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Maitre A, Kratou M, Corona-Guerrero I, Abuin-Denis L, Mateos-Hernández L, Mosqueda J, Almazan C, Said MB, Piloto-Sardiñas E, Obregon D, Cabezas-Cruz A. Differential interactions of Rickettsia species with tick microbiota in Rh. sanguineus and Rh. turanicus. Sci Rep 2024; 14:20674. [PMID: 39237587 PMCID: PMC11377539 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-71539-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 08/28/2024] [Indexed: 09/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Tick-borne rickettsioses, caused by Gram-negative bacteria of the Rickettsia genus, pose a growing global threat, with various arthropod vectors contributing to their transmission. Understanding the complex interactions within tick microbiota, including the role of Rickettsia species, is crucial for elucidating the dynamics of rickettsial diseases. Here, we investigate the taxonomic profiles and co-occurrence networks of Rickettsia in Rh. sanguineus sensus lato (s.l.) and Rh. turanicus ticks, revealing significant differences in community composition and local connectivity of Rickettsia species. While the microbiota of both tick species share common taxa, distinct differences in relative abundance and network topology suggest unique ecological niches. Moreover, robustness analysis demonstrates varying resilience to perturbations, indicating different strategies for network organization. Our findings also highlight metabolic differences between tick species, suggesting potential implications for Rickettsia interactions. Overall, this study provides insights into the intricate microbial landscape within ticks, shedding light on the functional redundancy and metabolic pathways associated with Rickettsia, thus advancing our understanding of tick-borne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apolline Maitre
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
- INRAE, UR 0045 Laboratoire de Recherches sur le Développement de l'Elevage (SELMET-LRDE), 20250, Corte, France
- EA 7310, Laboratoire de Virologie, Université de Corse, Corte, France
| | - Myriam Kratou
- Laboratory of Microbiology, National School of Veterinary Medicine of Sidi Thabet, University of Manouba, 2010, Manouba, Tunisia
| | - Ivan Corona-Guerrero
- Immunology and Vaccines Laboratory, C. A. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Queretaro, Mexico
- C.A. Salud Animal y Microbiologia Ambiental. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro, Queretaro, Mexico
| | - Lianet Abuin-Denis
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
- Animal Biotechnology Department, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Avenue 31 between 158 and 190, P.O. Box 6162, 10600, Havana, Cuba
| | - Lourdes Mateos-Hernández
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Juan Mosqueda
- Immunology and Vaccines Laboratory, C. A. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Queretaro, Mexico
- C.A. Salud Animal y Microbiologia Ambiental. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro, Queretaro, Mexico
| | - Consuelo Almazan
- Immunology and Vaccines Laboratory, C. A. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Queretaro, Mexico
- C.A. Salud Animal y Microbiologia Ambiental. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro, Queretaro, Mexico
| | - Mourad Ben Said
- Laboratory of Microbiology, National School of Veterinary Medicine of Sidi Thabet, University of Manouba, 2010, Manouba, Tunisia
- Department of Basic Sciences, Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Sidi Thabet, University of Manouba, 2010, Manouba, Tunisia
| | - Elianne Piloto-Sardiñas
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
- Direction of Animal Health, National Center for Animal and Plant Health, Carretera de Tapaste y Autopista Nacional, Apartado Postal 10, 32700, San José de Las Lajas, Mayabeque, Cuba
| | - Dasiel Obregon
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France.
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Zeb J, Song B, Khan MA, Senbill H, Aziz MU, Hussain S, Sánchez AAD, Cabezas-Cruz A, Alzahrani A, Alshehri M, Alghamdi RM, Sparagano OA. Genetic diversity of tick-borne zoonotic pathogens in ixodid ticks collected from small ruminants in Northern Pakistan. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2024; 124:105663. [PMID: 39208920 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2024.105663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2024] [Revised: 08/19/2024] [Accepted: 08/25/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Mapping tick distribution and pathogens in unexplored areas sheds light on their importance in zoonotic and veterinary contexts. In this study, we performed a comprehensive investigation of the genetic diversity of tick and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) detection infesting/infecting small ruminants across northern Pakistan. We collected 1587 ixodid ticks from 600 goats and sheep, an overall tick infestation rate of 50.2 %. Notably, gender-based infestation rates were higher in female goats and sheep compared to their male counterparts. Age-wise analysis showed that the tick infestation rate was higher in older animals. This study identified 11 ixodid tick species within three genera: Hyalomma, Haemaphysalis, and Rhipicephalus, which were taxonomically classified using 16S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase I (cox1) molecular markers. Sequence analysis indicated that reported ticks are similar to ixodid species found across various Asian and African countries. Tick-borne pathogens were detected by amplifying 16S rRNA and citrate synthase (gltA) for bacterial pathogens and 18S rRNA for apicomplexan parasites. The present study reported a diverse array of TBPs in ticks from the study area, with Rickettsia massiliae (24.5 %) and Theleria ovis (16.4 %) as the most prevalent bacterial and apicomplexan pathogens. Phylogenetically, detected TBPs shared evolutionary relatedness with identical TBPs from old and new world countries. These findings highlight the presence of zoonotic TBPs in ixodid ticks from Pakistan. In addition, it also provides a foundation for future epidemiological research on ticks and TBPs, emphasizing their relevance in both zoonotic and veterinary contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jehan Zeb
- Center for Immunology and Infection Limited, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, SAR, China; School of Public Health, The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China; Department of Zoology, GDC Samarbagh, Higher Education Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
| | - Baolin Song
- Jockey Club College of Veterinary Sciences, Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
| | - Munsif Ali Khan
- School of Public Health, The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China; Vector-Borne Diseases Control Unit, District Health Office, Abbottabad 22010, Pakistan.
| | - Haytham Senbill
- Department of Applied Entomology & Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21545, Egypt.
| | - Muhammad Umair Aziz
- Jockey Club College of Veterinary Sciences, Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
| | - Sabir Hussain
- Jockey Club College of Veterinary Sciences, Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
| | - Adrian Alberto Díaz Sánchez
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2, Canada.
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Maisons-Alfort F-94700, France.
| | - Abdulrahman Alzahrani
- Department of Applied Medical Sciences, Applied College, Al-Baha University, Al-Baha City, Kingdom, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Mohammed Alshehri
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University, Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Rashed Mohammed Alghamdi
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied College, Al-Baha University, Saudi Arabia.
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Jiang S, Kang M, Li Z, Han X, Chen C, He S, Hu X, He Y, Wang Y, Li Z, Chen J, Geng P, Chen Q, Ma J, Zhang X, Tai X, Li Y. The impact of bloodmeal and geographic region on the richness, diversity, and function of internal microbial community in Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis from the Qinghai province, China. Heliyon 2024; 10:e35429. [PMID: 39165970 PMCID: PMC11334854 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2024] [Revised: 07/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Ticks are ectoparasites that feed on blood and pose a threat to both the livestock industry and public health due to their ability to transmit pathogens through biting. However, the impact of factors such as bloodmeal and geographic regions on the bacterial microbiota of Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis remains poorly understood. Methods In this study, we used the v3-v4 region of the 16S rRNA gene to sequence the microbiota of Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis from eight groups (HY_M, YS_M, XH_M, LD_M, BM_M, LD_F_F, LD_F, and BM_F_F) in Qinghai Province. Results Significant differences in bacterial richness were observed between LD_F_F, BM_F_F, and LD_F (P < 0.01), and among the five groups (HY_M, YS_M, XH_M, BM_M, and LD_M) (P < 0.05). The bacterial diversity also differed significantly between LD_F_F, LD_F, and BM_F_F (P < 0.01), as well as among the five groups (HY_M, YS_M, XH_M, LD_M, and BM_M) (P < 0.01). The group with the highest number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) was LD_F, accounting for 23.93 % (419/1751), while BM_F_F accounted for at least 0.80 % (14/1751). At the phylum level, Firmicutes was the most abundant, with relative abundance ranging from 7.44 % to 96.62 %. At the genus level, Staphylococcus had the highest abundance, ranging from 1.67 % to 97.53 %. The endosymbiotic bacteria Coxiella and Rickettsia were predominantly enriched in LD_F_F. Additionally, the 16S gene of Coxiella showed the highest identity of 99.07 % with Coxiella sp. isolated from Xinxiang hl9 (MG9066 71.1), while the 16S gene of Rickettsia had 100 % identity with Candidatus Rickettsia hongyuanensis strains (OK 662395.1). Functional predictions for the prokaryotic microbial community indicated that the main functional categories were Metabolic, Genetic information processing, and Environmental information processing across the eight groups. Conclusion This study provides a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of tick-borne diseases, which is of great significance for public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Jiang
- Qinghai University State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, China
| | - Ming Kang
- Qinghai University State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, China
| | - Zengkui Li
- Qinghai University State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, China
| | - Xiaoling Han
- Qinghai National Park Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Center, Xining, 810008, Qinghai, China
| | - Changjiang Chen
- Huangyuan Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, China
| | - Shunfu He
- Xining Wildlife Park, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, China
| | - Xiaoyu Hu
- Qinghai University State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, China
| | - Yongcai He
- Qinghai University State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, China
| | - Yuezhong Wang
- Huangnan Prefecture Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Tongren, 811300, Qinghai, China
| | - Zhongyu Li
- Qinghai Xunhua Salar Autonomous County Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station, Haidong, 811100, Qinghai, China
| | - Jiyong Chen
- Yushu Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Yushu, 815099, Qinghai, China
| | - Pengcheng Geng
- Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Animal Epidemic Disease Prevention Control Center, Golog, 814000, Qinghai, China
| | - Qiang Chen
- Qinghai University State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, China
| | - Jinghua Ma
- Qinghai University State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, China
| | - Xiao Zhang
- Qinghai University State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, China
| | - Ximei Tai
- Qinghai University State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, China
| | - Ying Li
- Qinghai University State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogen Diagnosis for Animal Diseases and Green Technical Research for Prevention and Control, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, China
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Ossa-López PA, Ramírez-Chaves HE, Álvarez López ME, Castaño Villa GJ, Rivera-Páez FA. Bacterial community of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and mammals from Arauca, Colombian Orinoquia. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2024; 24:100943. [PMID: 38778917 PMCID: PMC11109883 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2024.100943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Ticks are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites of vertebrates and are relevant worldwide due to the number of bacterial and other pathogens they can transmit. To date, the knowledge about the microorganisms that ticks harbor and transmit to their hosts is incipient. In this study, 24 samples of mammals belonging to four taxonomic orders and ticks of the genera Amblyomma and Rhipicephalus from the Orinoco region of Colombia were analyzed to described and compare the bacterial microbiome. Genetic extraction was performed, and the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified by PCR. Libraries were created, and those samples with adequate quality indices were sequenced using Illumina MiSeq technology. Bacterial taxonomic assignment analyses were conducted through Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) and Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). The results correspond to 16 samples that passed the quality filters, with 3218 OTUs (415 families). Although a considerable number of unknown bacteria was found, Enterobacteriaceae, Beijerinckiaceae, Moraxellaceae, and Burkholderiaceae are the most prevalent families, and the presence of the genera Coxiella, Escherichia-Shigella, Enterobacter, which can harbor pathogenic species was confirmed. In individuals of Amblyomma mixtum found actively feeding on Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, bacteria of the genera Escherichia-Shigella and Enterobacter were documented. Similarly, Rhipicephalus microplus found actively feeding on Odocoileus virginianus cariacou shared Escherichia-Shigella. Ralstonia was shared among the blood samples of H. hydrochaeris, while Anaplasma and Eubacterium were shared in blood and liver samples of O. v. cariacou. Shared bacteria between A. mixtum and R. microplus included Bacillus, Coxiella, and Escherichia-Shigella. The results highlight the need of additional studies in other natural regions of Colombia and other American countries where tick-borne diseases have been detected. Likewise, the recorded data are the first at the level of bacterial communities in ticks of the family Ixodidae and provide valuable knowledge for the understanding host-tick and pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula A. Ossa-López
- Doctorado en Ciencias, Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, 170004, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
- Grupo de Investigación en Genética, Biodiversidad y Manejo de Ecosistemas (GEBIOME), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, 170004, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
| | - Héctor E. Ramírez-Chaves
- Grupo de Investigación en Genética, Biodiversidad y Manejo de Ecosistemas (GEBIOME), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, 170004, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
- Centro de Museos, Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 58 No. 21-50, 170004, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
| | - María Elena Álvarez López
- Grupo de Investigación en Genética, Biodiversidad y Manejo de Ecosistemas (GEBIOME), Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias para la Salud, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, 170004, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
| | - Gabriel Jaime Castaño Villa
- Grupo de Investigación en Genética, Biodiversidad y Manejo de Ecosistemas (GEBIOME), Departamento de Desarrollo Rural y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, 170004, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
| | - Fredy A. Rivera-Páez
- Grupo de Investigación en Genética, Biodiversidad y Manejo de Ecosistemas (GEBIOME), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, 170004, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
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Rooney T, Fèvre EM, Villinger J, Brenn-White M, Cummings CO, Chai D, Kamau J, Kiyong'a A, Getange D, Ochieng DO, Kivali V, Zimmerman D, Rosenbaum M, Nutter FB, Deem SL. Coxiella burnetii serostatus in dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) is associated with the presence of C. burnetii DNA in attached ticks in Laikipia County, Kenya. Zoonoses Public Health 2024; 71:503-514. [PMID: 38627945 DOI: 10.1111/zph.13127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
AIMS Q fever is a globally distributed, neglected zoonotic disease of conservation and public health importance, caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Coxiella burnetii normally causes subclinical infections in livestock, but may also cause reproductive pathology and spontaneous abortions in artiodactyl species. One such artiodactyl, the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius), is an increasingly important livestock species in semi-arid landscapes. Ticks are naturally infected with C. burnetii worldwide and are frequently found on camels in Kenya. In this study, we assessed the relationship between dromedary camels' C. burnetii serostatus and whether the camels were carrying C. burnetii PCR-positive ticks in Kenya. We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between camel seropositivity and carrying C. burnetii PCR-positive ticks. METHODS AND RESULTS Blood was collected from camels (N = 233) from three herds, and serum was analysed using commercial ELISA antibody test kits. Ticks were collected (N = 4354), divided into pools of the same species from the same camel (N = 397) and tested for C. burnetii and Coxiella-like endosymbionts. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize seroprevalence by camel demographic and clinical variables. Univariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess relationships between serostatus (outcome) and tick PCR status, camel demographic variables, and camel clinical variables (predictors). Camel C. burnetii seroprevalence was 52%. Across tick pools, the prevalence of C. burnetii was 15% and Coxiella-like endosymbionts was 27%. Camel seropositivity was significantly associated with the presence of a C. burnetii PCR-positive tick pool (OR: 2.58; 95% CI: 1.4-5.1; p = 0.0045), increasing age class, and increasing total solids. CONCLUSIONS The role of ticks and camels in the epidemiology of Q fever warrants further research to better understand this zoonotic disease that has potential to cause illness and reproductive losses in humans, livestock, and wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tess Rooney
- Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, San Diego, California, USA
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Eric M Fèvre
- International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jandouwe Villinger
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Maris Brenn-White
- Institute for Conservation Medicine, Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Santa Cruz County Animal Services Authority, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Charles O Cummings
- Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Daniel Chai
- One Health Centre, Institute of Primate Research, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Joseph Kamau
- One Health Centre, Institute of Primate Research, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Alice Kiyong'a
- International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Dennis Getange
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Dickens O Ochieng
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Velma Kivali
- International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Dawn Zimmerman
- Global Health Program, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
- Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife, Bozeman, Montana, USA
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Disease, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Marieke Rosenbaum
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Felicia B Nutter
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sharon L Deem
- Institute for Conservation Medicine, Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Duron O. Nutritional symbiosis in ticks: singularities of the genus Ixodes. Trends Parasitol 2024; 40:696-706. [PMID: 38942646 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2024.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
Symbiosis with intracellular bacteria is essential for the nutrition of ticks, particularly through the biosynthesis of B vitamins. Yet, ticks of the genus Ixodes, which include major vectors of human pathogens, lack the nutritional symbionts usually found in other tick genera. This paradox raises questions about the mechanisms that Ixodes ticks use to prevent nutritional deficiencies. Nonetheless, Ixodes ticks commonly harbor other symbionts belonging to the order Rickettsiales. Although these obligate intracellular bacteria are primarily known as human pathogens, Rickettsiales symbionts often dominate the Ixodes microbial community without causing diseases. They also significantly influence Ixodes physiology, synthesize key B vitamins, and are crucial for immatures. These findings underscore unique associations between Rickettsiales and Ixodes ticks distinct from other tick genera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Duron
- MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier (UM), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement (IRD), Montpellier, France.
