Molecular evidence and diversity of the spotted-fever group Rickettsia spp. in small mammals from natural, suburban and urban areas of Eastern Slovakia

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1400-1406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivana Heglasová ◽  
Bronislava Víchová ◽  
Jasna Kraljik ◽  
Ladislav Mošanský ◽  
Dana Miklisová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia

scholarly journals Serologic evidence of the exposure of small mammals to spotted-fever Rickettsia and Rickettsia bellii in Minas Gerais, Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (03) ◽  
pp. 275-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcella Gonçalves Coelho ◽  
Vanessa do Nascimento Ramos ◽  
Jean Ezequiel Limongi ◽  
Elba Regina Sampaio De Lemos ◽  
Alexandro Guterres ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Immunofluorescence Assay ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia ◽  
Tick Vectors ◽  
Rickettsia Bellii ◽  
First Time

Introduction: Sources of pathogenic Rickettsia in wildlife are largely unknown in Brazil. In this work, potential tick vectors and seroreactivity of small mammals against four spotted-fever group Rickettsia (R. rickettsii, R. parkeri, R. amblyommii and R. rhipicephali) and Rickettsia bellii from peri-urban areas of Uberlândia, a major town in Brazil, are described for the first time. Methodology: Small mammals were captured and blood samples collected. Ticks were collected from the surface of the host and the environment and posteriorly identified. Reactivity of small mammal sera to Rickettsia was tested by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) using crude antigens from five Brazilian Rickettsia isolates. Results: Information was obtained from 416 small mammals (48 Marsupialia and 368 Rodentia). Forty-eight animals were parasitized and two tick species, Ixodes loricatus and Amblyomma dubitatum, were found on several host species, with a few tick-host relationships described for the first time. From the 416 tested sera, 70 reacted to at least one Rickettsia antigen (prevalence of 16.8%) and from these, 19 (27.1%) reacted to two or more antigens. Seroprevalence was higher for marsupials (39.6%) than for rodents (13.8%). Marsupial and Rhipidomys spp. sera reacted mainly (highest seroprevalence and titers) to R. bellii, and that of Necromys lasiurus mainly to R. rickettsii. Conclusions: Although the serologic assays poorly discriminate between closely related spotted-fever group Rickettsia, the observed small mammal seroreactivity suggests the circulation of Rickettsia in the peri-urban area of Uberlândia, albeit at low levels.

scholarly journals Detection of Rickettsiae, Borreliae, and Ehrlichiae in Ticks Collected from Walker County, Texas, 2017–2018

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole L. Mendell ◽  
Erin S. Reynolds ◽  
Lucas S. Blanton ◽  
Meghan E. Hermance ◽  
Andres F. Londoño ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
The United States ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Amblyomma Americanum ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Questing Ticks ◽  
Report Data ◽  
Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia

Cases of tick-borne diseases, including spotted fever rickettsioses, borreliosis, babesiosis, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis, in the United States and territories have more than doubled from 2004 to 2016 and account for 77% of all vector-borne disease reports. In an effort to inform control efforts, the presence of tick-borne pathogens and their vectors was assessed in a recreational park in Walker County, Texas. Here we report data from questing ticks collected on three dates from June 2017 to June 2018. The majority of ticks collected were Amblyomma americanum (96.69%) followed by three additional tick species: Dermacentor variabilis (2.59%), Ixodes scapularis (0.52%), and A. maculatum (0.21%). Ticks were pooled and tested for molecular evidence of bacterial and viral pathogens, respectively. All of the 68 pools of A. americanum had molecular evidence of the spotted fever group rickettsia, Rickettsia amblyommatis. Additionally, six (8.82%) of the A. americanum pools contained sequences matching Ehrlichia chaffeensis, the pathogen responsible for human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis, and 11 (16.18%) for E. ewingii. Three of the A. americanum pools demonstrated evidence of Borrelia lonestari. The presence of etiologic agents of known human disease in this study merits the continued surveillance efforts of ticks and their pathogens in areas where they could pose risks to public health.

