Evidence of Borrelia theileri in Wild and Domestic Animals in the Kafue Ecosystem of Zambia.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Qiu Y
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8624021 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Ticks pose significant threats to hosts by transmitting Borrelia spp., which are grouped into Lyme borreliae, relapsing fever borreliae (RF), and reptiles- and monotremes-associated borreliae. The RF borreliae encompass a group of Borrelia species predominantly transmitted by soft ticks, but some of its members can also be transmitted by hard ticks. Information on the detection and genetic characterization of tick-borne RF borreliae, including Borrelia theileri, is notably rare in Asia, particularly in Pakistan. Herein, we employed molecular techniques to detect borreliae in hard ticks collected from domestic animals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Ticks were subjected to morphological analysis, followed by DNA extraction and PCR amplification of partial fragments of borrelial 16S rRNA and flaB genes. A total of 729 ticks were collected from 264 hosts, with Haemaphysalis cornupunctata (12.9%; 94/729) being the most prevalent, followed by Hyalomma anatolicum (11.7%; 85/729), Rhipicephalus microplus (10.0%; 73/729), Haemaphysalis kashmirensis (9.1%; 66/729), Haemaphysalis bispinosa (8.5%; 62/729), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (8%; 58/729), Haemaphysalis montgomeryi (6.2%; 45/729), Rhipicephalus turanicus (5.5%; 40/729), Hyalomma dromedarii and Ixodes kashmirensis (4.4%; 32/729 each), Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides (4.1%; 30/729), Haemaphysalis sulcata and Hyalomma scupense (3.8%; 28/729 each), Haemaphysalis danieli (2.9%; 21/729), Hyalomma kumari (2.6%; 19/729), and Hyalomma isaaci (2.2%; 16/729). Based on 16S rRNA detection of Borrelia spp., only R. turanicus yielded positive results, resulting in an overall infection rate of 0.3% (2/160), while using flaB-based detection, four tick species including R. microplus, R. turanicus, Ha. sulcata, and Ha. cornupunctata showed positive results, yielding an overall infection rate of 6.9% (11/160). The amplified DNA fragments of borrelial 16S rRNA and flaB in R. turanicus from goats shared maximum identities of 100 and 99.40% with Borrelia theileri, respectively. Amplified borrelial flaB fragments in R. microplus from cows and sheep displayed 100% identity with B. theileri, while flaB fragments in Ha. cornupunctata and Ha. sulcata from goats revealed identities of 99.32 and 99.75% with undetermined RF Borrelia spp., respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed clustering of B. theileri from R. microplus and R. turanicus with the same species, while Borrelia spp. from Ha. cornupunctata and Ha. sulcata with undetermined RF Borrelia spp. Notably, this research marks the first documentation of B. theileri in R. turanicus and the identification of RF Borrelia spp. in Ha. cornupunctata and Ha. sulcata.
| S-EPMC10715414 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Tunga is the most specialized genus among the Siphonaptera because adult females penetrate into the skin of their hosts and, after mating and fertilization, undergo hypertrophy, forming an enlarged structure known as the neosome. In humans and other warm-blooded animals, neosomes cause tungiasis, which arises due to the action of opportunistic agents. Although its effects on humans and domestic animals are well described in the literature, little is known about the impact of tungiasis on wild animals. This review focuses on the morphology, taxonomy, geographical distribution, hosts, prevalence, sites of attachment, and impact of tungid neosomes on wild and domestic animals. Because neosomes are the most characteristic form of the genus Tunga and also the form most frequently found in hosts, they are here differentiated and illustrated to aid in the identification of the 13 currently known species. Perspectives for future studies regarding the possibility of discovering other sand flea species, adaptation to new hosts, and the transfer of tungids between hosts in natural and modified habitats are also presented.
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Project description:Disease burden within cattle is a concern around the world. Bovine borreliosis, one such disease, is caused by the spirochete Borrelia theileri transmitted by the bite of an infected Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) species tick. A number of species within the genus are capable of transmitting the agent and are found on multiple continents. Cattle in the West African nation of Mali are infested with four species of Rhipicephalus ticks of the subgenus Boophilus: Rhipicephalus annulatus, Rhipicephalus microplus, Rhipicephalus decoloratus, and Rhipicephalus geigyi. To date, no reports of B. theileri within Mali have been documented. We tested 184 Rhipicephalus spp. ticks by PCR that were removed from cattle at a market near Bamako, Mali. One tick, R. geigyi, was positive for B. theileri, which confirmed the presence of this spirochete in Mali.
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Project description:Bovine borreliosis, caused by Borrelia theileri which is transmitted via hard tick bites, is associated with mild clinical symptoms, such as fever, lethargy, hemoglobinuria, anorexia, and anemia. Borrelia theileri infects various animals, such as cattle, deer, horses, goats, sheep, and wild ruminants, in Africa, Australia, and South America. Notably, no case of B. theileri infection has been reported in Korean cattle to date. In this study, 101 blood samples were collected from a Korean indigenous cattle breed, among which 1.98% tested positive for B. theileri via nested PCR. The obtained sequences exhibited high homology with B. theileri strains identified in other regions. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA confirmed the B. theileri group affiliation; however, flagellin B sequences exhibited divergence, potentially due to regional evolutionary differences. This study provides the first molecular confirmation of B. theileri infection in Korean livestock. Further isolation and nucleotide sequence analyses are necessary to better understand the presence of B. theileri strains in cows in Korea.