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7
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Du C, Chen L, Liu G, Yuan F, Zhang Z, Rong M, Mo G, Liu C. Tick-Derived Peptide Blocks Potassium Channel TREK-1. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:8377. [PMID: 39125945 PMCID: PMC11312834 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25158377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2024] [Revised: 07/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Ticks transmit a variety of pathogens, including rickettsia and viruses, when they feed on blood, afflicting humans and other animals. Bioactive components acting on inflammation, coagulation, and the immune system were reported to facilitate ticks' ability to suck blood and transmit tick-borne diseases. In this study, a novel peptide, IstTx, from an Ixodes scapularis cDNA library was analyzed. The peptide IstTx, obtained by recombinant expression and purification, selectively inhibited a potassium channel, TREK-1, in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC50 of 23.46 ± 0.22 μM. The peptide IstTx exhibited different characteristics from fluoxetine, and the possible interaction of the peptide IstTx binding to the channel was explored by molecular docking. Notably, extracellular acidification raised its inhibitory efficacy on the TREK-1 channel. Our results found that the tick-derived peptide IstTx blocked the TREK-1 channel and provided a novel tool acting on the potassium channel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Canwei Du
- School of Life and Health Sciences, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Linyan Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Guohao Liu
- School of Life and Health Sciences, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China
| | - Fuchu Yuan
- National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410006, China
| | - Zheyang Zhang
- School of Life and Health Sciences, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China
| | - Mingqiang Rong
- National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410006, China
- Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, No. 387-201 Heming Street, Chengdu 610212, China
| | - Guoxiang Mo
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Changjun Liu
- School of Life and Health Sciences, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China
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Wiedeman W, Glover AB, Steyl J, O'Dell J, Van Heerden H. Clinical Coxiella burnetii infection in sable and roan antelope in South Africa. Onderstepoort J Vet Res 2024; 91:e1-e6. [PMID: 39099298 PMCID: PMC11304184 DOI: 10.4102/ojvr.v91i1.2151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Various zoonotic microorganisms cause reproductive problems such as abortions and stillbirths, leading to economic losses on farms, particularly within livestock. In South Africa, bovine brucellosis is endemic in cattle, and from 2013-2018, outbreaks of Brucella melitensis occurred in sable. Coxiella burnetii, the agent responsible for the zoonotic disease known as Q-fever and/or coxiellosis, also causes reproductive problems and infects multiple domestic animal species worldwide, including humans. However, little is known of this disease in wildlife. With the expansion of the wildlife industry in South Africa, diseases like brucellosis and coxiellosis can significantly impact herd breeding success because of challenges in identifying, managing and treating diseases in wildlife populations. This study investigated samples obtained from aborted sable and roan antelope, initially suspected to be brucellosis, from game farms in South Africa using serology tests and ruminant VetMAX™ polymerase chain reaction (PCR) abortion kit. The presence of C. burnetii was confirmed with PCR in a sable abortion case, while samples from both sable and roan were seropositive for C. burnetii indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). This study represents the initial report of C. burnetii infection in sable and roan antelope in South Africa. Epidemiological investigations are crucial to assess the risk of C. burnetii in sable and roan populations, as well as wildlife and livestock in general, across South Africa. This is important in intensive farming practices, particularly as Q-fever, being a zoonotic disease, poses a particular threat to the health of veterinarians and farm workers as well as domestic animals.Contribution: A report of clinical C. burnetii infection in the wildlife industry contributes towards the limited knowledge of this zoonotic disease in South Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wikus Wiedeman
- aculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort.
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9
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Bontemps Z, Paranjape K, Guy L. Host-bacteria interactions: ecological and evolutionary insights from ancient, professional endosymbionts. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2024; 48:fuae021. [PMID: 39081075 PMCID: PMC11338181 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuae021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Interactions between eukaryotic hosts and their bacterial symbionts drive key ecological and evolutionary processes, from regulating ecosystems to the evolution of complex molecular machines and processes. Over time, endosymbionts generally evolve reduced genomes, and their relationship with their host tends to stabilize. However, host-bacteria relationships may be heavily influenced by environmental changes. Here, we review these effects on one of the most ancient and diverse endosymbiotic groups, formed by-among others-Legionellales, Francisellaceae, and Piscirickettsiaceae. This group is referred to as Deep-branching Intracellular Gammaproteobacteria (DIG), whose last common ancestor presumably emerged about 2 Ga ago. We show that DIGs are globally distributed, but generally at very low abundance, and are mainly identified in aquatic biomes. Most DIGs harbour a type IVB secretion system, critical for host-adaptation, but its structure and composition vary. Finally, we review the different types of microbial interactions that can occur in diverse environments, with direct or indirect effects on DIG populations. The increased use of omics technologies on environmental samples will allow a better understanding of host-bacterial interactions and help unravel the definition of DIGs as a group from an ecological, molecular, and evolutionary perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zélia Bontemps
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, 75237 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Kiran Paranjape
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, 75237 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lionel Guy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, 75237 Uppsala, Sweden
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10
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Martinez-Villegas L, Lado P, Klompen H, Wang S, Cummings C, Pesapane R, Short SM. The microbiota of Amblyomma americanum reflects known westward expansion. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304959. [PMID: 38857239 PMCID: PMC11164389 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Amblyomma americanum, a known vector of multiple tick-borne pathogens, has expanded its geographic distribution across the United States in the past decades. Tick microbiomes may play a role shaping their host's life history and vectorial capacity. Bacterial communities associated with A. americanum may reflect, or enable, geographic expansion and studying the microbiota will improve understanding of tick-borne disease ecology. We examined the microbiota structure of 189 adult ticks collected in four regions encompassing their historical and current geographic distribution. Both geographic region of origin and sex were significant predictors of alpha diversity. As in other tick models, within-sample diversity was low and uneven given the presence of dominant endosymbionts. Beta diversity analyses revealed that bacterial profiles of ticks of both sexes collected in the West were significantly different from those of the Historic range. Biomarkers were identified for all regions except the historical range. In addition, Bray-Curtis dissimilarities overall increased with distance between sites. Relative quantification of ecological processes showed that, for females and males, respectively, drift and dispersal limitation were the primary drivers of community assembly. Collectively, our findings highlight how microbiota structural variance discriminates the western-expanded populations of A. americanum ticks from the Historical range. Spatial autocorrelation, and particularly the detection of non-selective ecological processes, are indicative of geographic isolation. We also found that prevalence of Ehrlichia chaffeensis, E. ewingii, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum ranged from 3.40-5.11% and did not significantly differ by region. Rickettsia rickettsii was absent from our samples. Our conclusions demonstrate the value of synergistic analysis of biogeographic and microbial ecology data in investigating range expansion in A. americanum and potentially other tick vectors as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Martinez-Villegas
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Paula Lado
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Hans Klompen
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology and Museum of Biological Diversity, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Selena Wang
- Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Caleb Cummings
- Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Risa Pesapane
- Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Sarah M. Short
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
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Senbill H, Karawia D, Zeb J, Alyami NM, Almeer R, Rahman S, Sparagano O, Baruah A. Molecular screening and genetic diversity of tick-borne pathogens associated with dogs and livestock ticks in Egypt. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0012185. [PMID: 38837987 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) offer optimal climatic conditions for tick reproduction and dispersal. Research on tick-borne pathogens in this region is scarce. Despite recent advances in the characterization and taxonomic explanation of various tick-borne illnesses affecting animals in Egypt, no comprehensive examination of TBP (tick-borne pathogen) statuses has been performed. Therefore, the present study aims to detect the prevalence of pathogens harbored by ticks in Egypt. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS A four-year PCR-based study was conducted to detect a wide range of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) harbored by three economically important tick species in Egypt. Approximately 86.7% (902/1,040) of the investigated Hyalomma dromedarii ticks from camels were found positive with Candidatus Anaplasma camelii (18.8%), Ehrlichia ruminantium (16.5%), Rickettsia africae (12.6%), Theileria annulata (11.9%), Mycoplasma arginini (9.9%), Borrelia burgdorferi (7.7%), Spiroplasma-like endosymbiont (4.0%), Hepatozoon canis (2.4%), Coxiella burnetii (1.6%) and Leishmania infantum (1.3%). Double co-infections were recorded in 3.0% (27/902) of Hy. dromedarii ticks, triple co-infections (simultaneous infection of the tick by three pathogen species) were found in 9.6% (87/902) of Hy. dromedarii ticks, whereas multiple co-infections (simultaneous infection of the tick by ≥ four pathogen species) comprised 12% (108/902). Out of 1,435 investigated Rhipicephalus rutilus ticks collected from dogs and sheep, 816 (56.9%) ticks harbored Babesia canis vogeli (17.1%), Rickettsia conorii (16.2%), Ehrlichia canis (15.4%), H. canis (13.6%), Bo. burgdorferi (9.7%), L. infantum (8.4%), C. burnetii (7.3%) and Trypanosoma evansi (6.6%) in dogs, and 242 (16.9%) ticks harbored Theileria lestoquardi (21.6%), Theileria ovis (20.0%) and Eh. ruminantium (0.3%) in sheep. Double, triple, and multiple co-infections represented 11% (90/816), 7.6% (62/816), and 10.3% (84/816), respectively in Rh. rutilus from dogs, whereas double and triple co-infections represented 30.2% (73/242) and 2.1% (5/242), respectively in Rh. rutilus from sheep. Approximately 92.5% (1,355/1,465) of Rhipicephalus annulatus ticks of cattle carried a burden of Anaplasma marginale (21.3%), Babesia bigemina (18.2%), Babesia bovis (14.0%), Borrelia theleri (12.8%), R. africae (12.4%), Th. annulata (8.7%), Bo. burgdorferi (2.7%), and Eh. ruminantium (2.5%). Double, triple, and multiple co-infections represented 1.8% (25/1,355), 11.5% (156/1,355), and 12.9% (175/1,355), respectively. The detected pathogens' sequences had 98.76-100% similarity to the available database with genetic divergence ranged between 0.0001 to 0.0009% to closest sequences from other African, Asian, and European countries. Phylogenetic analysis revealed close similarities between the detected pathogens and other isolates mostly from African and Asian countries. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Continuous PCR-detection of pathogens transmitted by ticks is necessary to overcome the consequences of these infection to the hosts. More restrictions should be applied from the Egyptian authorities on animal importations to limit the emergence and re-emergence of tick-borne pathogens in the country. This is the first in-depth investigation of TBPs in Egypt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haytham Senbill
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam, India
- Department of Applied Entomology & Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Donia Karawia
- Department of Pesticide Chemistry & Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Jehan Zeb
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Zoology, Govt. Ghazi Umara Khan Degree College Samarbagh, Higher Education Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Nouf M Alyami
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rafa Almeer
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sahidur Rahman
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam, India
| | - Olivier Sparagano
- Agricultural Sciences and Practice, Royal Agricultural University (RAU), Cirencester, United Kingdom
| | - Aiswarya Baruah
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam, India
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12
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Zhong Z, Wang K, Wang J. Tick symbiosis. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 62:101163. [PMID: 38244689 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2024.101163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
As obligate blood-feeders, ticks serve as vectors for a variety of pathogens that pose threats on both human and livestock health. The microbiota that ticks harbor play important roles in influencing tick nutrition, development, reproduction, and vector. These microbes also affect the capacity of ticks to transmit pathogens (vector competence). Therefore, comprehending the functions of tick microbiota will help in developing novel and effective tick control strategies. Here, we summarize the effects of main tick symbiotic bacteria on tick physiology and vector competency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengwei Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China
| | - Kun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China
| | - Jingwen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China.
