A new record of Wolbachia in the elephant ticks from Thailand

A new record of Wolbachia has been reported and characterized for the first time in ticks associated with the Asiatic elephant, Elephas maximas, in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand. It was found in one pool of the Rhipicephalus microplus larvae based on PCR amplification and DNA sequencing of the partial 16S rRNA gene. The phylogenetic relationships among the Wolbachia identified in this study and other 21 Wolbachia from supergroups A-I were inferred through comparison of partial sequences of the 16S rRNA gene. Interestingly, this Wolbachia strain was closely related to those from supergroup A found in Ixodes ricinus ticks. Our findings warrant further investigation as this Wolbachia has a potential use for the biological control of ticks in this region.