The Occurrence of Spotted Fever Group (SFG) Rickettsiae in Ixodes ricinus Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in Northern Poland

In the present study further characterization of the amplified sequence of the citrate synthase gene of the spotted fever groupRickettsia isolated from Ixodes ricinus ticks in Sweden showed that it has 100% homology with the deposited sequence of the citrate synthase gene of Rickettsia helvetica. The restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) pattern of an amplified 382-bp product of the citrate synthase sequence, defined by primers RpCS877 and RpCS1258, yielded fragments for our isolate that could be visualized as a double band that migrated at approximately 44 bp, another double band at 85 bp, and a single band at nearly 120 bp after digestion with the restriction enzyme AluI. When calculating a theoretical PCR-RFLP pattern of the sequence of the citrate synthase gene of R. helvetica from the known positions where the AluI enzyme cuts, we arrived at the same pattern that was obtained for our isolate, a pattern distinctly different from the previously published PCR-RFLP pattern for R. helvetica. Investigation of 125 living I. ricinusticks showed a higher prevalence of rickettsial DNA in these ticks than we had found in an earlier study. Rickettsial DNA was detected by amplification of the 16S rRNA gene, for which a seminested primer system consisting of two oligonucleotide primer pairs was used. Of the 125 ticks, some were pooled, giving a total of 82 tick samples, of which 20 were found to be positive for the rickettsial DNA gene investigated. When considering the fact that some of the positive samples were pooled, the minimum possible prevalence in these ticks was 20 of 125 (16%) and the maximum possible prevalence was 46 of 125 (36.8%). These prevalence estimates conform to those of other studies of spotted fever group rickettsiae in hard ticks in Europe.

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Detection of spotted fever group rickettsiae and family Anaplasmataceae in Ixodes ricinus ticks from Republic of Moldova and Eastern Ukraine

Clinical Microbiology and Infection ◽

10.1111/j.1469-0691.2008.02152.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

pp. 32-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

A. Movila ◽

J.-M. Rolain ◽

A. Podavalenko ◽

I. Toderas ◽

L. Tkachenco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Republic Of Moldova ◽

Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae ◽

Ixodes Ricinus Ticks

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Ecological Factors Characterizing the Prevalence of Bacterial Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ixodes ricinus Ticks in Pastures and Woodlands

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.00610-10 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 76 (13) ◽

pp. 4413-4420 ◽

Cited By ~ 75

Author(s):

Lénaïg Halos ◽

Séverine Bord ◽

Violaine Cotté ◽

Patrick Gasqui ◽

David Abrial ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Fragmentation ◽

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Ecological Factors ◽

Adult Tick ◽

Reservoir Host ◽

Host Community ◽

Infection Prevalence ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Reservoir Hosts

ABSTRACT Ecological changes are recognized as an important driver behind the emergence of infectious diseases. The prevalence of infection in ticks depends upon ecological factors that are rarely taken into account simultaneously. Our objective was to investigate the influences of forest fragmentation, vegetation, adult tick hosts, and habitat on the infection prevalence of three tick-borne bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Rickettsia sp. of the spotted fever group, in questing Ixodes ricinus ticks, taking into account tick characteristics. Samples of questing nymphs and adults were taken from 61 pastures and neighboring woodlands in central France. The ticks were tested by PCR of pools of nymphs and individual adults. The individual infection prevalence was modeled using multivariate regression. The highest infection prevalences were found in adult females collected in woodland sites for B. burgdorferi sensu lato and A. phagocytophilum (16.1% and 10.7%, respectively) and in pasture sites for Rickettsia sp. (8.7%). The infection prevalence in nymphs was lower than 6%. B. burgdorferi sensu lato was more prevalent in woodlands than in pastures. Forest fragmentation favored B. burgdorferi sensu lato and A. phagocytophilum prevalence in woodlands, and in pastures, the B. burgdorferi sensu lato prevalence was favored by shrubby vegetation. Both results are probably because large amounts of edges or shrubs increase the abundance of small vertebrates as reservoir hosts. The Rickettsia sp. prevalence was maximal on pasture with medium forest fragmentation. Female ticks were more infected by B. burgdorferi sensu lato than males and nymphs in woodland sites, which suggests an interaction between the ticks and the bacteria. This study confirms the complexity of the tick-borne pathogen ecology. The findings support the importance of small vertebrates as reservoir hosts and make a case for further studies in Europe on the link between the composition of the reservoir host community and the infection prevalence in ticks.