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13
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Zhang B, Wang X, Aguli Nurland R, Lu M, Guan Y, Liu M, Gao F, Li K. Investigation of tick-borne bacterial microorganisms in Haemaphysalis ticks from Hebei, Shandong, and Qinghai provinces, China. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2024; 15:102290. [PMID: 38070273 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Tick-borne microorganisms in many tick species and many areas of China are still not thoroughly investigated. In this study, 224 ticks including two species (Haemaphysalis longicornis and Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis) were collected from four cities in Hebei, Shandong, and Qinghai provinces, China. Ticks were screened for the presence of tick-borne bacterial microorganisms including Rickettsia, Anaplasmataceae (Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Neoehrlichia, etc.), Coxiella, Borrelia, and Bartonella. Two Anaplasma species (Anaplasma ovis and Anaplasma capra) were detected in H. longicornis from Xingtai City of Hebei Province, with a positive rate of 3 % and 8 %, respectively. A Coxiella species was detected in H. longicornis ticks from all three locations in Hebei and Shandong provinces, with the positive rate ranging from 30 to 75 %. All the 16S and rpoB sequences were very similar (99.77-100 % identity) to Coxiella endosymbiont of Haemaphysalis ticks. An Ehrlichia species was detected in H. qinghaiensis (6/66, 9 %) from Xining City, Qinghai Province. The 16S and groEL sequences had 100 % and 97.40-97.85 % nucleotide identities to "Candidatus Ehrlichia pampeana" strains, respectively, suggesting that it may be a variant of "Candidatus Ehrlichia pampeana". All the ticks were negative for Rickettsia, Borrelia, and Bartonella. Because all the ticks were removed from goats or humans and were partially or fully engorged, it is possible that the microorganisms were from the blood meal but not vectored by the ticks. Our results may provide some information on the diversity and distribution of tick-borne pathogens in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Zhang
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Endemic Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi City 830011, China
| | - Xiao Wang
- Xinjiang 474 Hospital, China RongTong Medical Healthcare Group CO.LTD, Urumqi City 830000, China
| | - Rewuzi Aguli Nurland
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Endemic Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi City 830011, China
| | - Miao Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing City 102206, China
| | - Yaqun Guan
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Endemic Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi City 830011, China
| | - Mengyun Liu
- Xinjiang 474 Hospital, China RongTong Medical Healthcare Group CO.LTD, Urumqi City 830000, China
| | - Fan Gao
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Endemic Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi City 830011, China
| | - Kun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing City 102206, China.
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14
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Oundo JW, Kalayou S, Bosch QT, Villinger J, Koenraadt CJM, Masiga D. Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting cattle in coastal Kenya harbor a diverse array of tick-borne pathogens. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2024; 15:102266. [PMID: 37813003 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Ticks and the microbes they transmit have emerged in sub-Saharan Africa as a major threat to veterinary and public health. Although progress has been made in detecting and identifying tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) across vast agroecologies of Kenya, comprehensive information on tick species infesting cattle and their associated pathogens in coastal Kenya needs to be updated and expanded. Ticks infesting extensively grazed zebu cattle in 14 villages were sampled and identified based on morphology and molecular methods and tested for the presence of bacterial and protozoan TBPs using PCR with high-resolution melting analysis and gene sequencing. In total, 3,213 adult ticks were collected and identified as Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (15.8%), R. evertsi (12.8%), R. microplus (11.3%), R. pulchellus (0.1%), Amblyomma gemma (24.1%), A. variegatum (35.1%), Hyalomma rufipes (0.6%), and H. albiparmatum (0.2%). Ticks were infected with Rickettsia africae, Ehrlichia ruminantium, E. minasensis, Theileria velifera and T. parva. Coxiella sp. endosymbionts were detected in the Rhipicephalus and Amblyomma ticks. Co-infections with two and three different pathogens were identified in 6.9% (n = 95/1382) and 0.1% (n = 2/1382) of single tick samples, respectively, with the most common co-infection being R. africae and E. ruminantium (7.2%, CI: 4.6 - 10.6). All samples were negative for Coxiella burnetii, Anaplasma spp. and Babesia spp. Our study provides an overview of tick and tick-borne microbial diversities in coastal Kenya.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Wang'ang'a Oundo
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya; Quantitative Veterinary Epidemiology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 338 6700AH Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Shewit Kalayou
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Quirine Ten Bosch
- Quantitative Veterinary Epidemiology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 338 6700AH Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Jandouwe Villinger
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Daniel Masiga
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
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Bauer BU, Knittler MR, Andrack J, Berens C, Campe A, Christiansen B, Fasemore AM, Fischer SF, Ganter M, Körner S, Makert GR, Matthiesen S, Mertens-Scholz K, Rinkel S, Runge M, Schulze-Luehrmann J, Ulbert S, Winter F, Frangoulidis D, Lührmann A. Interdisciplinary studies on Coxiella burnetii: From molecular to cellular, to host, to one health research. Int J Med Microbiol 2023; 313:151590. [PMID: 38056089 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2023.151590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The Q-GAPS (Q fever GermAn interdisciplinary Program for reSearch) consortium was launched in 2017 as a German consortium of more than 20 scientists with exceptional expertise, competence, and substantial knowledge in the field of the Q fever pathogen Coxiella (C.) burnetii. C. burnetii exemplifies as a zoonotic pathogen the challenges of zoonotic disease control and prophylaxis in human, animal, and environmental settings in a One Health approach. An interdisciplinary approach to studying the pathogen is essential to address unresolved questions about the epidemiology, immunology, pathogenesis, surveillance, and control of C. burnetii. In more than five years, Q-GAPS has provided new insights into pathogenicity and interaction with host defense mechanisms. The consortium has also investigated vaccine efficacy and application in animal reservoirs and identified expanded phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of C. burnetii and their epidemiological significance. In addition, conceptual principles for controlling, surveilling, and preventing zoonotic Q fever infections were developed and prepared for specific target groups. All findings have been continuously integrated into a Web-based, interactive, freely accessible knowledge and information platform (www.q-gaps.de), which also contains Q fever guidelines to support public health institutions in controlling and preventing Q fever. In this review, we will summarize our results and show an example of how an interdisciplinary consortium provides knowledge and better tools to control a zoonotic pathogen at the national level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin U Bauer
- Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Michael R Knittler
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Immunology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Jennifer Andrack
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Berens
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Molecular Pathogenesis, Jena, Germany
| | - Amely Campe
- Department of Biometry, Epidemiology and Information Processing, (IBEI), WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training for Health at the Human-Animal-Environment Interface, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Bahne Christiansen
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Immunology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Akinyemi M Fasemore
- Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Munich, Germany; University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; ZB MED - Information Centre for Life Science, Cologne, Germany
| | - Silke F Fischer
- Landesgesundheitsamt Baden-Württemberg, Ministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit und Integration, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Martin Ganter
- Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Sophia Körner
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gustavo R Makert
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Svea Matthiesen
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Immunology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Katja Mertens-Scholz
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany
| | - Sven Rinkel
- Institut für Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Martin Runge
- Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES), Food and Veterinary Institute Braunschweig/Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Jan Schulze-Luehrmann
- Institut für Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Ulbert
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fenja Winter
- Department of Biometry, Epidemiology and Information Processing, (IBEI), WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training for Health at the Human-Animal-Environment Interface, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Dimitrios Frangoulidis
- Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Munich, Germany; Bundeswehr Medical Service Headquarters VI-2, Medical Intelligence & Information, Munich, Germany
| | - Anja Lührmann
- Institut für Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany.
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Numan M, Alouffi A, Almutairi MM, Tanaka T, Ahmed H, Akbar H, Rashid MI, Tsai KH, Ali A. First Detection of Theileria sinensis-like and Anaplasma capra in Ixodes kashmiricus: With Notes on cox1-Based Phylogenetic Position and New Locality Records. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3232. [PMID: 37893956 PMCID: PMC10603726 DOI: 10.3390/ani13203232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Ixodes ticks transmit Theileria and Anaplasma species to a wide range of animals. The spreading of ticks and tick-borne pathogens has been attributed to transhumant herds, and research on these uninvestigated issues has been neglected in many countries, including Pakistan. Recently, we used internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 16S ribosomal DNA partial sequences to genetically characterize Ixodes kashmiricus ticks and their associated Rickettsia spp. However, the data on its cox1 sequence and associated Theileria spp. and Anaplasma spp. are missing. This study aimed to genetically characterize I. kashmiricus based on the cox1 sequence and their associated Theileria spp. and Anaplasma spp. The I. kashmiricus ticks were collected from small ruminants: sheep (Ovis aries) and goats (Capra hircus) of transhumant herds in district Shangla, Dir Upper and Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Out of 129 examined hosts, 94 (72.87%) (56 sheep and 38 goats) were infested by 352 ticks, including adult females (175; 49.7%) followed by nymphs (115; 32.7%) and males (62; 17.6%). For molecular analyses, 121 ticks were subjected to DNA isolation and PCR for the amplification of the cox1 sequence for I. kashmiricus, 18S rDNA for Theileria spp. and 16S rDNA sequences for Anaplasma spp. The obtained cox1 sequence showed 89.29%, 88.78%, and 88.71% identity with Ixodes scapularis, Ixodes gibbosus, and Ixodes apronophorus, respectively. Phylogenetically, the present cox1 sequence clustered with the Ixodes ricinus complex. Additionally, the 18S rDNA sequence showed 98.11% maximum identity with Theileria cf. sinensis and 97.99% identity with Theileria sinensis. Phylogenetically, Theileria spp. clustered with the T. cf. sinensis and T. sinensis. In the case of Anaplasma spp., the 16S rDNA sequence showed 100% identity with Anaplasma capra and phylogenetically clustered with the A. capra. PCR-based DNA detection targeting the amplification of groEL and flaB sequences of Coxiella spp. and Borrelia spp., respectively, was unsuccessful. This is the first phylogenetic report based on cox1 and new locality records of I. kashmiricus, and the associated T. sinensis-like and A. capra. Significant tick surveillance studies are needed in order to determine the epidemiology of Ixodes ticks and their associated pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Numan
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan
| | - Abdulaziz Alouffi
- King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh 12354, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mashal M. Almutairi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Tetsuya Tanaka
- Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan;
| | - Haroon Ahmed
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Park Road, Chak ShahZad, Islamabad 45550, Pakistan
| | - Haroon Akbar
- Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54200, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Imran Rashid
- Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54200, Pakistan
| | - Kun-Hsien Tsai
- Global Health Program, Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106319, Taiwan
| | - Abid Ali
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan
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Minwuyelet A, Petronio GP, Yewhalaw D, Sciarretta A, Magnifico I, Nicolosi D, Di Marco R, Atenafu G. Symbiotic Wolbachia in mosquitoes and its role in reducing the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases: updates and prospects. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1267832. [PMID: 37901801 PMCID: PMC10612335 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1267832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, chikungunya, Zika fever, and filariasis have the greatest health and economic impact. These mosquito-borne diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in tropical and sub-tropical areas. Due to the lack of effective vector containment strategies, the prevalence and severity of these diseases are increasing in endemic regions. Nowadays, mosquito infection by the endosymbiotic Wolbachia represents a promising new bio-control strategy. Wild-infected mosquitoes had been developing cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), phenotypic alterations, and nutrition competition with pathogens. These reduce adult vector lifespan, interfere with reproduction, inhibit other pathogen growth in the vector, and increase insecticide susceptibility of the vector. Wild, uninfected mosquitoes can also establish stable infections through trans-infection and have the advantage of adaptability through pathogen defense, thereby selectively infecting uninfected mosquitoes and spreading to the entire population. This review aimed to evaluate the role of the Wolbachia symbiont with the mosquitoes (Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex) in reducing mosquito-borne diseases. Global databases such as PubMed, Web of Sciences, Scopus, and pro-Quest were accessed to search for potentially relevant articles. We used keywords: Wolbachia, Anopheles, Aedes, Culex, and mosquito were used alone or in combination during the literature search. Data were extracted from 56 articles' texts, figures, and tables of the included article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Awoke Minwuyelet
- Department of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia
| | | | - Delenasaw Yewhalaw
- Tropical and Infectious Diseases Research Center, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Andrea Sciarretta
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Food Sciences, Università degli Studi del Molise, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Irene Magnifico
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Daria Nicolosi
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Roberto Di Marco
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Getnet Atenafu
- Department of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia
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18
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Ali A, Ullah S, Numan M, Almutairi MM, Alouffi A, Tanaka T. First report on tick-borne pathogens detected in ticks infesting stray dogs near butcher shops. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1246871. [PMID: 37799410 PMCID: PMC10548827 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1246871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Public health is a major concern for several developing countries due to infectious agents transmitted by hematophagous arthropods such as ticks. Health risks due to infectious agents transmitted by ticks infesting butcher-associated stray dogs (BASDs) in urban and peri-urban regions have been neglected in several developing countries. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study assessing public health risks due to ticks infesting BASDs in Pakistan's urban and peri-urban areas. A total of 575 ticks (390 from symptomatic and 183 from asymptomatic BASDs) were collected from 117 BASDs (63 symptomatic and 54 asymptomatic); the ticks belonged to 4 hard tick species. A subset of each tick species' extracted DNA was subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify the 16S rDNA and cox1 sequences of the reported tick species, as well as bacterial and protozoal agents. The ticks' 16S rDNA and cox1 sequences showed 99-100% identities, and they were clustered with the sequence of corresponding species from Pakistan and other countries in phylogenetic trees. Among the screened 271 ticks' DNA samples, Anaplasma spp. was detected in 54/271 (19.92%) samples, followed by Ehrlichia spp. (n = 40/271, 14.76%), Rickettsia spp. (n = 33/271, 12.17%), Coxiella spp. (n = 23/271, 4.48%), and Hepatozoon canis (n = 9/271, 3.32%). The obtained sequences and phylogenetic analyzes revealed that the pathogens detected in ticks were Ehrlichia minasensis, Ehrlichia sp., Hepatozoon canis, Coxiella burnetii, Coxiella sp., Anaplasma capra, Anaplasma platys, Anaplasma sp., Rickettsia massiliae, "Candidatus Rickettsia shennongii" and Rickettsia aeschlimannii. Tick-borne pathogens such as E. minasensis, H. canis, A. capra, A. platys, and R. aeschlimannii, were detected based on the DNA for the first time in Pakistan. This is the first report on public health risks due to ticks infesting BASDs. These results not only provided insights into the occurrence of novel tick-borne pathogens in the region but also revealed initial evidence of zoonotic threats to both public health and domestic life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abid Ali
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Shafi Ullah
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Numan
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Mashal M. Almutairi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulaziz Alouffi
- King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Tetsuya Tanaka
- Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
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19
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Ramatla T, Khumalo ZTH, Matshotshi A, Lekota KE, Taioe MO, Thekisoe O. Molecular detection of Coxiella burnetii and Coxiella species in rats and chickens from poultry farms in North West Province, South Africa. Vet Med Sci 2023; 9:2185-2191. [PMID: 37592439 PMCID: PMC10508476 DOI: 10.1002/vms3.1192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coxiella burnetii is a bacterial pathogen that causes query fever and coxiellosis in humans and animals, respectively. There is a scarcity of studies on the prevalence of C. burnetii infections in rats and chickens in South Africa. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of C. burnetii in rats and chickens sampled from poultry farms in the North West Province of South Africa. METHODS DNA was extracted from rodent kidneys (n = 68) and chicken faeces (n = 52). Two rodent pest species, namely Rattus rattus and Rattus tanezumi, were identified by analysis of CO1 gene sequences. Detection of C. burnetii was carried out using polymerase chain reaction assays targeting 23S rRNA, 16S rRNA and IS111 markers. RESULTS C. burnetii was detected in 16.2%, 8.8% and 25% of R. rattus, R. tanezumi and chickens, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The findings in this study demonstrate that rodents and chickens are harbouring C. burnetii at sampled poultry farms. There should be frequent screening for C. burnetii in poultry operations. The likelihood of future transmission between rodents and chickens, including humans, also needs to be investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsepo Ramatla
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and ManagementNorth‐West UniversityPotchefstroomSouth Africa
| | - Zamantungwa T. H. Khumalo
- Vectors and Vector‐borne Diseases Research Programme, Department of Veterinary Tropical DiseasesUniversity of PretoriaOnderstepoortSouth Africa
- Study OperationsClinvet InternationalBloemfonteinSouth Africa
| | - Asiashu Matshotshi
- Department of Life and Consumer SciencesUniversity of South AfricaFloridaSouth Africa
| | - Kgaugelo E. Lekota
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and ManagementNorth‐West UniversityPotchefstroomSouth Africa
| | - Moeti O. Taioe
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and ManagementNorth‐West UniversityPotchefstroomSouth Africa
- Epidemiology, Parasites and VectorsAgricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort Veterinary ResearchOnderstepoortSouth Africa
| | - Oriel Thekisoe
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and ManagementNorth‐West UniversityPotchefstroomSouth Africa
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20
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Kolo AO, Raghavan R. Impact of endosymbionts on tick physiology and fitness. Parasitology 2023; 150:859-865. [PMID: 37722758 PMCID: PMC10577665 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182023000793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Ticks transmit pathogens and harbour non-pathogenic, vertically transmitted intracellular bacteria termed endosymbionts. Almost all ticks studied to date contain 1 or more of Coxiella, Francisella, Rickettsia or Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii endosymbionts, indicative of their importance to tick physiology. Genomic and experimental data suggest that endosymbionts promote tick development and reproductive success. Here, we review the limited information currently available on the potential roles endosymbionts play in enhancing tick metabolism and fitness. Future studies that expand on these findings are needed to better understand endosymbionts’ contributions to tick biology. This knowledge could potentially be applied to design novel strategies that target endosymbiont function to control the spread of ticks and pathogens they vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agatha O. Kolo
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Rahul Raghavan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
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21
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Gardner BR, Bachmann NL, Polkinghorne A, Hufschmid J, Tadepalli M, Marenda M, Graves S, Arnould JPY, Stenos J. A Novel Marine Mammal Coxiella burnetii-Genome Sequencing Identifies a New Genotype with Potential Virulence. Pathogens 2023; 12:893. [PMID: 37513739 PMCID: PMC10386718 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12070893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen Coxiella burnetii has been identified in a few species of marine mammals, some of which are showing population declines. It has been hypothesized that C. burnetii in marine mammals is a distinct genotype that varies significantly from the typical terrestrial genotypes. It appears to lack an IS1111. Isolates originating from Australian marine animals have a distinctly non-Australian profile of multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA). Extracted Coxiella DNA of Australian fur seal placental origin was sequenced using the Novaseq platform. Illumina 150 bp paired-end reads were filtered and trimmed with Trimgalore. The microbial community present in the sequenced genome was evaluated with Kraken and Bracken software using the NCBI database. A phylogenetic analysis was performed using 1131 core genes. Core genes were identified using Panaroo and inputted into Iqtree to determine the maximum-likelihood tree. A second phylogenetic tree was created using Rickettsiella grylii and using seven housekeeping genes. Results were compared with the C. burnetii Nine Mile RSA439 virulent genome. This new Australian marine mammal isolate of Coxiella (PG457) appears to be a novel genotype that lacks IS1111 and has a distinct MLVA signature (ms26, ms27, ms28, ms30, and ms31). The presence of genes for multiple virulence factors appears to give this genotype sufficient pathogenicity for it to be considered a possible causative agent of abortion in Australian fur seals as well as a potential zoonotic risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett R Gardner
- Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia
| | | | | | - Jasmin Hufschmid
- Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia
| | - Mythili Tadepalli
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, University Hospital Geelong, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
| | - Marc Marenda
- Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia
| | - Stephen Graves
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, University Hospital Geelong, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
| | - John P Y Arnould
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
| | - John Stenos
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, University Hospital Geelong, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
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22
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Paulson AR, Lougheed SC, Huang D, Colautti RI. Multiomics Reveals Symbionts, Pathogens, and Tissue-Specific Microbiome of Blacklegged Ticks (Ixodes scapularis) from a Lyme Disease Hot Spot in Southeastern Ontario, Canada. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0140423. [PMID: 37184407 PMCID: PMC10269869 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01404-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Ticks in the family Ixodidae are important vectors of zoonoses, including Lyme disease (LD), which is caused by spirochete bacteria from the Borreliella (Borrelia) burgdorferi sensu lato complex. The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) continues to expand across Canada, creating hot spots of elevated LD risk at the leading edge of its expanding range. Current efforts to understand the risk of pathogen transmission associated with I. scapularis in Canada focus primarily on targeted screens, while natural variation in the tick microbiome remains poorly understood. Using multiomics consisting of 16S metabarcoding and ribosome-depleted, whole-shotgun RNA transcriptome sequencing, we examined the microbial communities associated with adult I. scapularis (n = 32), sampled from four tissue types (whole tick, salivary glands, midgut, and viscera) and three geographical locations within a LD hot spot near Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The communities consisted of both endosymbiotic and known or potentially pathogenic microbes, including RNA viruses, bacteria, and a Babesia sp. intracellular parasite. We show that β-diversity is significantly higher between the bacterial communities of individual tick salivary glands and midguts than that of whole ticks. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) determined that the three potentially pathogenic bacteria detected by V4 16S rRNA sequencing also differed among dissected tissues only, including a Borrelia strain from the B. burgdorferi sensu lato complex, Borrelia miyamotoi, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Importantly, we find coinfection of I. scapularis by multiple microbes, in contrast to diagnostic protocols for LD, which typically focus on infection from a single pathogen of interest (B. burgdorferi sensu stricto). IMPORTANCE As a vector of human health concern, blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) transmit pathogens that cause tick-borne diseases (TBDs), including Lyme disease (LD). Several hot spots of elevated LD risk have emerged across Canada as I. scapularis expands its range. Focusing on a hot spot in southeastern Ontario, we used high-throughput sequencing to characterize the microbiome of whole ticks and dissected salivary glands and midguts. Compared with whole ticks, salivary glands and midguts were more diverse and associated with distinct bacterial communities that are less dominated by Rickettsia endosymbiont bacteria and are enriched for pathogenic bacteria, including a B. burgdorferi sensu lato-associated Borrelia sp., Borrelia miyamotoi, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. We also found evidence of coinfection of I. scapularis by multiple pathogens. Overall, our study highlights the challenges and opportunities associated with the surveillance of the microbiome of I. scapularis for pathogen detection using metabarcoding and metatranscriptome approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber R. Paulson
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - David Huang
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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23
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Fernández-Ruiz N, Pinecki-Socias S, Estrada-Peña A, Wu-Chuang A, Maitre A, Obregón D, Cabezas-Cruz A, de Blas I, Nijhof AM. Decontamination protocols affect the internal microbiota of ticks. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:189. [PMID: 37286996 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05812-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies on the microbiota of ticks have promoted hypotheses about the combined effects of the bacterial community, its functional contributions to the tick's physiology or probable competition effects with some tick-borne pathogens. However, knowledge on the origin of the microbiota of newly hatched larvae is missing. This study aimed to elucidate the source(s) of the microbiota in unfed tick larvae, addressing the composition of the "core microbiota" and the best ways to decontaminate eggs for microbiota studies. We applied laboratory degree bleach washes and/or ultraviolet light treatments on engorged Rhipicephalus australis females and/or their eggs. No significant effects of these treatments on the reproductive parameters of females and the hatching rates of eggs were observed. However, the different treatments did show striking effects on the composition of the microbiota. The results indicated that bleach washes disrupted the internal tick microbiota in females, implying that bleach may have entered the tick and subsequently affected the microbiota. Furthermore, the analyses of results demonstrated that the ovary is a main source of tick microbiota, while the contribution of Gené's organ (a part of the female reproductive system that secretes a protective wax coat onto tick eggs) or the male's spermatophore requires further investigation. Further studies are needed to identify best practice protocols for the decontamination of ticks for microbiota studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Fernández-Ruiz
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain.
- Group of Research on Emerging Zoonoses, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), 50013, Zaragoza, Spain.
