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Jahfari S, Krawczyk A, Coipan EC, Fonville M, Hovius JW, Sprong H, Takumi K. Enzootic origins for clinical manifestations of Lyme borreliosis. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2016; 49:48-54. [PMID: 28040562 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2016.12.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2016] [Revised: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 12/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Both early localized and late disseminated forms of Lyme borreliosis are caused by Borrelia burgdorferi senso lato. Differentiating between the spirochetes that only cause localized skin infection from those that cause disseminated infection, and tracing the group of medically-important spirochetes to a specific vertebrate host species, are two critical issues in disease risk assessment and management. Borrelia burgdorferi senso lato isolates from Lyme borreliosis cases with distinct clinical manifestations (erythema migrans, neuroborreliosis, acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans, and Lyme arthritis) and isolates from Ixodes ricinus ticks feeding on rodents, birds and hedgehogs were typed to the genospecies level by sequencing part of the intergenic spacer region. In-depth molecular typing was performed by sequencing eight additional loci with different characteristics (plasmid-bound, regulatory, and housekeeping genes). The most abundant genospecies and genotypes in the clinical isolates were identified by using odds ratio as a measure of dominance. Borrelia afzelii was the most common genospecies in acrodermatitis patients and engorged ticks from rodents. Borrelia burgdorferi senso stricto was widespread in erythema migrans patients. Borrelia bavariensis was widespread in neuroborreliosis patients and in ticks from hedgehogs, but rare in erythema migrans patients. Borrelia garinii was the dominant genospecies in ticks feeding on birds. Spirochetes in ticks feeding on hedgehogs were overrepresented in genotypes of the plasmid gene ospC from spirochetes in erythema migrans patients. Spirochetes in ticks feeding on hedgehogs were overrepresented in genotypes of ospA from spirochetes in acrodermatitis patients. Spirochetes from ticks feeding on birds were overrepresented in genotypes of the plasmid and regulatory genes dbpA, rpoN and rpoS from spirochetes in neuroborreliosis patients. Overall, the analyses of our datasets support the existence of at least three transmission pathways from an enzootic cycle to a clinical manifestation of Lyme borreliosis. Based on the observations with these nine loci, it seems to be justified to consider the population structure of B. burgdorferi senso lato as being predominantly clonal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Setareh Jahfari
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Aleksandra Krawczyk
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - E Claudia Coipan
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Manoj Fonville
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Joppe W Hovius
- Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hein Sprong
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Katsuhisa Takumi
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
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Takken W, van Vliet AJH, Verhulst NO, Jacobs FHH, Gassner F, Hartemink N, Mulder S, Sprong H. Acarological Risk of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Infections Across Space and Time in The Netherlands. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2016; 17:99-107. [PMID: 27893309 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2015.1933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A longitudinal investigation on tick populations and their Borrelia infections in the Netherlands was undertaken between 2006 and 2011 with the aim to assess spatial and temporal patterns of the acarological risk in forested sites across the country and to assess variations in Borrelia genospecies diversity. Ticks were collected monthly in 11 sites and nymphs were examined for Borrelia infections. Tick populations expressed strong seasonal variations, with consistent and significant differences in mean tick densities between sites. Borrelia infections were present in all study sites, with a site-specific mean prevalence per month ranging from 7% to 26%. Prevalence was location-dependent and was not associated with tick densities. Mean Borrelia prevalence was lowest in January (4%), gradually increasing to reach a maximum (24%) in August. Borrelia afzelii represented 70% of all infections, with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia garinii, and Borrelia valaisiana represented with 4%, 8%, and 10%, respectively. The density of infected nymphs and the proportional distribution of the four Borrelia genospecies, were significantly different between sites. The results show a consistent and significant spatial and temporal difference in acarological risk across the Netherlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem Takken
- 1 Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research , Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Arnold J H van Vliet