Collaborating With Community Scientists Across Arkansas to Update Tick Distributions and Pathogen Prevalence of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia and Ehrlichia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley P G Dowling ◽  
Sean G Young ◽  
Kelly Loftin
Keyword(s):  
Tick Species ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Amblyomma Americanum ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Prevalence Rates ◽  
Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia ◽  
Community Science ◽  
Tick Distributions

Abstract Tick-borne diseases (TBD) in humans have dramatically increased over recent years and although the bulk of cases are attributable to Lyme Disease in the Northeastern US, TBDs like spotted fever rickettsiosis and ehrlichiosis heavily impact other parts of the country, namely the mid-south. Understanding tick and pathogen distributions and prevalence traditionally requires active surveillance, which quickly becomes logistically and financially unrealistic as the geographic area of focus increases. We report on a community science effort to survey ticks across Arkansas to obtain updated data on tick distributions and prevalence of human tick-borne disease-causing pathogens in the most commonly encountered ticks. During a 20-mo period, Arkansans submitted 9,002 ticks from 71 of the 75 counties in the state. Amblyomma americanum was the most common tick species received, accounting for 76% of total tick submissions. Nearly 6,000 samples were screened for spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) and Ehrlichia, resulting in general prevalence rates of 37.4 and 5.1%, respectively. In addition, 145 ticks (2.5%) were infected with both SFGR and Ehrlichia. Arkansas Department of Health reported 2,281 spotted fever and 380 ehrlichiosis cases during the same period as our tick collections. Since known SFGR vectors Dermacentor variabilis and Amblyomma maculatum were not the most common ticks submitted, nor did they have the highest prevalence rates of SFGR, it appears that other tick species play the primary role in infecting humans with SFGR. Our investigation demonstrated the utility of community science to efficiently and economically survey ticks and identify vector-borne disease risk in Arkansas.

scholarly journals Comparative growth of spotted fever group Rickettsia spp. strains in Vero cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 111 (8) ◽  
pp. 528-531
Author(s):  
Arannadia Barbosa Silva ◽  
Myrian Morato Duarte ◽  
Vinicius Figueiredo Vizzoni ◽  
Ana Íris de Lima Duré ◽  
Diego Montenegro Lopéz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Vero Cells ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia

scholarly journals Rickettsia spp. in rodent-attached ticks and first evidence of Spotted fever Group Rickettsia species Candidatus Rickettsia uralica in Europe.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Vikentjeva ◽  
Julia Geller ◽  
Jaanus Remm ◽  
Irina Golovljova
Keyword(s):  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
Myodes Glareolus ◽  
Ixodes Persulcatus ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Rickettsia Species ◽  
Questing Ticks ◽  
Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia

Abstract BACKGROUND Rickettsia spp. are human pathogens that cause a number of diseases and are transmitted by arthropods, including ixodid ticks. Estonia contributes a region, where the distribution area of two exophilic tick species of known medical importance, Ixodes persulcatus and I. ricinus, overlap. The presence of the nidicolous rodent-associated I. trianguliceps has recently been shown for Estonia. Although there is no Estonian data available on human disease caused by tick-borne Rickettsia spp., the presence of three Rickettsia species in non-nidicolous ticks, albiet at very dissimilar rates, was also previously reported. The aim of this studywas to screen, identify and characterize Rickettsia species in nidicolous and non-nidicolous ticks attached to rodents. RESULTS Nymphs and larvae of I. ricinus ( n = 1004), I . persulcatus ( n = 75) and I. trianguliceps ( n = 117) attached to rodents and shrews caught in different parts of Estonia were studied for the presence of Rickettsia spp. by nested PCR. Ticks were removed from 314 small animals of 5 species (bank voles Myodes glareolus , yellow necked mice Apodemus flavicollis , striped field mice A. agrarius, pine voles M. subterranius and common shrews S. araneus) . Rickettsial DNA was detected in 8,7% (103/1186) studied ticks. In addition to R. helvetica, previously found in questing ticks, this study reports the first identification of the recently described I. trianguliceps- associated Candidatus R. uralica in west of the Ural.

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