| | - Sophia Pinecki-Socias
- Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, 14163, Berlin, Germany
| | - Agustín Estrada-Peña
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain
- Group of Research on Emerging Zoonoses, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), 50013, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Alejandra Wu-Chuang
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Apolline Maitre
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Dasiel Obregón
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Ignacio de Blas
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Ard M Nijhof
- Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, 14163, Berlin, Germany
- Veterinary Centre for Resistance Research, Freie Universität Berlin, 14163, Berlin, Germany
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24
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Ohlopkova OV, Yakovlev SA, Emmanuel K, Kabanov AA, Odnoshevsky DA, Kartashov MY, Moshkin AD, Tuchkov IV, Nosov NY, Kritsky AA, Agalakova MA, Davidyuk YN, Khaiboullina SF, Morzunov SP, N'Fally M, Bumbali S, Camara MF, Boiro MY, Agafonov AP, Gavrilova EV, Maksyutov RA. Epidemiology of Zoonotic Coxiella burnetii in The Republic of Guinea. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1433. [PMID: 37374935 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11061433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Q fever is a zoonotic infectious disease characterized by fever, malaise, chills, significant weakness, and muscle pain. In some cases, the disease can become chronic and affect the inner membranes of the heart, such as the valves, leading to endocarditis and a high risk of death. Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) is the primary causative agent of Q fever in humans. This study aims to monitor the presence of C. burnetii in ticks collected from small mammals and cattle in the Republic of Guinea (RG). METHODS Rodents were trapped in the Kindia region of RG during 2019-2020, and ticks were collected from cattle in six regions of RG. Total DNA was extracted using a commercial kit (RIBO-prep, InterLabService, Russia) following the manufacturer's instructions. Real-time PCR amplification was conducted using the kit (AmpliSens Coxiella burnetii-FL, InterLabService, Russia) to detect C. burnetii DNA. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Bacterial DNA was detected in 11 out of 750 (1.4%) small mammals and 695 out of 9620 (7.2%) tick samples. The high number of infected ticks (7.2%) suggests that they are the main transmitters of C. burnetii in RG. The DNA was detected in the liver and spleen of a Guinea multimammate mouse, Mastomys erythroleucus. These findings demonstrate that C. burnetii is zoonotic in RG, and measures should be taken to monitor the bacteria's dynamics and tick prevalence in the rodent population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olesia V Ohlopkova
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology «Vector» of Rospotrebnadzor, Koltsovo 630559, Russia
| | - Sergey A Yakovlev
- Russian Research Anti-Plague Institute «Microbe» of Rospotrebnadzor, Saratov 410005, Russia
| | - Kabwe Emmanuel
- OpenLab "Gene and Cell Technologies", Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, Kazan 420008, Russia
| | - Alexey A Kabanov
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology «Vector» of Rospotrebnadzor, Koltsovo 630559, Russia
| | - Dmitry A Odnoshevsky
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology «Vector» of Rospotrebnadzor, Koltsovo 630559, Russia
| | - Mikhail Yu Kartashov
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology «Vector» of Rospotrebnadzor, Koltsovo 630559, Russia
| | - Alexey D Moshkin
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology «Vector» of Rospotrebnadzor, Koltsovo 630559, Russia
| | - Igor V Tuchkov
- Russian Research Anti-Plague Institute «Microbe» of Rospotrebnadzor, Saratov 410005, Russia
| | - Nikita Yu Nosov
- Russian Research Anti-Plague Institute «Microbe» of Rospotrebnadzor, Saratov 410005, Russia
- State Research Center of Dermatovenerology and Cosmetology of Russian Ministry of Health, Moscow 107076, Russia
| | - Andrey A Kritsky
- Russian Research Anti-Plague Institute «Microbe» of Rospotrebnadzor, Saratov 410005, Russia
- Limited Liability Company, «Biotech Campus», Moscow 117437, Russia
| | - Milana A Agalakova
- Faculty of Preventive Medicine, Ural State Medical University, Yekaterinburg 620014, Russia
- Limited Liability Company, «Quality Med», Yekaterinburg 105318, Russia
| | - Yuriy N Davidyuk
- OpenLab "Gene and Cell Technologies", Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, Kazan 420008, Russia
| | - Svetlana F Khaiboullina
- OpenLab "Gene and Cell Technologies", Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, Kazan 420008, Russia
| | | | - Magasuba N'Fally
- Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry, University Gamal Abdel Nasser, Conakry 001, Guinea
| | - Sanaba Bumbali
- Research Institute of Applied Biology of Guinea, Kindia 100, Guinea
| | | | | | - Alexander P Agafonov
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology «Vector» of Rospotrebnadzor, Koltsovo 630559, Russia
| | - Elena V Gavrilova
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology «Vector» of Rospotrebnadzor, Koltsovo 630559, Russia
| | - Rinat A Maksyutov
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology «Vector» of Rospotrebnadzor, Koltsovo 630559, Russia
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Teng Z, Shi Y, Zhao N, Zhang X, Jin X, He J, Xu B, Qin T. Molecular Detection of Tick-Borne Bacterial and Protozoan Pathogens in Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) Ticks from Free-Ranging Domestic Sheep in Hebei Province, China. Pathogens 2023; 12:763. [PMID: 37375453 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12060763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Ticks and tick-borne pathogens significantly threaten human and animal health worldwide. Haemaphysalis longicornis is one of the dominant tick species in East Asia, including China. In the present study, 646 Ha. longicornis ticks were collected from free-ranging domestic sheep in the southern region of Hebei Province, China. Tick-borne pathogens of zoonotic and veterinary importance (i.e., Rickettsia, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Borrelia, Theileria, and Hepatozoon spp.) were detected in the ticks using PCR assays and sequence analysis. The prevalence rates of these pathogens were 5.1% (33/646), 15.9% (103/646), 1.2% (8/646), 17.0% (110/646), 0.15% (1/646), and 0.15% (1/646), respectively. For Rickettsia spp., R. japonica (n = 13), R. raoultii (n = 6), and Candidatus R. jingxinensis (n = 14) were detected for the first time in the province, while several Anaplasma spp. were also detected in the ticks, including A. bovis (n = 52), A. ovis (n = 31), A. phagocytophilum (n = 10), and A. capra (n = 10). A putative novel Ehrlichia spp. was also found with a prevalence of 1.2% in the area. The present study provides important data for effectively controlling ticks and tick-borne diseases in the Hebei Province region of China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongqiu Teng
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yan Shi
- Shijiazhuang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shijiazhuang 050021, China
| | - Na Zhao
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Xue Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Xiaojing Jin
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Jia He
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Baohong Xu
- Shijiazhuang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shijiazhuang 050021, China
| | - Tian Qin
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
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Duncan-Lowey J, Crabill E, Jarret A, Reed SCO, Roy CR. The Coxiella burnetii effector EmcB is a deubiquitinase that inhibits RIG-I signaling. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2217602120. [PMID: 36893270 PMCID: PMC10089202 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2217602120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotes have cytosolic surveillance systems to detect invading microorganisms and initiate protective immune responses. In turn, host-adapted pathogens have evolved strategies to modulate these surveillance systems, which can promote dissemination and persistence in the host. The obligate intracellular pathogen Coxiella burnetii infects mammalian hosts without activating many innate immune sensors. The Defect in Organelle Trafficking/Intracellular Multiplication (Dot/Icm) protein secretion system is necessary for C. burnetii to establish a vacuolar niche inside of host cells, which sequesters these bacteria in a specialized organelle that could evade host surveillance systems. However, bacterial secretion systems often introduce agonists of immune sensors into the host cytosol during infection. For instance, nucleic acids are introduced to the host cytosol by the Dot/Icm system of Legionella pneumophila, which results in type I interferon production. Despite host infection requiring a homologous Dot/Icm system, C. burnetii does not induce type I interferon production during infection. Here, it was found that type I interferons are detrimental to C. burnetii infection and that C. burnetii blocks type I interferon production mediated by retionic acid inducible gene I (RIG-I) signaling. Two Dot/Icm effector proteins, EmcA and EmcB, are required for C. burnetii inhibition of RIG-I signaling. EmcB is sufficient to block RIG-I signaling and is a ubiquitin-specific cysteine protease capable of deconjugating ubiquitin chains from RIG-I that are necessary for signaling. EmcB preferentially cleaves K63-linked ubiquitin chains of three or more monomers, which represent ubiquitin chains that potently activate RIG-I signaling. Identification of a deubiquitinase encoded by C. burnetii provides insights into how a host-adapted pathogen antagonizes immune surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Duncan-Lowey
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT06536
| | - Emerson Crabill
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT06536
- Department of Biology, Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX76909
| | - Abigail Jarret
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT06536
| | - Shawna C. O. Reed
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT06536
| | - Craig R. Roy
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT06536
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Distribution and Prevalence of Anaplasmataceae, Rickettsiaceae and Coxiellaceae in African Ticks: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11030714. [PMID: 36985288 PMCID: PMC10051480 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11030714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In Africa, ticks continue to be a major hindrance to the improvement of the livestock industry due to tick-borne pathogens that include Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia and Coxiella species. A systemic review and meta-analysis were conducted here and highlighted the distribution and prevalence of these tick-borne pathogens in African ticks. Relevant publications were searched in five electronic databases and selected using inclusion/exclusion criteria, resulting in 138 and 78 papers included in the qualitative and quantitative analysis, respectively. Most of the studies focused on Rickettsia africae (38 studies), followed by Ehrlichia ruminantium (27 studies), Coxiella burnetii (20 studies) and Anaplasma marginale (17 studies). A meta-analysis of proportions was performed using the random-effects model. The highest prevalence was obtained for Rickettsia spp. (18.39%; 95% CI: 14.23–22.85%), R. africae (13.47%; 95% CI: 2.76–28.69%), R. conorii (11.28%; 95% CI: 1.77–25.89%), A. marginale (12.75%; 95% CI: 4.06–24.35%), E. ruminantium (6.37%; 95% CI: 3.97–9.16%) and E. canis (4.3%; 95% CI: 0.04–12.66%). The prevalence of C. burnetii was low (0%; 95% CI: 0–0.25%), with higher prevalence for Coxiella spp. (27.02%; 95% CI: 10.83–46.03%) and Coxiella-like endosymbionts (70.47%; 95% CI: 27–99.82%). The effect of the tick genera, tick species, country and other variables were identified and highlighted the epidemiology of Rhipicephalus ticks in the heartwater; affinity of each Rickettsia species for different tick genera; dominant distribution of A. marginale, R. africae and Coxiella-like endosymbionts in ticks and a low distribution of C. burnetii in African hard ticks.
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Lau ACC, Mohamed WMA, Nakao R, Onuma M, Qiu Y, Nakajima N, Shimozuru M, Mohd-Azlan J, Moustafa MAM, Tsubota T. The dynamics of the microbiome in Ixodidae are shaped by tick ontogeny and pathogens in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Microb Genom 2023; 9:mgen000954. [PMID: 36757789 PMCID: PMC9997734 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Tick-borne diseases have recently been considered a potential emerging public health threat in Malaysia; however, fundamental studies into tick-borne pathogens and microbiome appear limited. In this study, six tick species (Ixodes granulatus, Haemaphysalis hystricis, Haemaphysalis shimoga, Dermacentor compactus, Dermacentor steini and Dermacentor atrosignatus) collected from two primary forests and an oil palm plantation in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, were used for microbiome analysis targeting bacterial 16S rDNA using next-generation sequencing (NGS). In addition, bacterial species were further characterized in conventional PCRs to identify potential pathogens. Sequences generated from NGS were first filtered with the Decontam package in R before subsequent microbial diversity analyses. Alpha and beta analyses revealed that the genus Dermacentor had the highest microbial diversity, and H. shimoga significantly differed in microbial composition from other tick species. Alpha and beta diversities were also significantly different between developmental stages of H. shimoga. Furthermore, we observed that some bacterial groups were significantly more abundant in certain tick species and developmental stages of H. shimoga. We tested the relative abundances using pairwise linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe), which also revealed significant microbial composition differences between Borrelia-positive and Borrelia-negative I. granulatus ticks. Finally, pathogenic and potentially pathogenic bacteria circulating in different tick species, such as Rickettsia heilongjiangensis, Ehrlichia sp., Anaplasma sp. and Bartonella spp. were characterized by PCR and sequencing. Moreover, Coxiella and Francisella-like potential symbionts were identified from H. shimoga and D. steini, respectively. More studies are required to unravel the factors associated with the variations observed in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice C. C. Lau
- Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
| | - Wessam Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
- Division of Bioinformatics, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 001-0020, Japan
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, 08901, New Jersey, USA
| | - Ryo Nakao
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
| | - Manabu Onuma
- Biodiversity Division, National Institute of Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, 305-806, Japan
| | - Yongjin Qiu
- Division of International Research Promotion, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0020, Japan
| | - Nobuyoshi Nakajima
- Biodiversity Division, National Institute of Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, 305-806, Japan
| | - Michito Shimozuru
- Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
| | - Jayasilan Mohd-Azlan
- Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, 94300, Sarawak, Malaysia
| | - Mohamed Abdallah Mohamed Moustafa
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
- Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, Egypt
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Toshio Tsubota
- Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0818, Japan
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Ghafar A, Davies N, Tadepalli M, Breidahl A, Death C, Haros P, Li Y, Dann P, Cabezas-Cruz A, Moutailler S, Foucault-Simonin A, Gauci CG, Stenos J, Hufschmid J, Jabbar A. Unravelling the Diversity of Microorganisms in Ticks from Australian Wildlife. Pathogens 2023; 12:153. [PMID: 36839425 PMCID: PMC9967841 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12020153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Ticks and tick-borne pathogens pose a significant threat to the health and welfare of humans and animals. Our knowledge about pathogens carried by ticks of Australian wildlife is limited. This study aimed to characterise ticks and tick-borne microorganisms from a range of wildlife species across six sites in Victoria, Australia. Following morphological and molecular characterisation (targeting 16S rRNA and cytochrome c oxidase I), tick DNA extracts (n = 140) were subjected to microfluidic real-time PCR-based screening for the detection of microorganisms and Rickettsia-specific real-time qPCRs. Five species of ixodid ticks were identified, including Aponomma auruginans, Ixodes (I.) antechini, I. kohlsi, I. tasmani and I. trichosuri. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA sequences of I. tasmani revealed two subclades, indicating a potential cryptic species. The microfluidic real-time PCR detected seven different microorganisms as a single (in 13/45 ticks) or multiple infections (27/45). The most common microorganisms detected were Apicomplexa (84.4%, 38/45) followed by Rickettsia sp. (55.6%, 25/45), Theileria sp. (22.2% 10/45), Bartonella sp. (17.8%, 8/45), Coxiella-like sp. (6.7%, 3/45), Hepatozoon sp. (2.2%, 1/45), and Ehrlichia sp. (2.2%, 1/45). Phylogenetic analyses of four Rickettsia loci showed that the Rickettsia isolates detected herein potentially belonged to a novel species of Rickettsia. This study demonstrated that ticks of Australian wildlife carry a diverse array of microorganisms. Given the direct and indirect human-wildlife-livestock interactions, there is a need to adopt a One Health approach for continuous surveillance of tick-associated pathogens/microorganisms to minimise the associated threats to animal and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdul Ghafar
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia
| | - Nick Davies
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia
| | - Mythili Tadepalli
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, Barwon Health, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
| | - Amanda Breidahl
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia
| | - Clare Death
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia
| | - Philip Haros
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia
| | - Yuting Li
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia
| | - Peter Dann
- Research Department, Phillip Island Nature Park, P.O. Box 97, Cowes, VIC 3922, Australia
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, F-94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Sara Moutailler
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, F-94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Angélique Foucault-Simonin
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, F-94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Charles G. Gauci
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia
| | - John Stenos
- Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, Barwon Health, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
| | - Jasmin Hufschmid
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia
| | - Abdul Jabbar
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia
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Zeb J, Song B, Senbill H, Aziz MU, Hussain S, Khan MA, Qadri I, Cabezas-Cruz A, de la Fuente J, Sparagano OA. Ticks Infesting Dogs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: Detailed Epidemiological and Molecular Report. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12010098. [PMID: 36678446 PMCID: PMC9862609 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12010098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Ticks and tick-borne diseases are considered a major challenge for human and animal health in tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate regions of the world. However, only scarce information is available on the characterization of tick species infesting dogs in Pakistan. In this study, we present a comprehensive report on the epidemiological and phylogenetic aspects of ticks infesting dogs in Pakistan using the mitochondrial markers i.e. Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) nucleotide sequences. A total of 300 dogs were examined and 1150 ixodid ticks were collected across central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The morpho-molecular characterization of hard ticks revealed the presence of two ixodid tick genera on dogs, i.e., Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus, including six tick species viz. Hyalomma dromedarii (15.9%), Hyalomma excavatum (3%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. (41.3%), Rhipicephalus turanicus s.s. (28.7%), Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides (10.2%), and Rhipicephalus microplus (2%). The total prevalence of tick infestation in dogs was 61%. The district with the highest tick prevalence rate in dogs was Mardan (14.7%), followed by Peshawar (13%), Swabi (12%), Charsadda (11%), and Malakand (10.3%), respectively. Risk factors analysis indicated that some demographic and host management-associated factors such as host age, breed, exposure to acaricides treatment, and previous tick infestation history were associated with a higher risk of tick infestation on dogs. This is the first molecular report confirming the infestation of Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus tick species in the dog population from the study area. The present study also reported a new tick−host association between Hy. excavatum, Hy. dromedarii, and dogs. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that cox1 partial nucleotide sequences of Hy. excavatum in our dataset were 100% identical to similar tick specimens identified in Turkey, and those of Hy. dromedarii were identical to tick specimens from Iran. Whereas, Rh. haemaphysaloides and Rh. microplus’ cox1 partial nucleotide sequences were identical to sequences previously published from Pakistan. Rhipicephalus turanicus s.s. ‘s cox1 isolates from the present study were 99.8−100% identical to Pakistani-reported isolates, and those of Rh. sanguineus s.l. were 100% identical to Chinese specimens. Results on the genetic characterization of ticks were further confirmed by 16S rRNA partial nucleotide sequences analysis, which revealed 100% identity between the tick isolates of this study and those of Hy. excavatum reported from Turkey; Hy. dromedarii specimens reported from Senegal; Rh. haemaphysaloides, Rh. microplus, and Rh. turanicus s.s., previously published from Pakistan, and Rh. sanguineus s.l., published from China. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis showed that the Rh. sanguineus s.l. isolates of this study clustered with specimens of the tropical lineage with 7.7−10% nucleotide divergence from the specimens of the temperate lineage. Further molecular works need to be performed throughout Pakistan to present a more detailed map of tick distribution with information about dog host associations, biological characteristics, and pathogen competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jehan Zeb
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- Correspondence: (J.Z.); (O.A.S.)
