Data from: First molecular evidence of reptile-associated Borrelia spp. in tortoise bont ticks (Amblyomma marmoreum) collected in Zambia
Data files
May 21, 2026 version files 7.64 KB
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README.md
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REPBorreZamrawdata.zip
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Abstract
Reptile-associated (REP) borreliae represent a distinct monophyletic lineage of spirochetes transmitted by hard ticks. These organisms have been reported in several regions worldwide, including South Africa, but had not been reported in ticks collected in Zambia until now. In this study, we screened for Borrelia spp. in Amblyomma marmoreum ticks collected from Leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) in Southern Province, Zambia. Of the 87 tick DNA samples analyzed, 74 (85.1 %) were positive by Borrelia-specific real-time PCR. Subsequent BLASTn and phylogenetic analyses of flaB and 16S rDNA sequences confirmed that the detected Borrelia spp. belong to REP borreliae and are closely related to Borrelia sp. previously reported from South Africa. This study represents the first molecular confirmation of REP borreliae in A. marmoreum ticks collected in Zambia and expands the known distribution of these spirochetes. The findings underscore the need for further investigations on their ecology and epidemiology to better understand the public and animal health relevance and transmission dynamics of REP borreliae in reptile-associated tick populations.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.3tx95x6x6
Description of the data and file structure
These data were generated during an investigation of Borrelia associated with ticks collected from tortoise hosts in Zambia. The raw dataset contains individual-level records for collected ticks, including specimen ID, host tortoise ID, tick species, developmental stage, sex, and molecular detection results. Newick tree files from 16S rDNA and flaB analyses are also included to document the phylogenetic analyses associated with the study.
Files and variables
File: REPBorreZamrawdata.zip
Description:
Files included
1. Tick_raw_data.csv
Raw individual-level dataset for collected tick specimens. Each row represents one tick specimen.
Variables:
- Sample ID: unique identifier assigned to each tick specimen
- Year: year of tick collection
- Host tortoise ID: identifier of the tortoise host from which the tick was collected
- Tick species: morphological identification of the tick specimen
- Tick Stage: developmental stage of the tick specimen
- Tick Sex: sex of the tick specimen when applicable and determinable
- Real-time PCR_Cq: cycle quantification (Cq) value obtained by real-time PCR
- flaB_result: result of PCR and/or sequence-based identification for the flaB marker
- 16S rDNA_result: result of PCR and/or sequence-based identification for the 16S rDNA marker
- hpt_result: result of PCR for the hpt marker
Coding and abbreviations:
- Cq: quantification cycle
- flaB: flagellin B gene
- 16S rDNA: 16S ribosomal DNA
- hpt: hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase gene
- negative: no positive amplification or no target detected for that assay
- Not applicable: sex was not assigned, for example for nymphal ticks
- Numeric values in Real-time PCR_Cq: observed Cq values for positive real-time PCR reactions
- Accession numbers or text entries in flaB_result / 16S rDNA_result: sequence identity or sequence match recorded for that specimen
Missing values:
- No missing values are represented by blank cells in this file.
- "negative" indicates a negative assay result and is not a missing value.
- "Not applicable" indicates that the field did not apply to that specimen and is not a missing value.
2. 16S_tree
Phylogenetic tree file in Newick format for the 16S rDNA analysis.
Variables/contents:
- Newick-formatted tree string including taxon labels and branch lengths as exported from phylogenetic analysis software
Abbreviations:
- nwk: Newick tree format
- 16S rDNA: 16S ribosomal DNA
3. flaB_tree
Phylogenetic tree file in Newick format for the flaB analysis.
Variables/contents:
- Newick-formatted tree string including taxon labels and branch lengths as exported from phylogenetic analysis software
Abbreviations:
- nwk: Newick tree format
- flaB: flagellin B gene
Code/software
No custom scripts or code are included with this submission.
The file Tick_raw_data.csv can be opened with any standard spreadsheet or text-editing software, including LibreOffice Calc, Microsoft Excel, or a plain text editor. No specialized software is required to view this file.
The files 16S_tree and flaB_tree are in standard Newick tree format. These files can be viewed with phylogenetic tree software such as MEGA X, FigTree, or other software that supports Newick-formatted tree files.
The phylogenetic analyses associated with these tree files were conducted in MEGA X. The tree files deposited here are the exported Newick-format tree files corresponding to the phylogenetic analyses described in the manuscript.
No additional packages, scripts, or workflow-specific software are required to inspect the deposited files.
Access information
The raw tick-level dataset (Tick_raw_data.csv) was generated in this study and is not derived from an external data source.
The phylogenetic tree files (16S_tree and flaB_tree) were generated using sequence data analyzed in this study together with publicly available reference sequences obtained from GenBank (NCBI). Relevant accession numbers are indicated in the tree labels and/or described in the associated manuscript.
No additional publicly accessible external dataset was used to generate the raw tick-level data.
Newly generated sequences from this study are available in GenBank under accession numbers [ LC866012-LC866015].