Molecular surveillance of Rickettsia and Bartonella in desert rodents and ticks from the southern margin of the Gurbantunggut Desert, Xinjiang, China

Desert rodents and their parasitic ectoparasites act as reservoirs and vectors of zoonotic bacteria, while little research has characterized their community structure and pathogen pathogen infection profiles in the Gurbantunggut Desert remain insufficiently studied. A field investigation was conducted in the southern margin of the desert from October 2024 to June 2025. Gerbils and questing ticks were collected, identified via morphological and molecular methods, and tested for Rickettsia ompA gene and Bartonella gltA gene by PCR. Field sampling yielded 142 gerbil individuals and 361 tick specimens. Bartonella prevalence among these rodents reached 40.14%, whereas spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR). positivity was only 1.11% in tick samples. Gerbils are key Bartonella reservoirs, D. marginatus a specific Rickettsia conorii vector, highlighting zoonotic risks and providing baseline data for semi-arid desert pathogen transmission research.