Identifying wildlife hosts in tick-borne disease (TBD) cycles improves surveillance and risk assessment for human and domestic animal transmission. Data on tick-borne pathogens (TBP) in coyotes is limited, as is surveillance of white-tailed deer (WTD) in south Texas. This study aimed to detect TBP infections in coyotes and WTD in south Texas, a transboundary region with frequent animal migrations across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Using the TickPath layerplex PCR assay, we screened blood samples for Borrelia, Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, and Babesia. Results showed 9.0% of coyotes were positive for Babesia vogeli and 0.8% for Borrelia turicatae. Among WTD, 0.4% tested positive for Anaplasma platys, 1.6% for Ehrlichia chaffeensis, and 7.3% for Theileria cervi. Most positive samples came from counties along the U.S.-Mexico border, with one B. vogeli-positive coyote from northern Texas. This study reports the first molecular detection of B. turicatae in coyotes and demonstrates both species’ potential as sentinels for zoonotic and domestic animal TBD.