| | - Baolin Song
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Haytham Senbill
- Department of Applied Entomology and Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21545, Egypt
| | - Muhammad Umair Aziz
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Sabir Hussain
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Munsif Ali Khan
- Vector-Borne Diseases Control Unit, District Health Office, Abbottabad 22010, Pakistan
| | - Ishtiaq Qadri
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, F-94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - José de la Fuente
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigaci’on en Recursos Cineg´eticos IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
| | - Olivier Andre Sparagano
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- Correspondence: (J.Z.); (O.A.S.)
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Microbiome comparison of Dermanyssus gallinae populations from different farm rearing systems and the presence of common endosymbiotic bacteria at developmental stages. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:227-235. [PMID: 36401143 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-022-07721-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The hematophagous arthropod, Dermanyssus gallinae (Poultry red mite, PRM) can cause remarkable economic losses in the poultry industry across the globe. Although overall composition of endosymbiotic bacteria has been shown in previous studies, how farm habitats influence the microbiome remains unclear. In the present study, we compared the bacterial communities of D. gallinae populations collected from the cage and free-range farms using next-generation sequences targeting the V3-V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. The QIIME2 pipeline was followed in bioinformatic analyses. Proteobacteria represented a great majority of the total bacterial community of D. gallinae from both farming systems. More specifically, Bartonella-like bacteria (40.8%) and Candidatus Cardinium (21.5%) were found to be predominant genera in free-range and cage rearing systems, respectively. However, the microbiome variation based on farming systems was not statistically significant. In addition, the presence of the five common endosymbiotic bacteria (Wolbachia, Cardinium, Rickettsiella, Spiroplasma, and Schineria) was screened in different developmental stages of D. gallinae. Cardinium was detected in all developmental stages of D. gallinae. On the other hand, Wolbachia and Rickettsiella were only found in adults/nymphs, but neither in the eggs nor larvae. To our knowledge, this study provides the first microbiome comparison at genus-level in D. gallinae populations collected from different farm habitats and will contribute to the knowledge of the biology of D. gallinae.
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Lock and Key: Why Rickettsia Endosymbionts Do Not Harm Vertebrate Hosts? Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11121494. [PMID: 36558828 PMCID: PMC9781603 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11121494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Are tick endosymbionts transmitted to and able to injure vertebrate hosts [...].
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Adegoke A, Kumar D, Budachetri K, Karim S. Hematophagy and tick-borne Rickettsial pathogen shape the microbial community structure and predicted functions within the tick vector, Amblyomma maculatum. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1037387. [PMID: 36478675 PMCID: PMC9719966 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1037387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ticks are the primary vectors of emerging and resurging pathogens of public health significance worldwide. Analyzing tick bacterial composition, diversity, and functionality across developmental stages and tissues is crucial for designing new strategies to control ticks and prevent tick-borne diseases. Materials and methods Here, we explored the microbial communities across the developmental timeline and in different tissues of the Gulf-Coast ticks (Amblyomma maculatum). Using a high-throughput sequencing approach, the influence of blood meal and Rickettsia parkeri, a spotted fever group rickettsiae infection in driving changes in microbiome composition, diversity, and functionality was determined. Results This study shows that the core microbiome of Am. maculatum comprises ten core bacterial genera. The genus Rickettsia, Francisella, and Candidatus_Midichloria are the key players, with positive interactions within each developmental stage and adult tick organ tested. Blood meal and Rickettsia parkeri led to an increase in the bacterial abundance in the tissues. According to functional analysis, the increase in bacterial numbers is positively correlated to highly abundant energy metabolism orthologs with blood meal. Correlation analysis identified an increase in OTUs identified as Candidatus Midichloria and a subsequent decrease in Francisella OTUs in Rickettsia parkeri infected tick stages and tissues. Results demonstrate the abundance of Rickettsia and Francisella predominate in the core microbiome of Am. maculatum, whereas Candidatus_Midichloria and Cutibacterium prevalence increase with R. parkeri-infection. Network analysis and functional annotation suggest that R. parkeri interacts positively with Candidatus_Midichloria and negatively with Francisella. Conclusion We conclude that tick-transmitted pathogens, such as R. parkeri establishes infection by interacting with the core microbiome of the tick vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulsalam Adegoke
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Deepak Kumar
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Khemraj Budachetri
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Shahid Karim
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
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Brophy M, Walker KR, Adamson JE, Ravenscraft A. Tropical and Temperate Lineages of Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Host Different Strains of Coxiella-like Endosymbionts. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 59:2022-2029. [PMID: 36124671 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjac132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Nonpathogenic bacteria likely play important roles in the biology and vector competence of ticks and other arthropods. Coxiella, a gram-negative gammaproteobacterium, is one of the most commonly reported maternally inherited endosymbionts in ticks and has been associated with over 40 tick species. Species-specific Coxiella-like endosymbionts (CLEs) have been reported in the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (Acari: Ixodidae), throughout the world, while recent research suggests low Coxiella diversity among tick species. We investigated CLE diversity among R. sanguineus s.l. ticks across Arizona. We detected 37 recurrent sequence variants (SVs) of the symbiont, indicating greater diversity in these symbiotic bacteria than previously reported. However, two SVs accounted for the vast majority of 16S rRNA amplicon reads. These two dominant CLEs were both closely related to Candidatus C. mudrowiae, an identified symbiont of Rhipicephalus turanicus ticks. One strain strongly associated with the tropical lineage of R. sanguineus s.l. while the other was found almost exclusively in the temperate lineage, supporting the conclusion that CLEs are primarily vertically transmitted. However, occasional mismatches between tick lineage and symbiont SV indicate that horizontal symbiont transfer may occur, perhaps via cofeeding of ticks from different lineages on the same dog. This study advances our understanding of CLE diversity in Rh. sanguineus s.l.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen Brophy
- Department of Entomology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Kathleen R Walker
- Department of Entomology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Johnathan E Adamson
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Alison Ravenscraft
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
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Hodosi R, Kazimirova M, Soltys K. What do we know about the microbiome of I. ricinus? Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:990889. [PMID: 36467722 PMCID: PMC9709289 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.990889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
I. ricinus is an obligate hematophagous parasitic arthropod that is responsible for the transmission of a wide range of zoonotic pathogens including spirochetes of the genus Borrelia, Rickettsia spp., C. burnetii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Francisella tularensis, which are part the tick´s microbiome. Most of the studies focus on "pathogens" and only very few elucidate the role of "non-pathogenic" symbiotic microorganisms in I. ricinus. While most of the members of the microbiome are leading an intracellular lifestyle, they are able to complement tick´s nutrition and stress response having a great impact on tick´s survival and transmission of pathogens. The composition of the tick´s microbiome is not consistent and can be tied to the environment, tick species, developmental stage, or specific organ or tissue. Ovarian tissue harbors a stable microbiome consisting mainly but not exclusively of endosymbiotic bacteria, while the microbiome of the digestive system is rather unstable, and together with salivary glands, is mostly comprised of pathogens. The most prevalent endosymbionts found in ticks are Rickettsia spp., Ricketsiella spp., Coxiella-like and Francisella-like endosymbionts, Spiroplasma spp. and Candidatus Midichloria spp. Since microorganisms can modify ticks' behavior, such as mobility, feeding or saliva production, which results in increased survival rates, we aimed to elucidate the potential, tight relationship, and interaction between bacteria of the I. ricinus microbiome. Here we show that endosymbionts including Coxiella-like spp., can provide I. ricinus with different types of vitamin B (B2, B6, B7, B9) essential for eukaryotic organisms. Furthermore, we hypothesize that survival of Wolbachia spp., or the bacterial pathogen A. phagocytophilum can be supported by the tick itself since coinfection with symbiotic Spiroplasma ixodetis provides I. ricinus with complete metabolic pathway of folate biosynthesis necessary for DNA synthesis and cell division. Manipulation of tick´s endosymbiotic microbiome could present a perspective way of I. ricinus control and regulation of spread of emerging bacterial pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Hodosi
- Department of Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Maria Kazimirova
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Katarina Soltys
- Department of Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Comenius University Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
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Celina SS, Cerný J. Coxiella burnetii in ticks, livestock, pets and wildlife: A mini-review. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:1068129. [PMID: 36439350 PMCID: PMC9691889 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1068129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is a zoonotic bacterium with an obligatory intracellular lifestyle and has a worldwide distribution. Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever in humans and coxiellosis in animals. Since its discovery in 1935, it has been shown to infect a wide range of animal species including mammals, birds, reptiles, and arthropods. Coxiella burnetii infection is of public and veterinary health and economic concern due to its potential for rapid spread and highly infectious nature. Livestock are the primary source of C. burnetii infection in most Q fever outbreaks which occurs mainly through inhalation of contaminated particles. Aside from livestock, many cases of Q fever linked to exposure to wildlife. Changes in the dynamics of human-wildlife interactions may lead to an increased potential risk of interspecies transmission and contribute to the emergence/re-emergence of Q fever. Although C. burnetii transmission is mainly airborne, ticks may act as vectors and play an important role in the natural cycle of transmission of coxiellosis among wild vertebrates and livestock. In this review, we aim to compile available information on vectors, domestic, and wild hosts of C. burnetii, and to highlight their potential role as bacterial reservoirs in the transmission of C. burnetii.
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MALDI-TOF MS Identification of Dromedary Camel Ticks and Detection of Associated Microorganisms, Southern Algeria. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10112178. [DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10112178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
This study used MALDI-TOF MS and molecular tools to identify tick species infesting camels from Tamanrasset in southern Algeria and to investigate their associated microorganisms. Ninety-one adult ticks were collected from nine camels and were morphologically identified as Hyalomma spp., Hyalomma dromedarii, Hyalomma excavatum, Hyalomma impeltatum and Hyalomma anatolicum. Next, the legs of all ticks were subjected to MALDI-TOF MS, and 88/91 specimens provided good-quality MS spectra. Our homemade MALDI-TOF MS arthropod spectra database was then updated with the new MS spectra of 14 specimens of molecularly confirmed species in this study. The spectra of the remaining tick specimens not included in the MS database were queried against the upgraded database. All 74 specimens were correctly identified by MALDI-TOF MS, with logarithmic score values ranging from 1.701 to 2.507, with median and mean values of 2.199 and 2.172 ± 0.169, respectively. One H. impeltatum and one H. dromedarii (2/91; 2.20%) tested positive by qPCR for Coxiella burnetii, the agent of Q fever. We also report the first detection of an Anaplasma sp. close to A. platys in H. dromedarii in Algeria and a potentially new Ehrlichia sp. in H. impeltatum.
