Occurrence and Identification of Ixodes ricinus Borne Pathogens in Northeastern Italy

In Europe, Ixodes ricinus is the main vector for tick-borne pathogens (TBPs), the most common tick species in Italy, particularly represented in pre-alpine and hilly northern areas. From 2011 to 2017, ticks were collected by dragging in Belluno province (northeast Italy) and analyzed by molecular techniques for TBP detection. Several species of Rickettsia spp. and Borrelia spp. Anaplaspa phagocitophilum, Neoerlichia mikurensis and Babesia venatorum, were found to be circulating in the study area carried by I. ricinus (n = 2668, all stages). Overall, 39.1% of screened pools were positive for at least one TBP, with a prevalence of 12.25% and 29.2% in immature stages and adults, respectively. Pathogens were detected in 85% of the monitored municipalities, moreover the presence of TBPs varied from one to seven different pathogens in the same year. The annual TBPs prevalence fluctuations observed in each municipality highlights the necessity of performing continuous tick surveillance. In conclusion, the observation of TBPs in ticks remains an efficient strategy for monitoring the circulation of tick-borne diseases (TBDs) in a specific area.

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The specificity of Babesia-tick vector interactions: recent advances and pitfalls in molecular and field studies

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-021-05019-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Anna Bajer ◽

Dorota Dwużnik-Szarek

Keyword(s):

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Tick Species ◽

Ixodes Scapularis ◽

Epidemiological Data ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Molecular Techniques ◽

Babesia Microti ◽

Ixodes Persulcatus ◽

Tick Vector

Abstract Background Babesia spp. are protozoan parasites of great medical and veterinary importance, especially in the northern Hemisphere. Ticks are known vectors of Babesia spp., although some Babesia-tick interactions have not been fully elucidated. Methods The present review was performed to investigate the specificity of Babesia-tick species interactions that have been identified using molecular techniques in studies conducted in the last 20 years under field conditions. We aimed to indicate the main vectors of important Babesia species based on published research papers (n = 129) and molecular data derived from the GenBank database. Results Repeated observations of certain Babesia species in specific species and genera of ticks in numerous independent studies, carried out in different areas and years, have been considered epidemiological evidence of established Babesia-tick interactions. The best studied species of ticks are Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus and Ixodes scapularis (103 reports, i.e. 80% of total reports). Eco-epidemiological studies have confirmed a specific relationship between Babesia microti and Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes persulcatus, and Ixodes scapularis and also between Babesia canis and D. reticulatus. Additionally, four Babesia species (and one genotype), which have different deer species as reservoir hosts, displayed specificity to the I. ricinus complex. Eco-epidemiological studies do not support interactions between a high number of Babesia spp. and I. ricinus or D. reticulatus. Interestingly, pioneering studies on other species and genera of ticks have revealed the existence of likely new Babesia species, which need more scientific attention. Finally, we discuss the detection of Babesia spp. in feeding ticks and critically evaluate the data on the role of the latter as vectors. Conclusions Epidemiological data have confirmed the specificity of certain Babesia-tick vector interactions. The massive amount of data that has been thus far collected for the most common tick species needs to be complemented by more intensive studies on Babesia infections in underrepresented tick species. Graphical abstract

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Global Distribution of Babesia Species in Questing Ticks: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Based on Published Literature

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10020230 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 230

Author(s):

ThankGod E. Onyiche ◽

Cristian Răileanu ◽

Susanne Fischer ◽

Cornelia Silaghi

Keyword(s):

Tick Species ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Mammalian Species ◽

Molecular Techniques ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Babesia Microti ◽

Babesia Species ◽

Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

Questing Ticks ◽

Veterinary Importance

Babesiosis caused by the Babesia species is a parasitic tick-borne disease. It threatens many mammalian species and is transmitted through infected ixodid ticks. To date, the global occurrence and distribution are poorly understood in questing ticks. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to estimate the distribution of the pathogen. A deep search for four electronic databases of the published literature investigating the prevalence of Babesia spp. in questing ticks was undertaken and obtained data analyzed. Our results indicate that in 104 eligible studies dating from 1985 to 2020, altogether 137,364 ticks were screened with 3069 positives with an estimated global pooled prevalence estimates (PPE) of 2.10%. In total, 19 different Babesia species of both human and veterinary importance were detected in 23 tick species, with Babesia microti and Ixodesricinus being the most widely reported Babesia and tick species, respectively. Regardless of species, adult ticks with 2.60% had the highest infection rates, while larvae had the least with 0.60%. Similarly, female ticks with 4.90% were infected compared to males with 3.80%. Nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) 2.80% had the highest prevalence among the molecular techniques employed. In conclusion, results obtained indicate that Babesia species are present in diverse questing tick species at a low prevalence, of which some are competent vectors.

