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Ticks From Two Conflict-Associated Sumatran Tigers Contained Rickettsia and Anaplasma DNA

Sumatran tiger resting at a rehabilitation centre in West Sumatra, Indonesia
Research · Disease, parasites & microbiology

Eighteen ticks collected from two conflict-associated Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae), a subspecies of tiger (Panthera tigris), in West Sumatra were examined for tick-borne bacteria. The study, published on 28 February 2026 in Open Veterinary Journal, combined morphological identification, DNA-based tick identification and molecular screening.

One of the two tigers was alive; the other had died after being caught in a wild-boar snare. The researchers identified three tick species: Amblyomma javanense, Haemaphysalis bispinosa and Haemaphysalis wellingtoni.

Rickettsia and Anaplasma DNA Were Detected in Some Ticks

PCR screening detected Rickettsia spp. in A. javanense and a male H. wellingtoni. Anaplasma spp. were detected in A. javanense and in both male and female H. wellingtoni. Borrelia spp. were not detected in the analysed samples.

The findings concern DNA detected in the ticks, not a diagnosis of tick-borne disease in the tigers. The authors describe the results as preliminary evidence that ticks parasitising conflict-associated Sumatran tigers can harbour bacterial groups that include zoonotic pathogens.

Because the study was based on only two tigers and 18 ticks, the authors call for broader sampling and surveillance to clarify how common these bacteria are and what role they may play at the interface between wildlife, domestic animals and people.

Sources and image credit

  1. Hidayati, L., Zulfanedi, Y., Supriyono, S., Ekawasti, F., Viawan, B. D., Gusmiati, R., Alwi, N. P., Thusadya, H., & Humaida, B. (2026). Identification of ticks from conflict Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Open Veterinary Journal, 16(2), 1281–1288. https://doi.org/10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i2.45Primary peer-reviewed study published 28 February 2026. Eighteen ticks were collected from two conflict-associated Sumatran tigers, one alive and one deceased. Three tick species were identified; molecular screening detected Rickettsia spp. and Anaplasma spp., while Borrelia spp. were not detected. The article is distributed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

Image: Official Website of Ministry of Environment and Forestry Indonesia — sumatran tiger at Pusat Rehabilitasi Harimau Sumatra, Dharmasraya, West Sumatra, photographed 29 July 2017; Wikimedia Commons; representative rehabilitation image, not one of the study animals · Public Domain · Source

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