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Rialch A, Sankar M, Silamparasan M, Madhusoodan AP, Kharayat NS, Gautam S, Gurav AR, Thankappan S. Molecular detection of Coxiella-like endosymbionts in Rhipicephalus microplus from north India. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2022; 36:100803. [PMID: 36436891 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2022.100803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Apart from the tick-borne pathogens affecting human and animal health, ticks also harbor various non-pathogenic endosymbionts with dynamic ecological interactions. These endosymbionts are unexplored from the Indian ticks; hence this pilot study was conducted. Seventy-nine ticks were collected from Nainital district of Uttarakhand state of north India and were identified as Rhipicephalus microplus morphologically and by molecular analysis. PCR and sequence analysis were carried out to detect the presence of Rickettsia-like, Coxiella-like and Francisella-like endosymbionts in these ticks. Based on the partial 16S rRNA gene sequence, Coxiella-like endosymbiont (CLE) was detected in the adult and other life-cycle stages of ticks with 96.6-97.7% nucleotide sequence identity with the published CLE sequences from GenBank. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the CLE from R. microplus were clustered with the CLE from other Rhipicephalus species. All these CLE formed distinct clades from the pathogenic Coxiella burnetii. None of the tick samples was found positive for Rickettsia-like and Francisella-like endosymbionts in the present study. We also demonstrated the vertical transmission of CLE from surface sterilized and laboratory reared fully engorged adult females to the eggs and the larvae. However, large scale studies are to be conducted to detect various endosymbionts and endosymbiont-tick associations in the Indian tick species and to explore these associations for tick and tick-borne disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajayta Rialch
- Division of Temperate Animal Husbandry, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar Campus, Nainital, Uttrakhand 263138, India.
| | - M Sankar
- Division of Temperate Animal Husbandry, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar Campus, Nainital, Uttrakhand 263138, India
| | - M Silamparasan
- Division of Temperate Animal Husbandry, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar Campus, Nainital, Uttrakhand 263138, India
| | - A P Madhusoodan
- Division of Temperate Animal Husbandry, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar Campus, Nainital, Uttrakhand 263138, India
| | - Nitish Singh Kharayat
- Division of Temperate Animal Husbandry, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar Campus, Nainital, Uttrakhand 263138, India
| | - Siddharth Gautam
- Division of Temperate Animal Husbandry, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar Campus, Nainital, Uttrakhand 263138, India
| | - Amol Ramdas Gurav
- Division of Temperate Animal Husbandry, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar Campus, Nainital, Uttrakhand 263138, India
| | - Sabrinath Thankappan
- Division of Temperate Animal Husbandry, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar Campus, Nainital, Uttrakhand 263138, India
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Mofokeng LS, Smit NJ, Cook CA. Molecular Detection of Tick-Borne Bacteria from Amblyomma (Acari: Ixodidae) Ticks Collected from Reptiles in South Africa. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10101923. [PMID: 36296199 PMCID: PMC9607068 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10101923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Reptiles are hosts for various tick species and tick-associated organisms, many of which are zoonotic. However, little is known about the presence and diversity of tick-borne bacteria infecting reptiles and their ticks in South Africa. Amblyomma ticks (n = 253) collected from reptiles were screened for the presence of Coxiella, Anaplasma, Rickettsia, and Borrelia species by amplification, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA, 23S rRNA, gltA, OmpA, and Flagellin genes, respectively. This study recorded the presence of reptile associated Borrelia species and Coxiella-like endosymbiont in South Africa for the first time. Furthermore, a spotted fever group Rickettsia species was observed in 7 Amblyomma marmoreum and 14 Amblyomma sylvaticum from tortoises of genera Kinixys and Chersina. Francisella-like endosymbiont was observed from 2 Amblyomma latum collected from the Mozambique spitting cobra, Naja mossambica. Coxiella burnetii and Anaplasma spp., were not detected from the current samples. Although the direct evidence that reptiles can act as reservoir hosts remains to be determined, observations from this study provide indications that reptilian ticks may play a role in the transmission of pathogenic bacteria to homothermic animals. Furthermore, the absence of Anaplasma spp., and C. burnetii does not mean that these pathogens should be completely neglected.
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Cabrera R, Mendoza W, López-Mosquera L, Cano MA, Ortiz N, Campo V, Keynan Y, López L, Rueda ZV, Gutiérrez LA. Tick-Borne-Agents Detection in Patients with Acute Febrile Syndrome and Ticks from Magdalena Medio, Colombia. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11101090. [PMID: 36297148 PMCID: PMC9611641 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11101090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute febrile illness (AFI) is a morbid condition with a sudden onset of fever with at least seven days of evolution, where no signs or symptoms related to an apparent infection have been identified. In Latin America, a high proportion of disease is typically due to malaria and arboviruses. However, among the infectious etiologies, tick-borne diseases (TBDs) should also be considered, especially in areas where people come into direct contact with these arthropods. This study aims to describe the etiology and epidemiology related to tick-borne agents in patients with AFI and the tick’s natural infection by agents of TBD in the rural tropical Magdalena Medio region in Colombia, and explore the factors associated with the presence of Coxiella burnetii infection. We conduct a cohort study enrolling 271 patients with AFI to detect the bacteria of the genera Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Coxiella, Rickettsia, Borrelia, and Francisella through molecular techniques, and additionally evaluate the presence of IgG antibodies with commercially available kits. We also conduct tick collection in the patient’s households or workplaces for the molecular screening of the same bacterial genera. Seropositivity to IgG antibodies was obtained for all the bacteria analyzed, with Francisella being the most common at 39.5% (107/271), followed by R. rickettsii at 31.4% (85/271), Ehrlichia at 26.9% (73/271), R. typhi at 15.5% (42/271), Anaplasma at 14.4% (39/271), and Borrelia at 6.6% (18/271). However, these bacteria were not detected by the molecular techniques used. Coxiella burnetii infection was detected in 39.5% of the patients: 49.5% only by phase I and II IgG antibodies, 33.6% only by real-time PCR, and 16.8% had a concordant positive result for both techniques. A total of 191 adult ticks, 111 females and 80 males, were collected and identified as Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. and Rhipicephalus microplus. In the 169 adult ticks in which natural infection was evaluated, Ehrlichia spp. was detected in 21.3% (36/169), Coxiella spp. in 11.8% (20/169), and Anaplasma spp. in 4.7% (8/169). In conclusion, we identified the prior exposition to Francisella, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, Borrelia, and Coxiella in patients through serological tests. We also detected the infection of C. burnetii using molecular techniques. In the ticks, we identified bacteria of the genera Coxiella, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia. These results suggest the importance of these zoonotic agents as possible causes of AFI in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Cabrera
- Grupo Biología de Sistemas, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050034, Colombia
| | - Willington Mendoza
- Grupo Biología de Sistemas, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050034, Colombia
| | - Loreth López-Mosquera
- Grupo Biología de Sistemas, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050034, Colombia
| | - Miguel Angel Cano
- Grupo Biología de Sistemas, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050034, Colombia
- Grupo de Investigación en Salud Pública, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050034, Colombia
| | - Nicolas Ortiz
- Grupo Biología de Sistemas, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050034, Colombia
- Grupo de Investigación en Salud Pública, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050034, Colombia
| | - Valentina Campo
- Grupo Biología de Sistemas, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050034, Colombia
- Grupo de Investigación en Salud Pública, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050034, Colombia
| | - Yoav Keynan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases and Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada
| | - Lucelly López
- Grupo de Investigación en Salud Pública, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050034, Colombia
| | - Zulma Vanessa Rueda
- Grupo de Investigación en Salud Pública, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050034, Colombia
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases and Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada
| | - Lina Andrea Gutiérrez
- Grupo Biología de Sistemas, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050034, Colombia
- Correspondence:
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Grostieta E, Zazueta-Islas HM, Cruz-Valdez T, Ballados-González GG, Álvarez-Castillo L, García-Esparza SM, Cruz-Romero A, Romero-Salas D, Aguilar-Domínguez M, Becker I, Sánchez-Montes S. Molecular detection of Coxiella-like endosymbionts and absence of Coxiella burnetii in Amblyomma mixtum from Veracruz, Mexico. EXPERIMENTAL & APPLIED ACAROLOGY 2022; 88:113-125. [PMID: 36244047 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-022-00748-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Ticks are obligate ectoparasites associated with a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including domestic animals. Moreover, ticks are capable of transmitting many pathogens such as Coxiella. To date, Coxiella burnetii, the etiological agent of coxiellosis or Q fever, is the only valid species of the genera. Nevertheless, a wide range of agents denominated Coxiella-like have been detected in recent studies, mainly associated with ticks. The pathogenicity of these Coxiella-like agents is controversial as some of them can infect both birds and humans. In Mexico, knowledge about Q fever is scarce and limited to historical serological records, and there is an overall lack of molecular proof of any agent of the genus Coxiella circulating in the country. Therefore, the aim of this study was to detect the presence of Coxiella in ticks associated with cattle in all 10 regions of Veracruz, Mexico. To accomplish this objective, first, we identified ticks collected from cattle and horses in Veracruz. Then, for Coxiella detection, DNA extraction from ticks and PCR amplification of the 16S-rDNA of Coxiella was performed. Finally, we performed a phylogenetic reconstruction to determine the Coxiella lineages detected. From the 10 regions sampled we collected 888 ticks grouped in 180 pools, and only five Amblyomma mixtum from the locality of Castán, and one from Los Angeles from Tuxpan were found positive, which represents a frequency of 20% for each locality. This study represents the first attempt at molecular detection of Coxiella in ticks associated with cattle in the state of Veracruz, the major livestock producer in the country. The findings of the present study are relevant as they establish a precedent regarding the circulation of Coxiella-like agents, as well as the absence in three municipalities of the state of Veracruz of C. burnetii, an abortive agent of livestock importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estefanía Grostieta
- Centro de Medicina Tropical, Facultad de Medicina, Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Dr. Balmis 148, Ciudad de Mexico, C.P. 06726, México
| | - Héctor M Zazueta-Islas
- Centro de Medicina Tropical, Facultad de Medicina, Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Dr. Balmis 148, Ciudad de Mexico, C.P. 06726, México
| | - Timoteo Cruz-Valdez
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias Región Tuxpan, Universidad Veracruzana, Veracruz, México
| | - Gerardo G Ballados-González
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Veracruzana, Circunvalación s/n, Veracruz, 91710, México
| | - Lucía Álvarez-Castillo
- Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de Mexico, México
| | - Sandra M García-Esparza
- Centro de Medicina Tropical, Facultad de Medicina, Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Dr. Balmis 148, Ciudad de Mexico, C.P. 06726, México
| | - Anabel Cruz-Romero
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Veracruzana, Circunvalación s/n, Veracruz, 91710, México
| | - Dora Romero-Salas
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Veracruzana, Circunvalación s/n, Veracruz, 91710, México
| | - Mariel Aguilar-Domínguez
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Veracruzana, Circunvalación s/n, Veracruz, 91710, México.
| | - Ingeborg Becker
- Centro de Medicina Tropical, Facultad de Medicina, Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Dr. Balmis 148, Ciudad de Mexico, C.P. 06726, México.
| | - Sokani Sánchez-Montes
- Centro de Medicina Tropical, Facultad de Medicina, Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Dr. Balmis 148, Ciudad de Mexico, C.P. 06726, México
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias Región Tuxpan, Universidad Veracruzana, Veracruz, México
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Garcia-Vozmediano A, Tomassone L, Fonville M, Bertolotti L, Heylen D, Fabri ND, Medlock JM, Nijhof AM, Hansford KM, Sprong H, Krawczyk AI. The Genetic Diversity of Rickettsiella Symbionts in Ixodes ricinus Throughout Europe. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022; 84:613-626. [PMID: 34580739 PMCID: PMC9436858 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01869-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Rickettsiella species are bacterial symbionts that are present in a great variety of arthropod species, including ixodid ticks. However, little is known about their genetic diversity and distribution in Ixodes ricinus, as well as their relationship with other tick-associated bacteria. In this study, we investigated the occurrence and the genetic diversity of Rickettsiella spp. in I. ricinus throughout Europe and evaluated any preferential and antagonistic associations with Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii and the pathogens Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Borrelia miyamotoi. Rickettsiella spp. were detected in most I. ricinus populations investigated, encompassing a wide array of climate types and environments. The infection prevalence significantly differed between geographic locations and was significantly higher in adults than in immature life stages. Phylogenetic investigations and protein characterization disclosed four Rickettsiella clades (I-IV). Close phylogenetic relations were observed between Rickettsiella strains of I. ricinus and other arthropod species. Isolation patterns were detected for Clades II and IV, which were restricted to specific geographic areas. Lastly, although coinfections occurred, we did not detect significant associations between Rickettsiella spp. and the other tick-associated bacteria investigated. Our results suggest that Rickettsiella spp. are a genetically and biologically diverse facultative symbiont of I. ricinus and that their distribution among tick populations could be influenced by environmental components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aitor Garcia-Vozmediano
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, L.go Braccini, 2, 10095 Grugliasco, TO Italy
| | - Laura Tomassone
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, L.go Braccini, 2, 10095 Grugliasco, TO Italy
| | - Manoj Fonville
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Luigi Bertolotti
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, L.go Braccini, 2, 10095 Grugliasco, TO Italy
| | - Dieter Heylen
- Eco-Epidemiology Group, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Nannet D. Fabri
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 7, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jolyon M. Medlock
- Infections Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology, Public Health England, Porton Down, UK
| | - Ard M. Nijhof
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13, 14163 Berlin, Germany
| | - Kayleigh M. Hansford
- Infections Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology, Public Health England, Porton Down, UK
| | - Hein Sprong
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Aleksandra I. Krawczyk
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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van Wyk CL, Mtshali K, Taioe MO, Terera S, Bakkes D, Ramatla T, Xuan X, Thekisoe O. Detection of Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens of Urban Stray Dogs in South Africa. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11080862. [PMID: 36014983 PMCID: PMC9416273 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11080862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to identify ticks infesting dogs admitted to the Potchefstroom Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and to detect tick-borne pathogens they are harbouring. A total of 592 ticks were collected from 61 stray dogs admitted to PAWS originating from several suburbs in and near Potchefstroom, South Africa. The dog ticks were identified as Haemaphysalis elliptica (39%) and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (61%) by both morphological and DNA analyses. Of these ticks, H. elliptica consisted of 67.5% (156/231) and 32.5% (75/231) female and male ticks, respectively, whilst R. sanguineus consisted of 48.5% (175/361) and 51.5% (186/361) female and male ticks, respectively. Microscopic examination of blood smears from engorged female ticks indicated overall occurrences of 0.5% (1/204) for Babesia spp. from R. sanguineus, 1% (2/204) of Anaplasma spp. from H. elliptica, and 22% (45/204) of Rickettsia spp. from both H. elliptica and R. sanguineus. Using pooled samples molecular detection of tick-borne pathogens indicated overall occurrences of 1% (1/104) for A. phagocytophilum in H. elliptica, 9.6% (10/104) of Rickettsia spp. in H. elliptica and R. sanguineus, 5.8% (6/104) of Ehrlichia canis in H. elliptica and R. sanguineus, and 13.5% (14/104) of Coxiella spp. in both H. elliptica and R. sanguineus. Additionally, PCR detected 6.5% (2/31) of Coxiella spp. DNA from H. elliptica eggs. Our data indicate that urban stray dogs admitted at PAWS are infested by H. elliptica and R. sanguineus ticks which are harbouring several pathogenic organisms known to cause tick-borne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara-Lee van Wyk
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa; (C.-L.v.W.); (M.O.T.); (T.R.); (O.T.)
| | - Khethiwe Mtshali
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, Arcadia Campus, Pretoria 0001, South Africa;
| | - Moeti O. Taioe
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa; (C.-L.v.W.); (M.O.T.); (T.R.); (O.T.)
