Haemaphysalis longicornis calreticulin is not an effective molecular tool for tick bite diagnosis and disruption of tick infestations

BACKGROUND

Tick calreticulin (CRT) is a calcium-binding protein secreted into the host during blood feeding. It has been used as a biomarker of tick exposure and has potential as an anti-tick vaccine, but there is no information about these uses for Haemaphysalis longicornis CRT (HlCRT). We synthesized recombinant H. longicornis CRT (rHlCRT) and evaluated its potential for tick bite diagnosis and for disrupting tick infestations.

METHODS

The responses of mice and rabbits exposed to H. longicornis ticks were measured with ELISA to determine the antibody level against rHlCRT. To evaluate the effects of rHlCRT-induced anti-tick immunity, engorgement weight, tick engorgement index (TEI), feeding duration, ecdysis rate, and egg weight per engorged tick were compared between ticks fed on immunized and normal mice.

RESULTS

Mean anti-tick CRT antibody levels in sera collected from mice at 1 and 15 days after primary tick exposure were not significantly different from the mean antibody levels in negative control mice that were not bitten by ticks (all P values > 0.05). No significant anti-HlCRT IgG responses developed in mice after second exposure to tick bites compared with the level of anti-HlCRT antibody response in negative control mice (all P values > 0.25). For rabbits, no significant differences in the antibody levels were observed in animals before challenge infestation and after tick exposures, and in animals after two tick exposures (all P values > 0.10). There were no significant differences in the body weight of ticks fed on immunized and normal mice (all P values > 0.15). No significant differences in TEI were observed between ticks fed on immunized mice and normal control mice (all P values > 0.50). There were no significant differences in feeding duration for female ticks, and feeding duration and ecdysis rate for nymphs in the experimental and control groups (all P values > 0.10 for feeding duration and P value = 0.19 for ecdysis rate). We did not observe a significant difference in egg weight per tick in the rHlCRT-immunized and the control groups (P = 0.88).

CONCLUSIONS

HlCRT in H. longicornis tick saliva proteins appears to be nonimmunogenic to mammalian hosts like mice and rabbits. Vaccination with rHlCRT did not generate effective immunity against parthenogenetic and bisexual H. longicornis nymphs or female ticks. These results indicate that HlCRT is not a suitable molecular candidate for H. longicornis tick bite diagnosis and not effective for the disruption of tick infestations.

Tick paralysis in a free-ranging bobcat (Lynx rufus)

CASE DESCRIPTION

A free-ranging male bobcat (Lynx rufus) was evaluated because of signs of pelvic limb paralysis.

CLINICAL FINDINGS

Physical examination of the anesthetized animal revealed tick infestation, normal mentation, and a lack of evidence of traumatic injuries. Radiography revealed no clinically relevant abnormalities. Hematologic analysis results were generally unremarkable, and serologic tests for exposure to feline coronavirus, FeLV, FIV, and Toxoplasma gondii were negative. Results of PCR assays for flea- and common tick-borne organisms other than Bartonella clarridgeiae were negative.

TREATMENT AND OUTCOME

Ticks were manually removed, and the patient received supportive care and fipronil treatment. The bobcat made a full recovery within 72 hours after treatment for ticks, and a presumptive diagnosis of tick paralysis was made. Identified tick species included Dermacenter variabilis, Amblyomma americanum, and Ixodes scapularis.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

To the authors' knowledge, tick paralysis has not previously been reported in felids outside Australia. This disease should be considered a differential diagnosis in felids, including exotic cats, with signs of neuromuscular disease of unknown etiopathogenesis.

Larval tick infestation causing an eruption of pruritic papules and pustules

Ticks are well-documented human parasites and vectors of infectious disease. The larval ("seed") stage is 1 of 3 motile life stages, and larval ticks have been known to attack in droves, causing diffuse pruritic erythematous papules and pustules. In the absence of close examination, larval tick infestation can easily be missed in the wide differential for this clinical presentation. We present 2 cases of larval tick infestation occurring during the summer within the same month at a single institution. Our purpose is to encourage physicians to include larval tick infestation when generating a differential diagnosis for diffuse pruritic erythematous papules and pustules.

Detection of Ehrlichia ruminantium infection in cattle in Cameroon

OBJECTIVES

Ehrlichia ruminantium infection (heartwater) is a major constraint that impacts negatively on the cattle industry development in sub-Saharan Africa and so far, little is known of the presence of heartwater in cattle in Cameroon. This study sought to investigate the prevalence of E. ruminantium infection in cattle in Cameroon and to determine the predictors of infection.

RESULTS

A species-specific semi-nested pCS20 polymerase chain reaction was used to screen the buffy coats from 182 cattle (comprising 82 cattle that received intensive tick control regimen and 100 cattle on strategic tick control) from two study sites in Cameroon for E. ruminantium DNA in a cross-sectional study. E. ruminantium infection was confirmed in 12 (6.6%) of the 182 cattle comprising 11 that received intensive tick control and one on strategic tick control. Of the 12 cattle detected, 11 were apparently healthy and one was clinically diagnosed of heartwater. All DNA sequences of pCS20 amplicons were identical to each other (a representative sequence deposited in GenBank under accession number JQ039939). These findings which have veterinary and epidemiological significance, suggest the need for further investigation to determine the extent and role of heartwater in cattle in Cameroon.