- 2 Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University , Wageningen, the Netherlands .,3 Foundation for Sustainable Development , Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Niels O Verhulst
- 1 Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research , Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Frans H H Jacobs
- 1 Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research , Wageningen, the Netherlands .,4 nVWA Centre for Vector Surveillance , Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Fedor Gassner
- 1 Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research , Wageningen, the Netherlands .,5 Gassner Biological Risk Consultancy , Houten, the Netherlands
| | - Nienke Hartemink
- 6 Theoretical Ecology Group, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sara Mulder
- 2 Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University , Wageningen, the Netherlands .,3 Foundation for Sustainable Development , Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Hein Sprong
- 1 Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research , Wageningen, the Netherlands .,7 Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment , Bilthoven, the Netherlands
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Affiliation(s)
- Fedor Gassner
- Gassner Biological Risk Consultancy, Jachthoeve 22, 3992 NV Houten, the Netherlands
| | - Kayleigh M. Hansford
- Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department – Science & Technology, Health Protection Directorate, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 0JG, United Kingdom
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Change and Health, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 0JG, United Kingdom
| | - Jolyon M. Medlock
- Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department – Science & Technology, Health Protection Directorate, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 0JG, United Kingdom
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Change and Health, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 0JG, United Kingdom
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Durden LA, Beckmen KB, Gerlach RF. New Records of Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) From Dogs, Cats, Humans, and Some Wild Vertebrates in Alaska: Invasion Potential. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2016; 53:1391-1395. [PMID: 27524823 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjw128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
During 2010-2016, tick specimens were solicited from veterinarians, biologists, and members of the public in Alaska. Eight species of ticks were recorded from domestic dogs. Some ticks were collected from dogs with recent travel histories to other countries or other U.S. states, which appears to explain records of ticks not native to Alaska such as Amblyomma americanum (L.) (lone star tick), Ixodes scapularis (Say) (blacklegged tick), and Ixodes ricinus (L.). However, we recorded Dermacentor variabilis (Say) (American dog tick) from dogs (and humans) both with and without travel history, suggesting that this nonindigenous tick could be establishing populations in Alaska. Other ticks commonly recorded from dogs included the indigenous Ixodes angustus Neumann and the invasive Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) (brown dog tick). Domestic cats were only parasitized by one tick species, the native I. angustus Six species of ticks were recorded from humans: A. americanum (with and without travel history), Dermacentor andersoni Stiles (Rocky Mountain wood tick; travel associated), D. variabilis (with and without travel history), Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (Packard) (rabbit tick, native to Alaska), I. angustus, and R. sanguineus. Ixodes angustus predominated among tick collections from native mammals. Also, Ixodes texanus Banks (first record from Alaska) was collected from an American marten, Martes americana (Turton), H. leporispalustris was recorded from a snowshoe hare, Lepus americanus Erxleben, and Ixodes auritulus Neumann was collected from a Northwestern crow, Corvus caurinus Baird. The establishment of D. variabilis, D. andersoni, A. americanum, and/or I. scapularis in Alaska would have strong implications for animal and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lance A Durden
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, 4324 Old Register Rd., Statesboro, GA 30458
| | | | - Robert F Gerlach
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Wildlife Health and Disease Surveillance Program, Division of Wildlife Conservation, 1300 College Rd., Fairbanks, AK 99701
