the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases in the region. Dermacentor nuttalli and Hyalomma asiaticum ticks (n = 4022) were pooled and tested for Rickettsia spp. by real-time PCR. Melt-curve analyses and Sanger sequencing were used to identify Rickettsia species. Approximately 64% of the 786 tick pools tested positive for Rickettsia bacteria. Melt curve analyses identified four different Rickettsia species circulating in these tick pools. Amplicon sequencing of the ompA gene identified Rickettsia spp. that closely resembled R. raoultii and R. sibirica. Dermacentor nuttalli ticks from Govi-Altai had the highest maximum likelihood estimation infection rate 48.4% (95% CI: 41.7-56.5%), while Hyalomma asiaticum collected in Omnogovi had a rate of 7.6% (95% CI: 6.2-9.2%). The high detection of Rickettsia suggests a substantial risk of infection in southern Mongolia. Further studies are necessary to investigate the clinical burden of tick-borne diseases in Mongolia.