Molecular Detection ofHemolivia(Apicomplexa: Haemogregarinidae) from Ticks of North AfricanTestudo graeca(Testudines: Testudinidae) and an Estimation of Their Phylogenetic Relationships Using 18S rRNA Sequences

Hemolivia mauritanica is an apicomplexan parasite infecting the tortoises Testudo graeca and Testudo marginata as the intermediate vertebrate host, and the tick Hyalomma aegyptium as the definitive invertebrate host. Here, we used molecular techniques to detect an apparent H. mauritanica in the ticks H. aegyptium, attached to Testudo graeca from North Africa. Sequences from 18S rRNA were used to place the new sequences, and others retrieved from GenBank, in a phylogenetic framework. A single Hemolivia haplotype was recovered from 16 ticks. Prevalence was estimated at 22.6% of hosts having ticks infected with H. mauritanica.