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Small mammals as hosts of immature ixodid ticks

Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research ◽

10.4102/ojvr.v72i3.204 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 72 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

I.G. Horak ◽

L.J. Fourie ◽

L.E.O. Braack

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Tick Species ◽

Ixodid Tick ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Free State ◽

Immature Stages ◽

Rhabdomys Pumilio ◽

Haemaphysalis Leachi ◽

Lepus Capensis ◽

Multimammate Mice

Two hundred and twenty-five small mammals belonging to 16 species were examined for ticks in Free State, Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces, South Africa, and 18 ixodid tick species, of which two could only be identified to genus level, were recovered. Scrub hares, Lepus saxatilis, and Cape hares, Lepus capensis, harboured the largest number of tick species. In Free State Province Namaqua rock mice, Aethomys namaquensis, and four-striped grass mice, Rhabdomys pumilio, were good hosts of the immature stages of Haemaphysalis leachi and Rhipicephalus gertrudae, while in Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces red veld rats, Aethomys chrysophilus, Namaqua rock mice and Natal multimammate mice, Mastomys natalensis were good hosts of H. leachi and Rhipicephalus simus. Haemaphysalis leachi was the only tick recovered from animals in all three provinces.

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Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of small antelopes : steenbok, Raphicerus campestris and suni, Neotragus moschatus : research communication

Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research ◽

10.4102/ojvr.v73i3.150 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

H. Golezardy ◽

I.G. Horak

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Tick Species ◽

Immature Stages ◽

Research Communication ◽

Far North ◽

Wildlife Species ◽

North East ◽

Kwazulu Natal ◽

North Eastern ◽

Geographic Regions

During surveys on the tick burdens of various wildlife species in South Africa, nine small antelopes became available for study. Six of these were steenbok, Raphicerus campestris and three sunis, Neotragus moschatus, and their tick burdens are recorded here. The steenbok were examined in three nature reserves and harboured nine tick species. The sunis were examined in a fourth reserve and were infested with eight species. The steenbok and sunis were generally infested with the immature stages of the same tick species that infest larger animals in the same geographic regions. In addition the sunis harboured Haemaphysalis parmata, which in South Africa is present only in the eastern and north-eastern coastal and adjacent areas of KwaZulu-Natal Province. They were also infested with Rhipicephalus kochi, which in South Africa occurs only in the far north-east of the KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo Provinces.

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Composition of tick species (Acari: Ixodida) on dogs in the urban agglomeration – a multi-year study

Medycyna Weterynaryjna ◽

10.21521/mw.5805 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 73 (11) ◽

pp. 698-701 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mirosław M. Michalski

Keyword(s):

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Tick Species ◽

Dominant Species ◽

Rhipicephalus Sanguineus ◽

Dermacentor Reticulatus ◽

Urban Agglomeration ◽

The Subject ◽

The City

Ticks parasitizing on dogs belong to mites of the order Ixodida, class Arachnida. In Poland the occurrence of four species has been recorded most frequently: Ixodes ricinus, I. hexagonus, I. crenulatus and Dermacentor reticulatus. Their importance is due to the fact that they are vectors of many dangerous diseases of humans and animals. The subject of the present study were ticks collected from dogs, patients of several veterinary clinics from the urban agglomeration of the city of Olsztyn. Ticks were collected from May to June in eight consecutive years: 2009–2016. The dominant species was I. ricinus (60.14%) in relation to D. reticulatus (39.71%). In two consecutive years, 2011–2012, single females of Rhipicephalus sanguineus were also identified, an exceptional finding of this species in our country. In D. reticulatus, nymphs predominated over females (23.74% vs 16.0%) while in I. ricinus the respective percentage was 29.6% and 30.55%. However, in subsequent years of the study the proportions between nymphs and females varied greatly in both species.

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Transstadial Transmission and Replication Kinetics of West Nile Virus Lineage 1 in Laboratory Reared Ixodes ricinus Ticks

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens9100780 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 780

Author(s):

Cristian Răileanu ◽

Oliver Tauchmann ◽

Ana Vasić ◽

Ulrike Neumann ◽

Birke Andrea Tews ◽

...

Keyword(s):

West Nile Virus ◽

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Tick Species ◽

Vector Competence ◽

Virus Transmission ◽

Viral Agent ◽

West Nile ◽

Transstadial Transmission ◽

Kinetics Of

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne agent that has also been isolated from several tick species. Vector competence of Ixodes ricinus, one of the most common tick species in Europe, has been poorly investigated for WNV to date. As such, to evaluate the vector competence, laboratory reared Ixodes ricinus nymphs were in vitro fed with WNV lineage 1 infectious blood, allowed to molt, and the resulting females artificially fed to study the virus transmission. Furthermore, we studied the kinetics of WNV replication in ticks after infecting nymphs using an automatic injector. Active replication of WNV was detected in injected nymphs from day 7 post-infection until 28 dpi. In the nymphs infected by artificial feeding, the transstadial transmission of WNV was confirmed molecularly in 46.7% of males, while virus transmission during in vitro feeding of I. ricinus females originating from infected nymphs was not registered. The long persistence of WNV in I. ricinus ticks did not correlate with the transmission of the virus and it is unlikely that I. ricinus represents a competent vector. However, there is a potential reservoir role that this tick species can play, with hosts potentially acquiring the viral agent after ingesting the infected ticks.

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