Molecular Detection of Spotted-Fever Group Rickettsiae in Ticks Collected from Domestic and Wild Animals in Corsica, France

To obtain a better understanding of the current magnitude of tick-borne rickettsioses in Corsica, we used molecular methods to characterize the occurrence of Rickettsia spp. in ixodid ticks collected from domestic and wild animals. The presence of Rickettsia spp. was evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction targeting the gltA gene and by sequencing of gltA and ompA partial genes for species identification and phylogenetic analysis. Infection rates were calculated as the maximum-likelihood estimation (MLE) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). In total, 1117 ticks belonging to four genera (Rhipicephalus, Hyalomma, Ixodes, and Dermacentor) were collected from cattle, sheep, wild boars, and companion animals during July–August 2017 and July 2018–January 2019. Overall, Rickettsia DNA was detected in 208 of 349 pools of ticks (MLE = 25.6%, 95% CI: 22.6–28.8%). The molecular analysis revealed five different rickettsial species of the spotted-fever group (SFG). We highlighted the exclusive detection of Candidatus Ri. barbariae in R. bursa and of Ri. aeschlimanii in H. marginatum. Rickettsia slovaca was detected in D. marginatus collected from wild boars. This study provides the first evidence of the presence of Ri. monacensis in I. ricinus ticks isolated from a dog in Corsica. In conclusion, our data revealed wide dispersal of SFG Rickettsiae and their arthropod hosts in Corsica, highlighting the need for surveillance of the risk of infection for people living and/or working close to infected or infested animals.

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Anaplasma phagocytophilum and other tick-borne bacteria in wild animals in western Slovakia

Biologia ◽

10.2478/s11756-011-0131-1 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 66 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Katarína Štefanidesová ◽

Eva Špitalská ◽

Ivan Krkoš ◽

Elena Smetanová ◽

Elena Kocianová

Keyword(s):

Cervus Elaphus ◽

Anaplasma Phagocytophilum ◽

Red Deer ◽

Roe Deer ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Capreolus Capreolus ◽

Dermacentor Reticulatus ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Wild Animals ◽

Wild Boars

AbstractTick-borne bacterial zoonoses of livestock and free-ranging ungulates caused by Anaplasma spp. are common in Central Europe. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and other tick-borne bacteria in wild animals from western Slovakia. Infection with A. phagocytophilum was recorded in 62.86% of analyzed roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), in two red deer (Cervus elaphus) and two wild boars (Sus scrofa). Dermacentor reticulatus and Ixodes ricinus ticks collected on red deer were not A. phagocytophilum-infected. However, spotted fever group rickettsiae were detected in ticks collected from red deer. High prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in roe deer as well as positive red deer and wild boars suggest the occurrence of natural foci in western Slovakia.

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Molecular surveillance of spotted fever group rickettsioses in wildlife and detection of Rickettsia sibirica in a Topi (Damaliscus lunatus ssp. jimela) in Kenya

Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research ◽

10.4102/ojvr.v84i1.1265 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 84 (1) ◽

Author(s):

David Ndeereh ◽

Andrew Thaiyah ◽

Gerald Muchemi ◽

Antoinette A. Miyunga

Keyword(s):

Citrate Synthase ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Intergenic Spacer ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Wild Animals ◽

Rickettsia Species ◽

Glta Gene ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Rickettsia Sibirica

Spotted fever group rickettsioses are a group of tick-borne zoonotic diseases caused by intracellular bacteria of the genus Rickettsia. The diseases are widely reported amongst international travellers returning from most sub-Saharan Africa with fever, yet their importance in local populations largely remains unknown. Although this has started to change and recently there have been increasing reports of the diseases in livestock, ticks and humans in Kenya, they have not been investigated in wildlife. We examined the presence, prevalence and species of Rickettsia present in wildlife in two regions of Kenya with a unique human–wildlife–livestock interface. For this purpose, 79 wild animals in Laikipia County and 73 in Maasai Mara National Reserve were sampled. DNA extracted from blood was tested using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify the intergenic spacer rpmE-tRNAfMet and the citrate synthase-encoding gene gltA. Rickettsial DNA was detected in 2 of the 79 (2.5%) animals in Laikipia and 4 of the 73 (5.5%) in Maasai Mara. The PCR-positive amplicons of the gltA gene were sequenced to determine the detected Rickettsia species. This revealed Rickettsia sibirica in a Topi (Damaliscus lunatus ssp. jimela). This is the first report of spotted fever group rickettsioses in wildlife and the first to report R. sibirica in Kenya. The finding demonstrates the potential role of wild animals in the circulation of the diseases.