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Project description:Sialic acids are used as a receptor by several viruses and variations in the linkage type or C-5 modifications affect the binding properties. A species barrier for multiple viruses is present due to α2,3- or α2,6-linked sialic acids. The C-5 position of the sialic acid can be modified to form N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) or N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), which acts as a determinant for host susceptibility for pathogens such as influenza A virus, rotavirus, and transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus. Neu5Gc is present in most mammals such as pigs and horses but is absent in humans, ferrets, and dogs. However, little is known about C-5 content in wildlife species or how many C-5 modified sialic acids are present on N-linked glycans or glycolipids. Using our previously developed tissue microarray system, we investigated how 2 different lectins specific for Neu5Gc can result in varying detection levels of Neu5Gc glycans. We used these lectins to map Neu5Gc content in wild Suidae, Cervidae, tigers, and European hedgehogs. We show that Neu5Gc content is highly variable among different species. Furthermore, the removal of N-linked glycans reduces the binding of both Neu5Gc lectins while retention of glycolipids by omitting methanol treatment of tissues increases lectin binding. These findings highlight the importance of using multiple Neu5Gc lectins as the rich variety in which Neu5Gc is displayed can hardly be detected by a single lectin.
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Project description:Since its recent discovery, Bourbon virus has been isolated from a human and ticks. To assess exposure of potential vertebrate reservoirs, we assayed banked serum and plasma samples from wildlife and domestic animals in Missouri, USA, for Bourbon virus-neutralizing antibodies. We detected high seroprevalence in raccoons (50%) and white-tailed deer (86%).
| S-EPMC6711231 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundBrucellosis is a bacterial zoonosis of public health and economic importance worldwide. It affects a number of domestic animals, wild animals and humans. Human brucellosis originates from either livestock or wildlife. The species of Brucella circulating in wild animals in Tanzania is largely unknown due to insufficient surveillance. This study was carried out to identify Brucella species found in selected wildlife hosts in the Serengeti ecosystem.MethodologyThe study used a total of 189 archived samples that were obtained from cross-sectional studies previously conducted between 2000 and 2017 in the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania. Whole blood, serum and amniotic fluid collected from buffalos, lions, wildebeest, impala, zebra and hyena were available for DNA extraction. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction for B. abortus, B. melitensis, B. ovis and B. suis (AMOS PCR) and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) targeting the bcsp31 and IS711 genes for Brucella genus detection and the IS711 targets alkB for B. abortus and BMEI1162 for B. melitensis were used to detect Brucella strains.ResultsOut of the 189 samples tested, 12 (6.35 %) and 22 (11.6 %) were positive to AMOS-PCR and qPCR, respectively. Most of the positive samples were from lions (52.6 %) and buffaloes (19.6 %). Other animals that were positive included: wildebeest (13.6 %), impala (13.6 %), zebra (4.5 %) and hyena (4.5 %). Out of 22 positive samples, 16 (66.7 %) were identified as B. abortus and the other six samples did not amplify for neither B. abortus nor B. melitensis.ConclusionsThe detection of Brucella DNA in archived wild animal samples shows testing potential of samples collected from this population. The zoonotic species B. abortus and B. melitensis detected in wild animals have previously been reported in livestock and humans in the region. The findings suggest that, due to the contact network, some of the identified wild animal hosts in this study could be reservoirs for infections in domestic animals and humans within the Serengeti ecosystem while others are likely dead-end hosts. One Health control strategies and continuous surveillance programs in other wildlife reserved areas should be implemented to help predicting transmission in livestock and humans in the region.
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Project description:BackgroundHuman echinococcosis is a neglected zoonosis caused by parasites of the genus Echinococcus. The most frequent clinical forms of echinococcosis, cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE), are responsible for a substantial health and economic burden, particularly to low-income societies. Quantitative epidemiology can provide important information to improve the understanding of parasite transmission and hence is an important part of efforts to control this disease. The purpose of this review is to give an insight on factors associated with echinococcosis in animal hosts by summarising significant results reported from epidemiological studies identified through a systematic search.Methodology and principal findingsThe systematic search was conducted mainly in electronic databases but a few additional records were obtained from other sources. Retrieved entries were examined in order to identify available peer-reviewed epidemiological studies that found significant risk factors for infection using associative statistical methods. One hundred studies met the eligibility criteria and were suitable for data extraction. Epidemiological factors associated with increased risk of E. granulosus infection in dogs included feeding with raw viscera, possibility of scavenging dead animals, lack of anthelmintic treatment and owners' poor health education and indicators of poverty. Key factors associated with E. granulosus infection in intermediate hosts were related to the hosts' age and the intensity of environmental contamination with parasite eggs. E. multilocularis transmission dynamics in animal hosts depended on the interaction of several ecological factors, such as hosts' population densities, host-prey interactions, landscape characteristics, climate conditions and human-related activities.Conclusions/significanceResults derived from epidemiological studies provide a better understanding of the behavioural, biological and ecological factors involved in the transmission of this parasite and hence can aid in the design of more effective control strategies.
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Project description:Domestic animals can be cloned using techniques such as embryo splitting and nuclear transfer to produce genetically identical individuals. Although embryo splitting is limited to the production of only a few identical individuals, nuclear transfer of donor nuclei into recipient oocytes, whose own nuclear DNA has been removed, can result in large numbers of identical individuals. Moreover, clones can be produced using donor cells from sterile animals, such as steers and geldings, and, unlike their genetic source, these clones are fertile. In reality, due to low efficiencies and the high costs of cloning domestic species, only a limited number of identical individuals are generally produced, and these clones are primarily used as breed stock. In addition to providing a means of rescuing and propagating valuable genetics, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) research has contributed knowledge that has led to the direct reprogramming of cells (e.g., to induce pluripotent stem cells) and a better understanding of epigenetic regulation during embryonic development. In this review, I provide a broad overview of the historical development of cloning in domestic animals, of its application to the propagation of livestock and transgenic animal production, and of its scientific promise for advancing basic research.
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