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Detection of tick-borne pathogens in questing Ixodes ricinus in the French Pyrenees and first identification of Rickettsia monacensis in France

Parasite ◽

10.1051/parasite/2019019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 20 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Toufic Akl ◽

Gilles Bourgoin ◽

Marie-Line Souq ◽

Joël Appolinaire ◽

Marie-Thérèse Poirel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Pathogen Detection ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Rupicapra Pyrenaica ◽

Rickettsia Monacensis ◽

Animal Pathogens ◽

Questing Ticks ◽

Pyrenean Chamois ◽

First Time

Ticks are important vectors of several human and animal pathogens. In this study, we estimated the prevalence of important tick-borne infections in questing ticks from an area in Southwestern France (Hautes-Pyrénées) inhabited by Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica pyrenaica) experiencing high tick burden. We examined adult and nymph ticks collected by the flag dragging method from 8 to 15 sites in the Pic de Bazès during the years 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015. PCR assays were conducted on selected ticks for the detection of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Babesia spp., Rickettsia spp., spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Randomly selected positive samples were submitted for sequence analysis. A total of 1971 questing ticks were collected including 95 males, 101 females and 1775 nymphs. All collected ticks were identified as Ixodes ricinus. Among them, 696 ticks were selected for pathogen detection and overall prevalence was 8.4% for B. burgdorferi s.l.; 0.4% for Babesia spp.; 6.1% for A. phagocytophilum; 17.6% for Rickettsia spp.; and 8.1% for SFG Rickettsia. Among the sequenced pathogens, we detected in this population of ticks the presence of Babesia sp. EU1 and Rickettsia helvetica, as well as Rickettsia monacensis for the first time in France. The detection of these pathogens in the Pic de Bazès highlights the potential infection risks for visitors to this area and the Pyrenean chamois population.

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Borrelia lusitaniae and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae in Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) in Tuscany, Central Italy

Journal of Medical Entomology ◽

10.1603/0022-2585(2006)043[0159:blasfg]2.0.co;2 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 43 (2) ◽

pp. 159-165 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Luigi Bertolotti ◽

Laura Tomassone ◽

Clara Tramuta ◽

Elena Grego ◽

Giuseppina Amore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Central Italy ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae ◽

Borrelia Lusitaniae

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Characterization of a New Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia Detected in Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) Collected in Slovakia

Journal of Medical Entomology ◽

10.1603/0022-2585-37.5.707 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 37 (5) ◽

pp. 707-713 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Z. Sekeyová ◽

P. E. Fournier ◽

J. Řeháček ◽

D. Raoult

Keyword(s):

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia

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Rickettsia monacensis sp. nov., a Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia, from Ticks (Ixodes ricinus) Collected in a European City Park

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.68.9.4559-4566.2002 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 68 (9) ◽

pp. 4559-4566 ◽

Cited By ~ 143

Author(s):

Jason A. Simser ◽

Ann T. Palmer ◽

Volker Fingerle ◽

Bettina Wilske ◽

Timothy J. Kurtti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Lines ◽

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Mammalian Cells ◽

Citrate Synthase ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Mammalian Cell Lines ◽

Isolation And Characterization ◽

Rickettsia Monacensis ◽

City Park

ABSTRACT We describe the isolation and characterization of Rickettsia monacensis sp. nov. (type strain, IrR/MunichT) from an Ixodes ricinus tick collected in a city park, the English Garden in Munich, Germany. Rickettsiae were propagated in vitro with Ixodes scapularis cell line ISE6. BLAST analysis of the 16S rRNA, the citrate synthase, and the partial 190-kDa rickettsial outer membrane protein A (rOmpA) gene sequences demonstrated that the isolate was a spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsia closely related to several yet-to-be-cultivated rickettsiae associated with I. ricinus. Phylogenetic analysis of partial rompA sequences demonstrated that the isolate was genotypically different from other validated species of SFG rickettsiae. R. monacensis also replicated in cell lines derived from the ticks I. ricinus (IRE11) and Dermacentor andersoni (DAE100) and in the mammalian cell lines L-929 and Vero, causing cell lysis. Transmission electron microscopy of infected ISE6 and Vero cells showed rickettsiae within the cytoplasm, pseudopodia, nuclei, and vacuoles. Hamsters inoculated with R. monacensis had immunoglobulin G antibody titers as high as 1:16,384, as determined by indirect immunofluorescence assay. Western blot analyses demonstrated that the hamster sera cross-reacted with peptides from other phylogenetically distinct rickettsiae, including rOmpA. R. monacensis induced actin tails in both tick and mammalian cells similar to those reported for R. rickettsii. R. monacensis joins a growing list of SFG rickettsiae that colonize ticks but whose infectivity and pathogenicity for vertebrates are unknown.

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