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However, the role of lizards in the ecology of tick-borne pathogens remains poorly understood. This study investigated tick infestation levels and the occurrence of tick-borne pathogens in\n                    <jats:italic>I. ricinus<\/jats:italic>\n                    feeding on European common lizards\n                    <jats:italic>(Zootoca vivipara louislantzi)<\/jats:italic>\n                    in the central Pyrenees, Spain. A total of 137 lizards were captured in summer and spring of 2024 at two sites (~\u20091700\u00a0m.a.s.l.). Tick infestation prevalence was 98.5% and a mean abundance of 5.8\u2009\u00b1\u20097.0 ticks. Infestation was significantly higher in males, adults, and during spring. Molecular screening of 525 ticks (188 pools) using real-time and conventional PCR protocols detected\n                    <jats:italic>Rickettsia<\/jats:italic>\n                    spp. DNA in 15.4% pools, with an overall minimum infection rate (MIR) of 5.52%, with stage-specific MIRs of 4.79% in larvae and 7.81% in nymphs. Sequencing of 14 amplicons identified\n                    <jats:italic>Rickettsia helvetica<\/jats:italic>\n                    (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u200911) and\n                    <jats:italic>Rickettsia monacensis<\/jats:italic>\n                    (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u20093).\n                    <jats:italic>Babesia<\/jats:italic>\n                    DNA was detected at low prevalence (MIR: 0.38%) and sequences clustered within the\n                    <jats:italic>Babesia divergens-Babesia capreoli<\/jats:italic>\n                    complex. No\n                    <jats:italic>Borrelia burgdorferi<\/jats:italic>\n                    sensu lato and\n                    <jats:italic>Anaplasma phagocytophilum<\/jats:italic>\n                    DNA was detected. Our findings show that lizards can sustain high levels of\n                    <jats:italic>I. ricinus<\/jats:italic>\n                    infestation, constituting a reliable bloodmeal source for ticks infected with\n                    <jats:italic>Rickettsia<\/jats:italic>\n                    and\n                    <jats:italic>Babesia<\/jats:italic>\n                    in the mountain ecosystems of the Pyrenees. Although the lizard\u2019s role in pathogen transmission remains to be clarified, its consistent exposure to immature ticks highlights its potential value as a sentinel species for monitoring tick-borne pathogen circulation in high-altitude environments.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s00436-026-08742-x","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]],"date-time":"2026-08-21T02:57:15Z","timestamp":1787281035000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Molecular investigation of tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes ricinus feeding on lizards in the Central Pyrenees, Spain"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"125","author":[{"given":"Sofia M.","family":"Soares","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marta","family":"S\u00e1nchez-S\u00e1nchez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruth","family":"Rodr\u00edguez-Pastor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Clara","family":"Mu\u00f1oz-Hern\u00e1ndez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alberto","family":"Moraga-Fern\u00e1ndez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Colorado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Henar","family":"Alonso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mar\u00eda Paz","family":"Peris","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Patrick S.","family":"Fitze","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Isabel G.","family":"Fern\u00e1ndez de Mera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Javier","family":"Mill\u00e1n","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"8742_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"20","DOI":"10.1051\/parasite\/2019019","volume":"26","author":"T Akl","year":"2019","unstructured":"Akl T, Bourgoin G, Souq M-L et al (2019) Detection of tick-borne pathogens in questing Ixodes ricinus in the French Pyrenees and first identification of Rickettsia monacensis in France. 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