What's eating you? Ixodes tick and related diseases, part 2: diagnosis and treatment of regional tick-borne diseases

The Ixodes tick is an important arthropod vector in the transmission of human disease. Although Lyme disease is the most prevalent zoonosis transmitted by Ixodes ticks, other less common diseases may be encountered, including human granulocytic anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus infection, tick-borne encephalitis, Borrelia miyamotoi disease, and tick paralysis. In part 2 of this review, disease presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of these less commonly encountered tick-borne diseases are discussed.

[Tick Infestation of the Eyelid: Case Report and Literature Review]

Tick infestation is rarely seen in ophthalmological practice. We report the case of a 73-year-old woman who presented with edema and erythema of her right upper eyelid. Biomicroscopic examination revealed a tick firmly attached to the eyelid margin. The tick was successfully removed using fine tweezers, and within a few days, the patient had fully recovered without sequelae. Ticks are a threat to public health as they are known vectors of numerous infectious agents responsible for serious pathologies such as Lyme disease. Ticks may also induce cutaneous local reactions, and more rarely, tick paralysis. Since morbidity increases substantially with the duration of the infestation, the tick should be completely removed as soon as possible, and patients should be aware about possible signs of tick related diseases.

Assessment of using recombinant Ixodes ricinus AV422 saliva protein for confirmation of tick bites in hunting dogs as naturally infested hosts

Due to the recorded spreading of ticks in past years, a higher incidence of tick-borne diseases (TBDs) can be expected in the future in endemic areas, but can also pose an emerging public health concern in areas where they have not yet been recognized. Assessment of the exposure of vulnerable hosts to ticks would be a very helpful tool for TBD epidemiological studies, as well as for their proper managing. To confirm previous tick bites, the method of choice is detection of antibodies in host serum as markers developed against injected tick saliva proteins during feeding. We recently showed that the recombinant form of Ixodes ricinus AV422 saliva protein (rIrAV422) can serve for detection of markers in experimentally infested rats. Here we examine whether it can be used in the same manner in naturally exposed hosts. We chose hunting dogs as good sentinel animals. The study group consisted of 15 dogs that varied in breed, age, sex, previous tick infestation history and repellent treatment. Western blot analysis with rIrAV422 as an antigen confirmed the presence of tick bite markers in all analysed dogs. For some of the dogs, their previous tick infestation history was unclear, which emphasizes the usefulness of rIrAV422 for revealing it. Since hunting dogs are naturally infested with different ticks, the potential of rIrAV422 in assessment of general exposure to ticks is highlighted. Use of rIrAV422 can also be helpful in veterinary practice and research as a tool for validation of the efficiency of tick repellent products.

Human otoacariasis caused by Amblyomma testudinarium: Diagnosis and management: Case report

RATIONALE

Tick infestation of the external auditory canal (EAC) constitutes <1% of all patients presenting with ear complaints. Consequently, parameters for the diagnosis and management of ticks in the EAC have not been established.

PATIENT CONCERNS

We report 2 cases of EAC infestation by Amblyomma testudinarium in 2 female patients, aged 12- and 72 years old.

DIAGNOSES INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOMES

In both patients, otoscopic examination revealed engorged ticks attached to the ear canal. The 12-year-old girl had a narrow EAC, necessitating slight dislodging of the tick to determine if its mouth parts were embedded in the EAC skin. The tick's mouth parts were confirmed to be free, enabling complete removal of the tick. The 72-year-old woman had a wide EAC, enabling tick removal using Hartman's forceps because the tick's mouth parts were confirmed to be free of the skin. Prophylactic tetracycline (200 mg/day) was administered to each patient for 7 days; neither showed any signs of fever or rash.

LESSONS

This report describes 2 patients with A testudinarium infestation of the EAC, and proposes a simple, noninvasive protocol for determining if the tick is anchored to the ear canal.

Relapsing fever

Relapsing fewer is an infection to be considered in the differential diagnosis of an immigrant´s febrile illness. It is a severe, tick-borne or body louse-borne infection caused by the relapsing fever associated borrelia species. The body louse-borne infection is in particular encountered in the Horn of Africa region due to poor hygiene, and has during the past year been described in several European countries as imported by refugees coming from this region. Doctors should thus bear relapsing fever in mind as a differential diagnosis in a febrile refugee having recently arrived in Finland.

Passive surveillance for ticks on horses in Saskatchewan

Passive surveillance of ticks on horses in Saskatchewan revealed that the horses were parasitized by 3 species, Dermacentor albipictus, D. andersoni, and D. variabilis. The nymphs and adults of D. albipictus occurred on horses earlier in the year than did adults of the 2 other species.

