![]() The aim of the present study was to improve tick leg sample preparation conditions for their identification by MALDI-TOF MS from Malian ethanol-preserved specimens collected in the field. ![]() A recent study suggested that it was possible to identify ticks preserved in alcohol by MALDI-TOF MS. Previous studies have shown that MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analyses may allow accurate tick species identification. Current identification methods are time consuming, expensive and laborious. The identification of tick species and the determination of pathogens associated are essential to evaluate epidemiology and risks of human and animal diseases: the One Health approach. At present, little information is available about tick species infesting livestock or human tick-borne diseases transmitted in Mali. However, very few studies have been done on ticks in Mali. Ticks are among the most important vectors and reservoirs of several animal and human pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and protozoa. These results support the fact that MALDI-TOF is a reliable tool for the identification of ticks conserved in alcohol and enhances knowledge about the diversity of tick species and pathogens transmitted by ticks circulating in Mali. When tested by molecular tools, 76.6%, 37.6%, 20.8% and 1.1% of the specimens tested were positive for Rickettsia spp., Coxiella burnetii, Anaplasmataceae and Borrelia spp., respectively. The inclusion in our MALDI-TOF MS arthropod database of MS reference spectra from ethanol-preserved tick leg specimens was required to obtain reliable identification. Tick legs submitted to MALDI-TOF MS revealed a concordant morpho/molecular identification of 99.6%. Among those, 471 ticks were randomly selected for molecular and proteomic analyses. Morphological identification allowed classification of ticks into 6 species including Amblyomma variegatum, Hyalomma truncatum, Hyalomma marginatum rufipes, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi and Rhipicephalus sanguineus sl. ![]() A total of 1,333 ticks were collected from mammals in three distinct sites from Mali. The objective of this study was to improve the conditions for the preparation of tick samples for their identification by MALDI-TOF MS from field-collected ethanol-stored Malian samples and to evaluate the capacity of this technology to distinguish infected and uninfected ticks. In recent years, Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been reported as a promising method for the identification of arthropods including ticks. Therefore, identification of ticks and associated pathogens is an important step in the management of these vectors. Ticks are considered the second vector of human and animal diseases after mosquitoes.
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