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Quantitative Analyses of Variations in the Injury of Endothelial Cells Elicited by 11 Isolates of Rickettsia rickettsii

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology ◽

10.1128/cdli.8.4.788-796.2001 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 788-796 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Marina E. Eremeeva ◽

Gregory A. Dasch ◽

David J. Silverman

Keyword(s):

North Carolina ◽

Endothelial Cells ◽

Reduced Glutathione ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Ixodid Ticks ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Cellular Injury ◽

Rickettsia Rickettsii ◽

Cytopathic Effects ◽

Group I

ABSTRACT Eleven isolates of spotted fever group rickettsiae from the blood of patients or ixodid ticks from North and South America were characterized. All isolates were identified as Rickettsia rickettsii using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of a 532-bp rOmpA gene fragment obtained by PCR. The ability of the R. rickettsii isolates to elicit cytopathic effects and parameters of oxidative injury were examined in cultured human EA.hy 926 endothelial cells. Cytopathic effects were determined by direct observation of infected cultures, by measuring the release of cytoplasmic lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and by determination of intracellular pools of peroxide and reduced glutathione. Four biotypes of R. rickettsii were defined. Group I included two highly cytopathic isolates from Montana, Bitterroot and Sheila Smith, and three isolates from Maryland, North Carolina, and Brazil. These isolates rapidly damaged cells, released large amounts of cytoplasmic LDH, caused accumulation of intracellular peroxide, and depleted intracellular pools of reduced glutathione. Group II contained three isolates, two from Montana, Hlp#2 and Lost Horse Canyon, and an isolate from Colombia, which were similar to group I but caused either lower responses in LDH release or smaller changes in intracellular peroxide levels. The group III isolates, Sawtooth from Montana and 84JG from North Carolina, caused lower cellular injury by all measures. Group IV isolate Price T from Montana was the least cytopathic and caused minimal alterations of all parameters measured. Understanding the molecular basis for the varied cellular injury caused by different isolates of R. rickettsii may contribute to improved treatment of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and to the rapid identification of those isolates which are more likely to cause fulminant disease.

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Classification of Tick Species and Detection of Tick-borne Pathogens in Yanbian, China

10.21203/rs.3.rs-127287/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jixu Li ◽

Shuang Zhang ◽

Wanfeng Liang ◽

Shaowei Zhao ◽

Hao Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

North Korea ◽

Tick Species ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Ixodes Persulcatus ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Haemaphysalis Longicornis ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Severe Fever

Abstract BackgroundYanbian is located at the junction between China, Russia, and North Korea. We aimed to determine the species distribution and pathogens carried by ticks in Yanbian.MethodsA total of 2673 unattached ticks were collected from eight counties and cities in Yanbian and classified morphologically. Candidatus Rickettsia tarasevichiae (CRT), spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR), severe fever thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), Theileria, and other pathogens were detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction followed by phylogenetic and genotypic analyses.ResultsAccording to the morphological classification, the main tick species in Yanbian were Haemaphysalis longicornis, Ixodes persulcatus, Dermacentor silvarum, Haemaphysalis japonica, and Haemaphysalis concinna. Candidatus Rickettsia tarasevichiae, spotted fever group Rickettsia, severe fever thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, and Theileria orientalis were detected in H. longicornis, Candidatus Rickettsia tarasevichiae, spotted fever group Rickettsia, and severe fever thrombocytopenia syndrome virus were detected in I. persulcatus, H. japonica, and D. silvarum, but only severe fever thrombocytopenia syndrome virus was detected in H. concinna. Mixed infection with Candidatus Rickettsia tarasevichiae and severe fever thrombocytopenia syndrome virus was found in I. persulcatus and H. japonica. The gene sequences of all tested pathogens exhibited 95.7%–100% homology with sequences registered in GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis showed that different spotted fever group Rickettsia and severe fever thrombocytopenia syndrome virus genotypes were closely related to the Korean strains. We provide the first evidence for the presence of the spotted fever group Rickettsia genotypes of Candidatus Rickettsia longicornii, ompA, ompB, sca4, and rrs, in Haemaphysalis longicornis in Yanbian. ConclusionsThese results provide epidemiological data to support the prevention and control of ticks and tick-borne diseases in the border areas of China, North Korea, and Russia.