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Jahfari S, Hofhuis A, Fonville M, van der Giessen J, van Pelt W, Sprong H. Molecular Detection of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Humans with Tick Bites and Erythema Migrans, in the Netherlands. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0005042. [PMID: 27706159 PMCID: PMC5051699 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2016] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tick-borne diseases are the most prevalent vector-borne diseases in Europe. Knowledge on the incidence and clinical presentation of other tick-borne diseases than Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis is minimal, despite the high human exposure to these pathogens through tick bites. Using molecular detection techniques, the frequency of tick-borne infections after exposure through tick bites was estimated. METHODS Ticks, blood samples and questionnaires on health status were collected from patients that visited their general practitioner with a tick bite or erythema migrans in 2007 and 2008. The presence of several tick-borne pathogens in 314 ticks and 626 blood samples of this cohort were analyzed using PCR-based methods. Using multivariate logistic regression, associations were explored between pathogens detected in blood and self-reported symptoms at enrolment and during a three-month follow-up period. RESULTS Half of the ticks removed from humans tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Rickettsia helvetica, Rickettsia monacensis, Borrelia miyamotoi and several Babesia species. Among 92 Borrelia burgdorferi s. l. positive ticks, 33% carried another pathogen from a different genus. In blood of sixteen out of 626 persons with tick bites or erythema migrans, DNA was detected from Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis (n = 7), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (n = 5), Babesia divergens (n = 3), Borrelia miyamotoi (n = 1) and Borrelia burgdorferi s. l. (n = 1). None of these sixteen individuals reported any overt symptoms that would indicate a corresponding illness during the three-month follow-up period. No associations were found between the presence of pathogen DNA in blood and; self-reported symptoms, with pathogen DNA in the corresponding ticks (n = 8), reported tick attachment duration, tick engorgement, or antibiotic treatment at enrolment. CONCLUSIONS Based on molecular detection techniques, the probability of infection with a tick-borne pathogen other than Lyme spirochetes after a tick bite is roughly 2.4%, in the Netherlands. Similarly, among patients with erythema migrans, the probability of a co-infection with another tick-borne pathogen is approximately 2.7%. How often these infections cause disease symptoms or to what extend co-infections affect the course of Lyme borreliosis needs further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Setareh Jahfari
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Agnetha Hofhuis
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Manoj Fonville
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Joke van der Giessen
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Wilfrid van Pelt
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Hein Sprong
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
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Hamšíková Z, Kazimírová M, Haruštiaková D, Mahríková L, Slovák M, Berthová L, Kocianová E, Schnittger L. Babesia spp. in ticks and wildlife in different habitat types of Slovakia. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9:292. [PMID: 27207099 PMCID: PMC4874003 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1560-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 05/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Babesiosis is an emerging and potentially zoonotic disease caused by tick-borne piroplasmids of the Babesia genus. New genetic variants of piroplasmids with unknown associations to vectors and hosts are recognized. Data on the occurrence of Babesia spp. in ticks and wildlife widen the knowledge on the geographical distribution and circulation of piroplasmids in natural foci. Questing and rodent-attached ticks, rodents, and birds were screened for the presence of Babesia-specific DNA using molecular methods. Spatial and temporal differences of Babesia spp. prevalence in ticks and rodents from two contrasting habitats of Slovakia with sympatric occurrence of Ixodes ricinus and Haemaphysalis concinna ticks and co-infections of Candidatus N. mikurensis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum were investigated. RESULTS Babesia spp. were detected in 1.5 % and 6.6 % of questing I. ricinus and H. concinna, respectively. Prevalence of Babesia-infected I. ricinus was higher in a natural than an urban/suburban habitat. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Babesia spp. from I. ricinus clustered with Babesia microti, Babesia venatorum, Babesia canis, Babesia capreoli/Babesia divergens, and Babesia odocoilei. Babesia spp. amplified from H. concinna segregated into two monophyletic clades, designated Babesia sp. 1 (Eurasia) and Babesia sp. 2 (Eurasia), each of which represents a yet undescribed novel species. The prevalence of infection in rodents (with Apodemus flavicollis and Myodes glareolus prevailing) with B. microti was 1.3 % in an urban/suburban and 4.2 % in a natural habitat. The majority of infected rodents (81.3 %) were positive for spleen and blood and the remaining for lungs and/or skin. Rodent-attached I. ricinus (accounting for 96.3 %) and H. concinna were infected with B. microti, B. venatorum, B. capreoli/B. divergens, Babesia sp. 1 (Eurasia), and Babesia sp. 2 (Eurasia). All B. microti and B. venatorum isolates were identical to known zoonotic strains from Europe. Less than 1.0 % of Babesia-positive ticks and rodents carried Candidatus N. mikurensis or A. phagocytophilum. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that I. ricinus and rodents play important roles in the epidemiology of zoonotic Babesia spp. in south-western Slovakia. Associations with vertebrate hosts and the pathogenicity of Babesia spp. infecting H. concinna ticks need to be further explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Hamšíková
