RESEARCH Investigation of tick-borne l o

Hard ticks (Ixodidae) are arthropods that suck blood from their vertebrate hosts and play an important role in the transmission and ecology of infectious diseases [1]. At least 30 ixodid tick species belonging to Amblyomma, Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, Ixodes and Rhipicephalus genera have been documented in Ecuador [2]. These genera are recognized vectors of pathogenic bacteria with medical and veterinary relevance in neotropical regions [3]. In South America, information about the occurrence of tick-borne bacteria in wild mammals, which are fre-quently exposed to tick-bites, is limited [4,5]. Moreover, several severe and economically important diseases of livestock in tropical regions are caused by tick-borne path-ogens (i.e. bovine anaplasmosis caused by Anaplasma marginale) that can also infect wildlife species [6]. In Ecuador, the Andean tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) is listed as endangered species. Cattle introduction into the Andean tapir refuges (i.e. Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve) is ne