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

10.21203/rs.2.23992/v3 ◽

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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Note: Rickettsia slovaca sp. nov., a member of the spotted fever group rickettsiae

International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology ◽

10.1099/00207713-48-4-1455 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 1455-1462 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Z. SEKEYOVA ◽

V. ROUX ◽

W. XU ◽

J. REHACEK ◽

D. RAOULT

Keyword(s):

Spotted Fever ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae ◽

Rickettsia Slovaca

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Detection of DNA of Causative Agent of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis in Japan from the Patient's Blood Sample by Polymerase Chain Reaction

Microbiology and Immunology ◽

10.1111/j.1348-0421.1994.tb01837.x ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 38 (8) ◽

pp. 665-668 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yoshiki Tange ◽

Mitsuru Matsumoto ◽

Takanori Okada ◽

Hitoshi Hasegawa ◽

Yuzuru Kobayashi

Keyword(s):

Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

Blood Sample ◽

Causative Agent ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Polymerase Chain

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Molecular Survey of Tick-Borne Pathogens Reveals Diversity and Novel Organisms With Veterinary and Public Health Significance in Wildlife From a National Nature Reserve of China

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2021.682963 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Jifei Yang ◽

Xiaojun Wang ◽

Jinming Wang ◽

Zhijie Liu ◽

Qingli Niu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wild Boar ◽

Nature Reserve ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Wild Animals ◽

Musk Deer ◽

Anaplasma Ovis ◽

National Nature Reserve ◽

Health Significance ◽

Free Ranging

Wildlife is involved in the maintenance and transmission of various tick-borne pathogens. The objective of the present study was to determine the occurrence and diversity of tick-borne pathogens in free-ranging wild animals collected from Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve of China. Blood or liver samples from 13 wild animals (5 takin, 3 Himalayan goral, 3 Reeves' muntjac, 1 forest musk deer, and 1 wild boar) were collected and screened for piroplasm, Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., and spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae by PCR-based on different gene loci. Three Theileria species, a potential novel Theileria parasite (Theileria sp. T4) and two Anaplasma species were identified in those wildlife. Theileria capreoli was found in Himalayan goral, Reeves' muntjac, and forest musk deer; Theileria luwenshuni, Theileria uilenbergi, and a potential novel, Theileria parasite (Theileria sp. T4), were identified in takin. Meanwhile, Anaplasma bovis was identified in Himalayan goral, takin, Reeves' muntjac, forest musk deer, and wild boar; Anaplasma phagocytophilum and related strains was found in takin, Reeves' muntjac, and forest musk deer. All wildlife included in this study was negative for Babesia, Anaplasma ovis, Anaplasma marginale, Ehrlichia, and SFG rickettsiae. Moreover, coinfection involving Theileria spp. and Anaplasma spp. was observed in eight wild animals. This study provided the first evidence of tick-borne pathogens in free-ranging wild animals from the nature reserve, where contact between domestic and wild animals rarely occurs.

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Taxonomic Relationships among Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae as Revealed by Antigenic Analysis with Monoclonal Antibodies

Journal of Clinical Microbiology ◽

10.1128/jcm.36.4.887-896.1998 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 36 (4) ◽

pp. 887-896 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Wenbin Xu ◽

Didier Raoult

Keyword(s):

Monoclonal Antibodies ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Rickettsia Conorii ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Antigenic Analysis ◽

Taxonomic Relationships ◽

Rickettsia Africae ◽

Rickettsia Slovaca ◽

Rickettsia Sibirica

The spotted fever group (SFG) is made up of more than 20 different rickettsial species and strains. Study of the taxonomic relationships among the group has been attempted by phenotypic, genotypic, and phylogenetic analyses. In this study, we determined taxonomic relationships among the SFG rickettsiae by comparative analysis of immunogenic epitopes reactive against a panel of monoclonal antibodies. A total of 98 monoclonal antibodies, which were directed against epitopes on the major immunodominant proteins or on the lipopolysaccharide-like antigens of strains of Rickettsia africae, Rickettsia conorii, Rickettsia massiliae, Rickettsia akari, Rickettsia sibirica, and Rickettsia slovaca, were used in the study. The distribution and expression of the epitopes among 29 SFG rickettsiae and Rickettsia bellii were assessed by determination of reaction titers in a microimmunofluorescence assay. The results were scored as numerical taxonomic data, and cluster analysis was used to construct a dendrogram. The architecture of this dendrogram was consistent with previous taxonomic studies, and the implications of this and other findings are discussed.

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