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 06, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Mária Kazimírová
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 06, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Danka Haruštiaková
- Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 3, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Lenka Mahríková
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 06, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Mirko Slovák
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 06, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Lenka Berthová
- Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 05, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Elena Kocianová
- Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 05, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Leonhard Schnittger
- Instituto de Patobiología, CICVyA, INTA-Castelar, 1686 Hurlingham, Prov. de Buenos Aires, Argentina.,CONICET (National Research Council of Argentina), C1033AAJ, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Coipan EC, Jahfari S, Fonville M, Oei GA, Spanjaard L, Takumi K, Hovius JWR, Sprong H. Imbalanced presence of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. multilocus sequence types in clinical manifestations of Lyme borreliosis. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2016; 42:66-76. [PMID: 27125686 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2016.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Revised: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 04/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In this study we used typing based on the eight multilocus sequence typing scheme housekeeping genes (MLST) and 5S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer (IGS) to explore the population structure of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato isolates from patients with Lyme borreliosis (LB) and to test the association between the B. burgdorferi s.l. sequence types (ST) and the clinical manifestations they cause in humans. Isolates of B. burgdorferi from 183 LB cases across Europe, with distinct clinical manifestations, and 257 Ixodes ricinus lysates from The Netherlands, were analyzed for this study alone. For completeness, we incorporated in our analysis also 335 European B. burgdorferi s.l. MLST profiles retrieved from literature. Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia bavariensis were associated with human cases of LB while Borrelia garinii, Borrelia lusitaniae and Borrelia valaisiana were associated with questing I. ricinus ticks. B. afzelii was associated with acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans, while B. garinii and B. bavariensis were associated with neuroborreliosis. The samples in our study belonged to 251 different STs, of which 94 are newly described, adding to the overall picture of the genetic diversity of Borrelia genospecies. The fraction of STs that were isolated from human samples was significantly higher for the genospecies that are known to be maintained in enzootic cycles by mammals (B. afzelii, B. bavariensis, and Borrelia spielmanii) than for genospecies that are maintained by birds (B. garinii and B. valaisiana) or lizards (B. lusitaniae). We found six multilocus sequence types that were significantly associated to clinical manifestations in humans and five IGS haplotypes that were associated with the human LB cases. While IGS could perform just as well as the housekeeping genes in the MLST scheme for predicting the infectivity of B. burgdorferi s.l., the advantage of MLST is that it can also capture the differential invasiveness of the various STs.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Claudia Coipan
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
| | - Setareh Jahfari
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Manoj Fonville
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - G Anneke Oei
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lodewijk Spanjaard
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Katsuhisa Takumi
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Joppe W R Hovius
- Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hein Sprong
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
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Silaghi C, Beck R, Oteo JA, Pfeffer M, Sprong H. Neoehrlichiosis: an emerging tick-borne zoonosis caused by Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis. EXPERIMENTAL & APPLIED ACAROLOGY 2016; 68:279-97. [PMID: 26081117 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-015-9935-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis is an emerging tick-borne pathogen causing a systemic inflammatory syndrome mostly in persons with underlying hematologic or autoimmune diseases. As it is neither well-known nor well-recognized, it might be misdiagnosed as recurrence of the underlying disease or as an unrelated arteriosclerotic vascular event. The pathogen is transmitted by hard ticks of the genus Ixodes and is closely associated with rodents in which transplacental transmission occurs. Transovarial transmission in ticks has not yet been shown. Infection rates vary greatly in ticks and rodents, but the causes for its spatiotemporal variations are largely unknown. