Dataset Information

Identification of Rickettsia spp. in Ticks Removed from Tick-Bitten Humans in Northwestern Spain.

ABSTRACT: Tick-borne rickettsioses (TBRs) are distributed worldwide and are recognized as important emerging vector-borne zoonotic diseases in Europe. The aim of this study was to identify tick-associated Rickettsia among ticks removed from humans, and to track how tick populations and their associated pathogens have changed over the years. For this purpose, we conducted a tick surveillance study in northwestern Spain between 2018 and 2022. Ticks were morphologically identified and analyzed for the presence of rickettsial pathogens through the amplification of the citrate synthase (gltA) and the outer membrane protein A (ompA) genes. PCR products were sequenced and subjected to phylogenetic analyses. We collected 7397 ticks, with Ixodes ricinus being the species most frequently isolated. Based on the PCR results, Rickettsia DNA was detected in 1177 (15.91%) ticks, and 10 members of Rickettsia were identified: R. aeschlimannii, R. conorii subsp. conorii, R. conorii subsp. raoultii, R. massiliae, R. monacensis, R. sibirica subsp. mongolitimonae, R. slovaca, R. helvetica, Candidatus R. barbariae, and Candidatus R. rioja. Some of these Rickettsia have gone previously undetected in the study region. There is clear geographic and seasonal expansion not only of tick populations, but also of the associated Rickettsia. The comparison of our data with those obtained years ago provides a clear idea of how the spatiotemporal distributions of ticks and their associated Rickettsiae have changed over the years.

SUBMITTER: Vieira Lista MC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11354666 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Identification of <i>Rickettsia</i> spp. in Ticks Removed from Tick-Bitten Humans in Northwestern Spain.

Vieira Lista María Carmen MC Vicente Santiago María Belén MB Soto-López Julio David JD García-Martín Joaquina María JM Álamo-Sanz Rufino R Belhassen-García Moncef M Muro Antonio A

Insects 20240727 8

Tick-borne rickettsioses (TBRs) are distributed worldwide and are recognized as important emerging vector-borne zoonotic diseases in Europe. The aim of this study was to identify tick-associated <i>Rickettsia</i> among ticks removed from humans, and to track how tick populations and their associated pathogens have changed over the years. For this purpose, we conducted a tick surveillance study in northwestern Spain between 2018 and 2022. Ticks were morphologically identified and analyzed for the ...[more]

PMID: 39194776

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Project description:Tick-transmitted diseases are an emerging health problem, and the hard tick Ixodes ricinus is the main vector for Borrelia spp., tick-borne encephalitis virus and most of the spotted fever Rickettsiae in Europe. The aim of the present study was to examine the incidence of rickettsial infection in the southernmost and south central parts of Sweden and the Åland Islands in Finland, the risk of infection in humans and its correlation with a bite of a Rickettsia-infected tick, the self-reported symptoms of rickettsial disease, and the prevalence of co-infection between Rickettsia spp. and Borrelia spp. Persons with a recent tick bite were enrolled through public media and asked to answer a questionnaire, provide a blood sample and bring detached ticks at enlistment and at follow-up three months later. Blood samples were previously analysed for Borrelia spp. antibodies and, for this report, analysed for antibodies to Rickettsia spp. by immunofluorescence and in 16 cases also using Western Blot. Ninety-six (44.0%) of the 218 participants were seropositive for IgG antibodies to Rickettsia spp. Forty (18.3%) of the seropositive participants had increased titres at the follow-up, indicating recent/current infection, while four (1.8%) had titres indicating probable recent/current infection (≥1:256). Of 472 ticks, 39 (8.3%) were Rickettsia sp. positive. Five (31.3%) of 16 participants bitten by a Rickettsia-infected tick seroconverted. Experience of the self-reported symptoms nausea (p = 0.006) and radiating pain (p = 0.041) was more common among those with recent, current or probable infection compared to those who did not seroconvert. Participants who showed seroreactivity or seroconversion to Rickettsia spp. had more symptoms than those who were seronegative. Seven (3.2%) participants showed seroconversion to Borrelia spp., and three (1.4%) of these showed seroconversion to both Rickettsia spp. and Borrelia spp., in accordance with previous studies in Sweden. Symptoms of rickettsial disease were in most of the cases vague and general that were difficult to differentiate from other tick-borne diseases.

Project description:BackgroundTick-borne infectious diseases caused by the spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) have continuously emerging, with many previously unidentified SFGR species reported. The prevalence of SFGRs in northwestern China remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of SFGRs and Anaplasma species by analyzing tick samples collected from the Ningxia region.MethodsDuring 2022-2023, ticks were collected from Ningxia, northwestern China, and screened using PCR to amplify target genes (16S rRNA, gltA, ompA and groEL). The amplicons were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Single-gene sequences and concatenated sequences were used to infer phylogenetic relationships for identifying Rickettsia species.ResultsOut of the 425 DNA samples, a total of 210 samples tested positive for SFGRs in ticks from Ningxia, China, with a relatively high positive rate of 49.4% (210/425). Eight spotted fever group rickettsiae and one Anaplasma species were identified and characterized, including Rickettsia raoultii (102, 24.0%), R. aeschlimannii (65, 15.3%), R. sibirica (12, 2.8%), R. slovaca (4, 0.9%), R. heilongjiangensis (1, 0.2%), Cadidatus Rickettsia hongyuanensis (4, 0.9%), Ca. R. jingxinensis (11, 2.6%), Ca. R. vulgarisii (11, 2.6%) and Anaplasma ovis (98, 23.1%). The positive rate of bacterial species ranged from 0.2% to 24.0%. Interestingly, one novel Rickettsia species, provisionally named "Candidatus Rickettsia vulgarisii", was detected in Argas ticks from Zhongwei city, which suggests the possibility of local transmission to other areas through birds. Genetic and phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA, gltA, ompA, and 17kDa genes indicated that it was divergent from all known SFG Rickettsia species but mostly related to R. vini. Different SFGR species were associated with specific tick species or genera. In addition, Anaplasma ovis was detected in two Dermacentor species, and co-infection with SFGRs was observed in 14.6% (62/425) of samples.ConclusionsThis study describes the prevalence and diversity of SFGRs in ticks from Ningxia for the first time by direct detection, reveals that Rickettsia diversity related to tick species. This data suggests that surveillance for tick-borne SFGR infections among human populations should be enhanced in this region, and further investigations on their pathogenicity to humans and domestic animals are still needed.

Dataset Information

Identification of Rickettsia spp. in Ticks Removed from Tick-Bitten Humans in Northwestern Spain.

Publications

Identification of <i>Rickettsia</i> spp. in Ticks Removed from Tick-Bitten Humans in Northwestern Spain.

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