Molecular Detection of Coxiella burnetii, Rickettsia africae and Anaplasma Species in Ticks from Domestic Animals in Lesotho

Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) hamper the growth of the livestock sector and impose major constraints for the health and management of domestic animals in the tropic and subtropical regions globally. Currently, there is no scientific report on the presence of zoonotic pathogens transmitted by tick species in Lesotho. This study aimed to identify zoonotic tick-borne pathogens of economic importance from ticks infesting domestic animals in Lesotho using molecular techniques. A total of 322 tick DNA pools were subjected to PCR screening for the presence of zoonotic pathogens and sequenced. The overall prevalence of Anaplasma spp. was 35% (113/322), with a 100% infection rate in Rhipicephalus microplus, followed by R. evertsi evertsi (92%), Hyalomma rufipes and Otobius megnini sharing 50% and the lowest infection rate was observed in R. decoloratus with 40%. The prevalence of Coxiella burnetii, a gram-negative pleomorphic etiological agent of Query fever (Q fever), was 1% (2/322) for all screened samples, with 20% of R. decoloratus and 1% of R. e. evertsi infected. Rickettsia africae was detected from Hyalomma rufipes with a 70% prevalence. This study provides a baseline knowledge of tick-borne pathogens of medical and veterinary importance in Lesotho and raises awareness of the prevalence of such diseases within the tourism sector as they are mostly affected.

Distribución corporal de garrapatas (Acari: Ixodidae y Argasidae) asociadas a Odocoielus virginianus (Artiodactyla: Cervidae) y Ovis canadensis (Artiodactyla: Bovidae) en tres estados del norte de México

Las garrapatas impactan como vectores por transmitir patógenos de importancia médica y veterinaria en México, pero los estudios taxonómicos de abundancia, prevalencia, intensidad y preferencia en la distribución corporal de venado cola blanca (Odocoileus virginianus) y borrego cimarrón (Ovis canadensis) son precarios, por lo cual estos fueron los objetivos del presente trabajo en Sonora, Nuevo León y Tamaulipas, México. El área de estudio abarcó ranchos cinegéticos autorizados donde se practica la cacería. Se examinaron 233 O. virginianus y cuatro O. canadensis, recolectándose 372 garrapatas [21 ninfas (5.65 %) y 351 adultos (94.35 %)]; 41 % fueron hembras y 59 % machos. Las garrapatas presentes en O. virginianus fueron Otobius megnini, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus y Dermacentor (Anocentor) nitens, mientras que Dermacentor hunteri fue la única en O. canadensis. Las orejas fue la región más infestada (83 hembras, 70 machos y 21 ninfas, 46.77 % en total) y la menos infestada fueron las piernas (10 machos y nueve hembras, 5.1 %), con diferencia significativa (P<0.005). Este estudio reporta por primera vez la abundancia, intensidad y prevalencia de garrapatas en O. virginianus en el norte de México y particularmente en los estados de Tamaulipas y Nuevo León, pues solo las garrapatas de O. canadensis habían sido reportadas en Sonora. Estos resultados indican que, aunque los ungulados están en semicautiverio, es importante controlar la infestación por garrapatas de acuerdo a los sitios de adherencia preferidos para aplicar los tratamientos acaridas, debido a la importancia como vectores en la transmisión de patógenos.

Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases of Colorado, Including New State Records for Argas radiatus (Ixodida: Argasidae) and Ixodes brunneus (Ixodida: Ixodidae)

