{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T02:30:09Z","timestamp":1760236209566,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,8]],"date-time":"2021-11-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1636329600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs","award":["Project CR2003"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Project CR2003"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate the presence of Mycoplasma agalactiae (Ma) or other Contagious Agalactia (CA) causative organisms, in hard ticks infesting milking sheep and goats in endemic areas for CA in Sicily (South-Italy). Although there is accumulating evidence to support the role of ticks in the transmission of blood-borne haemoplasmas, information regarding their role in the transmission of CA, remains scarce. Ticks (n = 152) were collected from 25 lactating sheep and goats from three farms with previous outbreaks of CA. Microbiological and biomolecular, as well as serological analysis were performed on milk, tick, and serum samples, respectively. Rhipicephalus bursa species predominated, comprising 84.8% of the sampled ticks. Mycoplasma-like colonies were isolated from 5\/56 (8.9%) tick pools and were identified as Ma by specific PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Unexpectedly, the organism was isolated from R. bursa ticks recovered only from animals whose milk tested negative for the pathogen. This preliminary demonstration suggests the potential role for ticks to act as a reservoir for the organisms, with potential involvement in the spread and maintenance of CA. Further work is required to determine the location of the organisms within the body of the ticks and to assess transmission potential.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms9112312","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,8]],"date-time":"2021-11-08T08:05:16Z","timestamp":1636358716000},"page":"2312","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Detection of Mycoplasma agalactiae in Ticks (Rhipicephalus bursa) Collected by Sheep and Goats in Sicily (South-Italy), Endemic Area for Contagious Agalactia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1766-5327","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paola","family":"Galluzzo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"OIE Reference Laboratory for Contagious Agalactia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi, 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"},{"name":"Dipartimento Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6685-7109","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sergio","family":"Migliore","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"OIE Reference Laboratory for Contagious Agalactia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi, 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3461-3353","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roberto","family":"Puleio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"OIE Reference Laboratory for Contagious Agalactia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi, 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lucia","family":"Galuppo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"OIE Reference Laboratory for Contagious Agalactia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi, 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0947-853X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesco","family":"La Russa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Entomology Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi, 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Valeria","family":"Blanda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Entomology Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi, 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8221-2490","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Serena","family":"Tumino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"OIE Reference Laboratory for Contagious Agalactia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi, 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1555-8309","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandra","family":"Torina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Entomology Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi, 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anne","family":"Ridley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Bacteriology, OIE Reference Centre for Contagious Agalactia, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Addlestone KT15 3NB, Surrey, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Guido R.","family":"Loria","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"OIE Reference Laboratory for Contagious Agalactia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via Gino Marinuzzi, 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S3","DOI":"10.1017\/S0031182004005967","article-title":"The global importance of ticks","volume":"129","author":"Jongejan","year":"2004","journal-title":"Parasitology"},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"4793","article-title":"Vector-borne diseases","volume":"15","author":"More","year":"2017","journal-title":"EFSA J."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Guglielmone, A.A., Robbins, R.G., Apanaskevitch, D.A., Petney, T.N., Estrada-Pena, A., and Horak, I.G. 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