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on the geographical distribution and clinical importance of Ca. N. mikurensis. By elucidating the life history traits of this pathogen and determining more accurately its incidence in the human population, a better assessment of its public health relevance can be made. Most urgent research needs are the in vitro-cultivation of the pathogen, the development of specific serological tests, the determination of the full genomic sequence, the routine implementation of molecular diagnosis in diseased patients with a particular panel of underlying diseases, and promoting the knowledge about neoehrlichiosis among general practitioners, hospital physicians and the risk groups such as forest workers or immune-compromised people to raise awareness about this disease that can easily be treated when correctly diagnosed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia Silaghi
- National Center for Vector Entomology, Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 266a, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Relja Beck
- Department for Bacteriology and Parasitology, Croatian Veterinary Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - José A Oteo
- Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-borne Diseases, Hospital San Pedro-Center of Biomedical Research of La Rioja, Logroño, Spain
| | - Martin Pfeffer
- Institute for Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hein Sprong
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute of Public Health and Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
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Vourc'h G, Abrial D, Bord S, Jacquot M, Masséglia S, Poux V, Pisanu B, Bailly X, Chapuis JL. Mapping human risk of infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the agent of Lyme borreliosis, in a periurban forest in France. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2016; 7:644-652. [PMID: 26897396 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2015] [Revised: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Lyme borreliosis is a major zoonosis in Europe, with estimates of over 26,000 cases per year in France alone. The etiological agents are spirochete bacteria that belong to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s. l.) complex and are transmitted by hard ticks among a large range of vertebrate hosts. In Europe, the tick Ixodes ricinus is the main vector. In the absence of a vaccine and given the current difficulties to diagnose and treat chronic Lyme syndromes, there is urgent need for prevention. In this context, accurate information on the spatial patterns of risk of exposure to ticks is of prime importance for public health. The objective of our study was to provide a snapshot map of the risk of human infection with B. burgdorferi s. l. pathogens in a periurban forest at a high resolution, and to analyze the factors that contribute to variation in this risk. Field monitoring took place over three weeks in May 2011 in the suburban Sénart forest (3,200ha; southeast of Paris), which receives over 3 million people annually. We sampled ticks over the entire forest area (from 220 forest stands with a total area of 35,200m(2)) and quantified the density of questing nymphs (DON), the prevalence of infection among nymphs (NIP), and the density of infected nymphs (DIN), which is the most important predictor of the human risk of Lyme borreliosis. For each of these response variables, we explored the relative roles of weather (saturation deficit), hosts (abundance indices of ungulates and Tamias sibiricus, an introduced rodent species), vegetation and forest cover, superficial soil composition, and the distance to forest roads. In total, 19,546 questing nymphs were collected and the presence of B. burgdorferi s. l. was tested in 3,903 nymphs by qPCR. The mean DON was 5.6 nymphs per 10m(2) (standard deviation=10.4) with an average NIP of 10.1% (standard deviation=0.11). The highest DIN was 8.9 infected nymphs per 10m(2), with a mean of 0.59 (standard deviation=0.6). Our mapping and modeling revealed a strong heterogeneity of risk within the forest. The highest risk was found in the eastern part of the forest and localized patches in the northwestern part. Lyme borreliosis risk was positively associated with stands of deciduous trees (mainly oaks) and roe deer abundance. Contrary to expectations, DIN actually increased with distance from the point of introduction of T. sibiricus (i.e., DIN was higher in areas with potentially lower abundances of T. sibiricus). Thus, despite the fact that T. sibiricus is an important reservoir host for B. burgdorferi s. l., our study found that other explanatory factors played a more important role in determining the density of infected ticks. Precise mapping of the risk of exposure to Lyme borreliosis in a highly visited forest represents an important tool for targeting prevention and control measures, as well as making the general public and local health officials aware of the risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Vourc'h
- INRA, UR0346 Unité d'Epidémiologie Animale, 63122 Saint Genès Champanelle, France.