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Stallone Terera
- Potchefstroom Animal Welfare Society, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa;
| | - Deon Bakkes
- Gertrud Theiler Tick Museum, Agricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa;
| | - Tsepo Ramatla
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa; (C.-L.v.W.); (M.O.T.); (T.R.); (O.T.)
| | - Xuenan Xuan
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro 080-8555, Japan
- Correspondence:
| | - Oriel Thekisoe
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa; (C.-L.v.W.); (M.O.T.); (T.R.); (O.T.)
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Fu M, He P, OuYang X, Yu Y, Wen B, Zhou D, Xiong X, Yuan Q, Jiao J. Novel genotypes of Coxiella burnetii circulating in rats in Yunnan Province, China. BMC Vet Res 2022; 18:204. [PMID: 35624449 PMCID: PMC9137106 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-022-03310-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coxiella burnetii (Cb) is the causative agent of the zoonotic disease Q fever which is distributed worldwide. Molecular typing of Cb strains is essential to find out the infectious source and prevent Q fever outbreaks, but there has been a lack of typing data for Cb strains in China. The aim of this study was to investigate the genotypes of Cb strains in wild rats in Yunnan Province, China. RESULTS Eighty-six wild rats (Rattus flavipectus) were collected in Yunnan Province and 8 of the 86 liver samples from the wild rats were positive in Cb-specific quantitative PCR (qPCR). The Cb strains from the 8 rats were then typed into 3 genotypes using 10-spacer multispacer sequence typing (MST), and 2 of the 3 genotypes were recognized as novel ones. Moreover, the Cb strains in the wild rats were all identified as genotype 1 using 6-loci multilocus variable number of tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). CONCLUSIONS This is the first report of genotypic diversity of Cb strains from wild rats in China. Further studies are needed to explore the presence of more genotypes and to associate the genotypes circulating in the wildlife-livestock interaction with those causing human disease to further expand on the epidemiological aspects of the pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengjiao Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Peisheng He
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuan OuYang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yonghui Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Bohai Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Dongsheng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaolu Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Qinghong Yuan
- Yunnan Institute of Endemic Diseases Control and Prevention, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Natural Focal Disease Control and Prevention, Yunnan, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jun Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
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Molecular Survey of Vector-Borne Pathogens in Ticks, Sheep Keds, and Domestic Animals from Ngawa, Southwest China. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11050606. [PMID: 35631127 PMCID: PMC9143929 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11050606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Vector-borne pathogens are mainly transmitted by blood-feeding arthropods such as ticks, mosquitoes, fleas, lice, mites, etc. They pose a significant threat to animal and human health due to their worldwide distribution. Although much work has been performed on these pathogens, some neglected areas and undiscovered pathogens are still to be further researched. In this study, ticks (Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis), sheep keds (Melophagus ovinus), and blood samples from yaks and goats were collected in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture located on the eastern edge of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, Southwest China. Several vector-borne bacterial pathogens were screened and studied. Anaplasma bovis strains representing novel genotypes were detected in ticks (8.83%, 37/419), yak blood samples (45.71%, 64/140), and goat blood samples (58.93%, 33/56). Two spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsiae, Candidatus Rickettsia jingxinensis, and a novel Rickettsia species named Candidatus Rickettsia hongyuanensis were identified in ticks. Another Rickettsia species closely related to the Rickettsia endosymbiont of Polydesmus complanatus was also detected in ticks. Furthermore, a Coxiella species was detected in ticks (3.34%, 14/419), keds (1.89%, 2/106), and yak blood (0.71%, 1/140). Interestingly, another Coxiella species and a Coxiella-like bacterium were detected in a tick and a goat blood sample, respectively. These results indicate the remarkable diversity of vector-borne pathogens circulating in this area. Further investigations on their pathogenicity to humans and domestic animals are still needed.
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46
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Guizzo MG, Tirloni L, Gonzalez SA, Farber MD, Braz G, Parizi LF, Dedavid E Silva LA, da Silva Vaz I, Oliveira PL. Coxiella Endosymbiont of Rhipicephalus microplus Modulates Tick Physiology With a Major Impact in Blood Feeding Capacity. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:868575. [PMID: 35591999 PMCID: PMC9111531 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.868575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past decade, metagenomics studies exploring tick microbiota have revealed widespread interactions between bacteria and arthropods, including symbiotic interactions. Functional studies showed that obligate endosymbionts contribute to tick biology, affecting reproductive fitness and molting. Understanding the molecular basis of the interaction between ticks and their mutualist endosymbionts may help to develop control methods based on microbiome manipulation. Previously, we showed that Rhipicephalus microplus larvae with reduced levels of Coxiella endosymbiont of R. microplus (CERM) were arrested at the metanymph life stage (partially engorged nymph) and did not molt into adults. In this study, we performed a transcriptomic differential analysis of the R. microplus metanymph in the presence and absence of its mutualist endosymbiont. The lack of CERM resulted in an altered expression profile of transcripts from several functional categories. Gene products such as DA-P36, protease inhibitors, metalloproteases, and evasins, which are involved in blood feeding capacity, were underexpressed in CERM-free metanymphs. Disregulation in genes related to extracellular matrix remodeling was also observed in the absence of the symbiont. Taken together, the observed alterations in gene expression may explain the blockage of development at the metanymph stage and reveal a novel physiological aspect of the symbiont-tick-vertebrate host interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melina Garcia Guizzo
- Vector Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, MD, United States.,Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Lucas Tirloni
- Tick-Pathogen Transmission Unit, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, MT, United States
| | - Sergio A Gonzalez
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular (IABIMO), INTA-CONICET, Hurlingham, Argentina
| | - Marisa D Farber
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular (IABIMO), INTA-CONICET, Hurlingham, Argentina
| | - Glória Braz
- Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luís Fernando Parizi
- Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | | | - Itabajara da Silva Vaz
- Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular (INCT-EM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Pedro L Oliveira
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular (INCT-EM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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47
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Benyedem H, Lekired A, Mhadhbi M, Dhibi M, Romdhane R, Chaari S, Rekik M, Ouzari HI, Hajji T, Darghouth MA. First insights into the microbiome of Tunisian Hyalomma ticks gained through next-generation sequencing with a special focus on H. scupense. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268172. [PMID: 35587930 PMCID: PMC9119559 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks are one of the most important vectors of several pathogens affecting humans and animals. In addition to pathogens, ticks carry diverse microbiota of symbiotic and commensal microorganisms. In this study, we have investigated the first Tunisian insight into the microbial composition of the most dominant Hyalomma species infesting Tunisian cattle and explored the relative contribution of tick sex, life stage, and species to the diversity, richness and bacterial species of tick microbiome. In this regard, next generation sequencing for the 16S rRNA (V3-V4 region) of tick bacterial microbiota and metagenomic analysis were established. The analysis of the bacterial diversity reveals that H. marginatum and H. excavatum have greater diversity than H. scupense. Furthermore, microbial diversity and composition vary according to the tick’s life stage and sex in the specific case of H. scupense. The endosymbionts Francisella, Midichloria mitochondrii, and Rickettsia were shown to be the most prevalent in Hyalomma spp. Rickettsia, Francisella, Ehrlichia, and Erwinia are the most common zoonotic bacteria found in Hyalomma ticks. Accordingly, Hyalomma ticks could represent potential vectors for these zoonotic bacterial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayet Benyedem
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Institution de la Recherche et de l’Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles and Univ. Manouba, École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
- Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Abdelmalek Lekired
- Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Laboratoire des Microorganismes et Biomolécules Actives (LR03ES03), Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Moez Mhadhbi
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Institution de la Recherche et de l’Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles and Univ. Manouba, École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
| | - Mokhtar Dhibi
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Institution de la Recherche et de l’Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles and Univ. Manouba, École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
| | - Rihab Romdhane
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Institution de la Recherche et de l’Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles and Univ. Manouba, École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
| | - Soufiene Chaari
- Laboratoire pharmaceutique vétérinaire MEDIVET, Soliman, Tunisia
| | - Mourad Rekik
- International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Hadda-Imene Ouzari
- Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Laboratoire des Microorganismes et Biomolécules Actives (LR03ES03), Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Tarek Hajji
- Higher Institute of Biotechnology—Sidi Thabet, Laboratory of Biotechnology and Valorization of Bio-Geo-Resources (LR11ES31), Univ. Manouba, Ariana, Tunisia
| | - Mohamed Aziz Darghouth
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Institution de la Recherche et de l’Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles and Univ. Manouba, École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
- * E-mail:
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48
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Cross AR, Roy S, Vivoli Vega M, Rejzek M, Nepogodiev SA, Cliff M, Salmon D, Isupov MN, Field RA, Prior JL, Harmer NJ. Spinning sugars in antigen biosynthesis: characterization of the Coxiella burnetii and Streptomyces griseus TDP-sugar epimerases. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101903. [PMID: 35398092 PMCID: PMC9095892 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The sugars streptose and dihydrohydroxystreptose (DHHS) are unique to the bacteria Streptomyces griseus and Coxiella burnetii, respectively. Streptose forms the central moiety of the antibiotic streptomycin, while DHHS is found in the O-antigen of the zoonotic pathogen C. burnetii. Biosynthesis of these sugars has been proposed to follow a similar path to that of TDP-rhamnose, catalyzed by the enzymes RmlA, RmlB, RmlC, and RmlD, but the exact mechanism is unclear. Streptose and DHHS biosynthesis unusually requires a ring contraction step that could be performed by orthologs of RmlC or RmlD. Genome sequencing of S. griseus and C. burnetii has identified StrM and CBU1838 proteins as RmlC orthologs in these respective species. Here, we demonstrate that both enzymes can perform the RmlC 3'',5'' double epimerization activity necessary to support TDP-rhamnose biosynthesis in vivo. This is consistent with the ring contraction step being performed on a double epimerized substrate. We further demonstrate that proton exchange is faster at the 3''-position than the 5''-position, in contrast to a previously studied ortholog. We additionally solved the crystal structures of CBU1838 and StrM in complex with TDP and show that they form an active site highly similar to those of the previously characterized enzymes RmlC, EvaD, and ChmJ. These results support the hypothesis that streptose and DHHS are biosynthesized using the TDP pathway and that an RmlD paralog most likely performs ring contraction following double epimerization. This work will support the elucidation of the full pathways for biosynthesis of these unique sugars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice R Cross
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom; Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Sumita Roy
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom; Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Mirella Vivoli Vega
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom; Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Rejzek
- Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Sergey A Nepogodiev
- Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Cliff
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Debbie Salmon
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Michail N Isupov
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Robert A Field
- Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich, United Kingdom; Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Joann L Prior
- Dstl, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas J Harmer
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom; Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.
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49
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Yessinou RE, Katja MS, Heinrich N, Farougou S. Prevalence of Coxiella-infections in ticks - review and meta-analysis. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2022; 13:101926. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2022.101926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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50
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Kumar D, Sharma SR, Adegoke A, Kennedy A, Tuten HC, Li AY, Karim S. Recently Evolved Francisella-Like Endosymbiont Outcompetes an Ancient and Evolutionarily Associated Coxiella-Like Endosymbiont in the Lone Star Tick ( Amblyomma americanum) Linked to the Alpha-Gal Syndrome. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:787209. [PMID: 35493735 PMCID: PMC9039623 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.787209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ticks are hematophagous arthropods that transmit various bacterial, viral, and protozoan pathogens of public health significance. The lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) is an aggressive human-biting tick that transmits bacterial and viral pathogens, and its bites are suspected of eliciting the alpha-gal syndrome, a newly emerged delayed hypersensitivity following consumption of red meat in the United States. While ongoing studies have attempted to investigate the contribution of different tick-inherent factors to the induction of alpha-gal syndrome, an otherwise understudied aspect is the contribution of the tick microbiome and specifically obligate endosymbionts to the establishment of the alpha-gal syndrome in humans. Materials and Methods Here we utilized a high-throughput metagenomic sequencing approach to cataloging the entire microbial communities residing within different developmental stages and tissues of unfed and blood-fed ticks from laboratory-maintained ticks and three new geographical locations in the United States. The Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology (QIIME2) pipeline was used to perform data analysis and taxonomic classification. Moreover, using a SparCC (Sparse Correlations for Compositional data) network construction model, we investigated potential interactions between members of the microbial communities from laboratory-maintained and field-collected ticks. Results Overall, Francisellaceae was the most dominant bacteria identified in the microbiome of both laboratory-raised and field-collected Am. americanum across all tissues and developmental stages. Likewise, microbial diversity was seen to be significantly higher in field-collected ticks compared with laboratory-maintained ticks as seen with a higher number of both Operational Taxonomic Units and measures of species richness. Several potential positive and negative correlations were identified from our network analysis. We observed a strong positive correlation between Francisellaceae, Rickettsiaceae, and Midichloriaceae in both developmental stages and tissues from laboratory-maintained ticks, whereas ovarian tissues had a strong positive correlation of bacteria in the family Xanthobacteraceae and Rhizobiaceae. A negative interaction was observed between Coxiellaceae and Francisellaceae in Illinois, and all the bacteria detected from ticks from Delaware were negatively correlated. Conclusion This study is the first to catalog the microbiome of Am. americanum throughout its developmental stages and different tissue niches and report the potential replacement of Coxiellaceae by Francisellaceae across developmental stages and tissues tested except in ovarian tissues. These unique and significant findings advance our knowledge and open a new avenue of research to further understand the role of tick microbiome in tick-borne diseases and develop a holistic strategy to control alpha-gal syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Kumar
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Surendra Raj Sharma
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Abdulsalam Adegoke
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Ashley Kennedy
- Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife, Delaware Mosquito Control Sect., Newark, DE, United States
| | - Holly C. Tuten
- Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Andrew Y. Li
- Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS), Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Shahid Karim
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
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