Introduction of the exotic tick Hyalomma truncatum on a human with travel to Ethiopia: a case report

An Oregon resident returned from a photography trip to Ethiopia with a male Hyalomma truncatum tick attached to the skin on his lower back. The tick was identified morphologically and deposited in the U.S. National Tick Collection housed at Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia. The public health importance of Hyalomma species of ticks and diagnostic dilemmas with identifying exotic ticks imported into the U.S. are discussed.

[Detection of Babesia canis (Piroplasmida) DNA in the blood samples and lysates of the ticks Dermacentor reticulatus (Ixodidae) collected in the Tula and Moscow Regions]

Chimeric primers, the sensitivity and specificity of which allow them to be used in both the clinical setting and the epizootological assessment of tick infection by a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, have been designed against Babesia canis infection. The findings suggest that a large number of Babesia DNA copies are detectable in the blood in acute babesiosis. Some animals that had experienced babesiosis developed blood B. canis carriage--a small number oftrophozoites remained alive for a long time. When babesiosis was suspected, its diagnosis could be confirmed by RT-PCR in half of dogs with subclinical signs. The tick concentration of Babesia ranged from several hundred to a few thousand parasites. There were no significant differences in the number of Babesia parasites in the infected ticks in relation to their collection site. However, the occurrence of infected ticks was significantly higher in the places of constant contact with a canine population, which is indicative of the decisive role of dogs in the intensity of an epizootic process in the foci of B. canis infection.

Acute labyrinthitis secondary to aural tick infestation

Aural tick usually menisfests as intolerable otalgia. The severity of pain makes the patient to seek early treatment. Other uncommon symptoms include inner ear dyfunctions such as vertigo and tinnitus. The diagnosis is established by clinical examinaion either by otoscopic evidence of the tick itself, or its fecal remnant. We report a case of patient with acute labyrinthitis features with concurent otoscopic findings of tick fecal material.

[Hard ticks (Mite, Ixodidae) and human ixodidasis]

This article describes carefully parasitism by ticks hard under various medical issues ranging from biological signs of the notes up to the management of the patient follow-up, passing through the induced symptoms and therapeutic procedures. Just dealing therapeutic procedures is especially important because they compare various techniques proposed by the literature and is then proposed technique that determines the lowest risk of transmission of potentially infected material between the mite and man. Despite the treatment of parasitism is considered a medical practice trivial, given the banality of parasitism in fact among the medical community to see applied different treatment protocols are not always entirely accurate.

Tick infestation of the eyelid: a case report in a child

A three-year-old girl presented with a small brown lesion on the right upper eyelid margin. Close examination revealed an insect body attached to the eyelid margin. Microscopic examination of the specimen identified the species of the organism as Ixodes ricinus. The tick was completely removed with blunt forceps. She was treated with lid toilet, irrigation, and application of topical 0.3% ciprofloxacin four times daily to the affected eye. The lesion healed without scarring after one week. No systemic symptoms were observed. Mechanical removal with blunt forceps may be a quick, easy, safe and effective treatment for ticks located on the eyelids.

Larval tick infestation: a case report and review of tick-borne disease

Tick-borne disease in the United States continues to be a threat as people interact with their natural surroundings. We present a case of an 8-year-old boy with a larval tick infestation. Ticks within the United States can carry Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, tularemia, tick-borne relapsing fever, and tick paralysis. These preventable diseases are treatable when accurately recognized and diagnosed; however, if left untreated, they can cause substantial morbidity and mortality. This article highlights the knowledge necessary to recognize, treat, and prevent tickborne disease.

[Detection of Babesia caballi (Nuttall, 1910) and Theileria equi (Syn. Babesia equi , Laveran, 1901) by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in show and sport horses in the region of Ankara]

The aim of this study was to compare the diagnosis of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and microscopic examination of blood specimens collected from show and sport horses in the region of Ankara in 2004. The blood specimens were collected from randomly selected 200 show and sport horses in the region of Ankara during the tick season as well as before and after the tick season for PCR testing. At the same time, Giemsa stained peripheral blood smears were examined for the presence of Babesia spp. and also the horses were examined for the presence of ticks. Of the 200 horse blood samples analyzed, 3% were found to be positive by microscopic examination and and 10 % (B.caballi %3; T.equi %7) by the polymerase chain reaction. The difference between these two methods was confirmed to be statistically important (p < 0,001). This is the first study in which Babesia species were investigated in horses in Turkey using the PCR method. Theileria equi was found to be more prevalent than Babesia caballi.

A case of histologically diagnosed tick infestation on the scalp of a Korean child

A scalp mass surgically excised from a 4-year-old Korean boy was identified as a tick through histological observations. In sections of the mass, characteristic features of a tick, including its gross contour, cuticular structures, well developed musculature and salivary glands, and the capitulum, were discovered. In particular, the capitulum is anteriorly protruded, which strongly suggests that the specimen be a hard tick of family Ixodidae. However, the present histological features were not enough to determine the genus and species of the tick, because information on sectional morphologies of different tick species is unavailable. This is a rare case of tick infestation on the scalp diagnosed in histological sections.