We report 28 species of ticks (Acari: Ixodida) from Colorado (CO). We include the soft ticks (Argasidae) Argas (Argas) cooleyi Kohls and Hoogstraal, Argas (Persicargas) radiatus Railliet, Carios (Alectorobius) concanensis (Cooley and Kohls), Carios (Alectorobius) kelleyi (Cooley and Kohls), Ornithodoros (Pavlovskyella) hermsi Wheeler et al., Ornithodoros (Pavlovskyella) parkeri Cooley, Ornithodoros (Pavlovskyella) turicata (Dugès), Otobius (Otobius) lagophilus Cooley and Kohls, and Otobius (Otobius) megnini (Dugès). We include the metastriate hard ticks (Ixodidae) Dermacentor (Americentor) albipictus (Packard), Dermacentor (Dermacentor) andersoni Stiles, Dermacentor (Dermacentor) parumapertus Neumann, Dermacentor (Dermacentor) variabilis (Say), Haemaphysalis (Aboimisalis) chordeilis (Packard), Haemaphysalis (Gonixodes) leporispalustris (Packard), and Rhipicephalus (Rhipicephalus) sanguineus Latreille. Prostriate hard ticks include Ixodes (Ixodiopsis) angustus Neumann, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) baergi Cooley and Kohls, Ixodes (Trichotoixodes) brunneus Koch, Ixodes (Scaphixodes) howelli Cooley and Kohls, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) kingi Bishopp, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) marmotae Cooley and Kohls, Ixodes (Ixodiopsis) ochotonae Gregson, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) sculptus Neumann, Ixodes (Ixodiopsis) soricis Gregson, Ixodes (Ixodes) spinipalpis Hadwen and Nuttall, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) texanus Banks, and Ixodes (Ixodiopsis) woodi Bishopp. Argas radiatus and Ixodes brunneus represent new state records. Review of collection reports revealed that inclusion of Ixodes (Multidentatus) auritulus (Neumann), Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) cookei Packard, Ixodes (Phoeloioxdes) marxi Banks, and Ixodes (Ixodes) pacificus Cooley and Kohls is dubious or unconfirmed and, conversely, that C. concanensis and H. chordeilis have distributions that include CO. We list an additional five species occasionally detected and 13 exotic species intercepted in CO. Tick-host associations, geographical distributions, and medical/veterinary importance are included.

Putative Otobius megnini-associated clinical signs in horses in South Africa (2012–2018)

Otobius megnini has been associated with certain clinical conditions in horses in both California and Mexico. A number of cases similar to those described previously have been identified by the author in South Africa. This case report summarises these cases to demonstrate that the clinical condition occurs readily in South Africa and may be increasing in occurrence. The disease has minimal coverage in the literature making it more likely that a veterinarian, unfamiliar with the disease, will miss the diagnosis. The author would like to make veterinarians aware of this as a potential differential diagnosis. This study is a retrospective review of clinical data. Clinical records of patients with similar clinical signs and treatment were reviewed and grouped together as relevant cases for this case report. Ten cases of O. megnini associated neuromuscular dysfunction are reported, suggesting a link between the occurrence of the tick and the clinical condition. Clinical signs include third eyelid prolapse, localised muscle fasciculations, elevated heart rate and limb stamping. Serum chemistry changes commonly show increased aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase enzymes activities. The occurrence of the ticks within South Africa and the increasing number of cases presented demonstrate the need for more investigation into the pathophysiology of this condition.

Ants as predators of the Spinose Ear Tick, Otobius megnini (Dugès) in Sri Lanka

Many pathogens, parasitoids and predators have been documented as natural enemies of ticks, but their impact on tick populations are rarely evaluated. Here, we report the predatory behaviour of ants on the spinose ear tick, Otobius megnini. Ticks were collected from the ear canal of stabled horses in Nuwara Eliya and were brought to the laboratory. Eggs, unfed and engorged larvae, engorged nymphs and adults were naturally exposed to ants under laboratory conditions and the predatory behaviour of the different species and their feeding preferences were observed. Five ant species were found feeding on different life stages of O. megnini including eggs, larvae (fed/unfed) and adults; ants did not feed on the nymphal stages. Ant species were identified as Tapinoma melanocephalum, two species of Monomorium, one species of Pheidole and one species of Crematogaster. The predatory preference differed among the five ant species, with T. melanocephalum being identified as the best predator as it fed on eggs and adults, the non-parasitic stages of O. megnini. Different strategies have been used to control the infestations of O. megnini in the stabled horses but none of them were successful. Although we cannot extrapolate our empirical findings to a natural context, observations suggest that these ant species may be potential bio-suppressors of this tick species.