Or·ni·thod·o·ros mou·ba·'ta com·plex

a group of four tick species in Africa; the taxonomy and ecology of this complex is of great significance because its members are vectors of relapsing fever spirochetes; members of the complex include Ornithodoros moubata (various hosts), Ornithodoros compactus (tortoises), Ornithodoros apertus (porcupines), and Ornithodoros porcinus (warthogs); a domestic subspecies of Ornithodoros porcinus, in turn, forms three strains that feed chiefly on humans, fowl, and swine.

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References in periodicals archive

Isolation of African swine fever virus from ticks of the Ornithodoros moubata complex (Ixodoidea: Argasidae) collected within the African swine fever enzootic area of Malawi.

Seroprevalence of African swine fever in Senegal, 2006

ASF is endemic in eastern and southern Africa, where ASFV is maintained either in a sylvatic cycle between warthogs (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) or bushpigs (Potamochoerus spp.) and soft tick vectors of the Ornithodoros moubata complex or in a domestic cycle that involves pigs of local breeds with or without tick involvement (2-4).

African swine fever virus DNA in soft ticks, Senegal

Indeed, surveys of traditional Tanzanian "Tembe" dwellings have shown that up to 88% are infested with ticks of the Ornithodoros moubata complex (1).

Typing African relapsing fever spirochetes

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