New data on the presence of Argas reflexus (ixodida: Argasidae) in Sardinia

Introduction Argas reflexus (Fabricius, 1794), described for the first time on samples found in Italy, is a nidicolous, polyphasic and monothropic soft tick which originally parasitized several species of wild birds (Dusbábek F & Rosicky B, 1976) and had as its preferred host the pigeon (Columba livia livia Gmelin). Consequently to pigeon domestication, A. reflexus has colonized rural and urban environments. A. reflexus is a Palaearctic species and in Italy its distribution is reported in almost all regions, except for the southernmost ones (Sobrero L & Manilla G, 1988). Its presence is signaled in Sardinia since the end of the 19th century (Marcialis E, 1892), notwithstanding some authors in the past have considered this report as unreliable. Its presence has been also reported later by Garneri G A in 1902. More recently, A. reflexus was found in the town of Cagliari in the late 1980s, when several immature stages and adults were found inside some houses, whose attics housed colonies of pigeons (Pusceddu G, 1997-1998). The first official note on the presence of this species in Sardinia is nevertheless recorded in the late 1990s, when 21 adult specimens were sampled in a school in Cagliari (Contini C, 1998). The same paper reports additional findings relating to the years following the first discovery. Other unpublished records reported this species in the town of Cagliari in the same period (Figus V, 1999). In 2004 A. reflexus was reported again in Cagliari (Fois F et al, 2006; Montarsi F et al, 2011). The aim of this study is to confirm the presence of A. reflexus in Sardinia and make official its presence definitively in the light of more recent data acquired and in relation with 6 specimens found in the town of Cagliari between 2004 and 2011. Materials and methods The sampled specimens were fixed in 70% ethanol and morphologically determined by microscopic analysis according to Manilla’s analytical keys (Manilla G., 1998). Results and Discussion All specimens were found in the town of Cagliari (isle of Sardinia). One nymph was sampled in October 2004 on a windowsill of a building town centre. In October 2007 another nymph was found inside an apartment in another area of the town, and in June 2011 four other nymphs were sampled inside an apartment on whose balcony stopped domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica). In the latter case, the ticks were particularly numerous and shown a particular attraction to humans. These new data show that Argas reflexus, present in Sardinia already for some decades, is now firmly established. It is strictly associated with the domestic pigeon, which is very abundant and widespread, especially in major urban centers of the island. The potential of this tick as a vector of pathogens and its anthropofily, as demonstrated also by the recent reported cases, especially in case of serious infestations, makes it a species of health importance. A. reflexus can cause, through sensitization to salivary secretions, sometimes very severe anaphylactic reactions (Miadonna A et al, 1982; Khoury C & Maroli M, 2004).