Metagenomic Profiling of the Mycobiome of Haemaphysalis bispinosa Ticks Infesting Moa Buffalo, Indonesia

Haemaphysalis bispinosa is an important ectoparasite of Moa buffalo in Southwest Maluku and has the potential to be a disease vector. Information on the gut microbiome of this tick is still limited, especially in tropical island regions. This study aims to profile the gut microbiome of H. bispinosa using a metagenomic approach. A total of 55 adult caplak were collected, their intestines were extracted for total DNA, and ITS marker-based metagenomic sequencing was performed. The data were analyzed using a bioinformatics pipeline for annotation and taxonomic identification of fungi. NGS analysis shows that the composition of the intestinal microbiome of H. bispinosa is dominated by Malassezia nana, followed by Curvularia lunata, Purpureocillium lilacinum, Acremonium brachypenium, Cyphellophora oxyspora, which are opportunistic on skin tissue, and Pyrenochaetopsis indica, which is known to be saprophytic. At the community level, the Basidiomycota phylum dominated with the presence of Malassezia nana species (38%) of the entire community. The phylum Ascomycota was also detected in considerable diversity, as indicated by the proportion of the family Didymellaceae (8%), Periconia epilithographicola (4%), and the genus Epicoccum (2%), Cordycipitaceae (2%), the Dothideomycetidae group (2%), and other mycobiota groups (8%). These findings confirm that the gut microbiome of H. bispinosa is dominated by M. nana, which has the potential to be a zoonotic agent. The results of this study are important for understanding the potential health risks to animals and humans in endemic areas.