Ornithodoros capensis

Between 1962 and 1965, 15 strains of Hughes virus were isolated from Soldado Rock, a small limestone island located about 9.6 km off the southwestern tip of Trinidad. Seven isolates came from ticks of the O. capensis complex and eight from nestling terns Sterna fuscata (Aitken et al. 1968 b). Jonkers et al. (1973) reported Soldado virus (TRVL 52214), a new viral agent, isolated from a pool of nymphal O. capensis ticks (either Ornithodoros capensis sensu stricto or O. denmarki) collected from a brown noddy (Anous stolidus) on Soldado Rock. O. (A.) capensis is also known to transmit other Soldado viruses in Hawaii, Seychelles, Trinidad and Ethiopia (Labuda and Nuttall 2004); Johnston Atoll virus, Abal virus in Central Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand, SW Africa (Hoogstraal 2003); Upolu virus in Australia; Baku virus in Azerbaijan; Aransas Bay virus in Texas, USA; Saumarez Reef virus in Tasmania; Hirota virus on Aomatsushima Island, Japan and, Midway virus in Hawaii (Labuda and Nuttall 2004).

Kohls et al. (1965) recorded O. (A.) capensis from spotted sandpipers, Actitis macularia from Laventile swamp, Port of Spain, Trinidad. Aitken et al. (1969) further recorded O. (A.) capensis during their survey of arthropods for natural virus infection.

Distribution: Dassen Island and Malagas Island (South Africa), Australia, Central Pacific, Ethiopia, Hawaii, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Texas, Dominica, Jamaica, Cuba (Kohls et al. 1965; Cruz 2001).