| | - D Abrial
- INRA, UR0346 Unité d'Epidémiologie Animale, 63122 Saint Genès Champanelle, France
| | - S Bord
- INRA, UR0346 Unité d'Epidémiologie Animale, 63122 Saint Genès Champanelle, France
| | - M Jacquot
- INRA, UR0346 Unité d'Epidémiologie Animale, 63122 Saint Genès Champanelle, France
| | - S Masséglia
- INRA, UR0346 Unité d'Epidémiologie Animale, 63122 Saint Genès Champanelle, France
| | - V Poux
- INRA, UR0346 Unité d'Epidémiologie Animale, 63122 Saint Genès Champanelle, France
| | - B Pisanu
- MNHN, Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (UMR7204), Sorbonne Universités, MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, CP51, 61 rue Buffon, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - X Bailly
- INRA, UR0346 Unité d'Epidémiologie Animale, 63122 Saint Genès Champanelle, France
| | - J-L Chapuis
- MNHN, Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (UMR7204), Sorbonne Universités, MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, CP51, 61 rue Buffon, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
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Wójcik-Fatla A, Zając V, Sawczyn A, Sroka J, Cisak E, Dutkiewicz J. Infections and mixed infections with the selected species of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in eastern Poland: a significant increase in the course of 5 years. EXPERIMENTAL & APPLIED ACAROLOGY 2016; 68:197-212. [PMID: 26590929 PMCID: PMC4689766 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-015-9990-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2015] [Accepted: 10/31/2015] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
In the years 2008-2009 and 2013-2014, 1620 and 1500 questing Ixodes ricinus ticks, respectively, were examined on the territory of the Lublin province (eastern Poland). The presence of three pathogenic species causing Lyme disease was investigated: Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. afzelii and B. garinii. The proportion of I. ricinus ticks infected with B. burgdorferi sensu lato showed a highly significant increase between 2008-2009 and 2013-2014, from 6.0 to 15.3%. A significant increase was noted with regard to all types of infections with individual species: single (4.7-7.8%), dual (1.2-6.6%), and triple (0.1-0.9%). When expressed as the percent of all infections, the frequency of mixed infections increased from 21.4 to 49.2%. Statistical analysis performed with two methods (by calculating of odds ratios and by Fisher's exact test) showed that the frequencies of mixed infections in most cases proved to be significantly greater than expected. The strongest associations were found between B. burgdorferi s. s. and B. afzelii, and between B. burgdorferi s. s. and B. garinii. They appeared to be highly significant (P < 0.0001) when assessed by two methods for 2013-2014, and for the sum of findings for both time periods. The proportions of the individual species detected in the mixed infections in 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 revealed highly significant increases for B. burgdorferi s. s. and B. garinii (from 33.9 to 71.1% and from 18.2 to 82.9%, respectively), and an insignificant decrease for B. afzelii (from 51.4 to 41.6%). The proportions of the species B. burgdorferi s. s., B. afzelii and B. garinii (with combined single and mixed infections) for 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 were: 51.2/44.0 %, 30.6/24.9% and 18.2/31.1%, respectively. In conclusion, our results seem to indicate the detrimental trend of the increasing infection rate of I. ricinus ticks with B. burgdorferi s. l. in eastern Poland, and dramatic enhancement of mixed infections with individual species, which may result in mixed infections of humans and exacerbation of the clinical course of Lyme disease cases on the studied area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelina Wójcik-Fatla
- Department of Health Biohazards and Parasitology, Institute of Rural Health, Jaczewskiego 2, 20-090, Lublin, Poland.
| | - Violetta Zając
- Department of Health Biohazards and Parasitology, Institute of Rural Health, Jaczewskiego 2, 20-090, Lublin, Poland
| | - Anna Sawczyn
- Department of Health Biohazards and Parasitology, Institute of Rural Health, Jaczewskiego 2, 20-090, Lublin, Poland
| | - Jacek Sroka
- Department of Health Biohazards and Parasitology, Institute of Rural Health, Jaczewskiego 2, 20-090, Lublin, Poland
- Department of Parasitology and Invasive Diseases, National Veterinary Research Institute, Pulawy, Poland
| | - Ewa Cisak
- Department of Health Biohazards and Parasitology, Institute of Rural Health, Jaczewskiego 2, 20-090, Lublin, Poland
| | - Jacek Dutkiewicz
- Department of Health Biohazards and Parasitology, Institute of Rural Health, Jaczewskiego 2, 20-090, Lublin, Poland
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Neglected tick-borne pathogens in the Czech Republic, 2011–2014. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2016; 7:107-112. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Revised: 09/02/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Svitálková ZH, Haruštiaková D, Mahríková L, Mojšová M, Berthová L, Slovák M, Kocianová E, Vayssier-Taussat M, Kazimírová M. Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis in ticks and rodents from urban and natural habitats of South-Western Slovakia. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9:2. [PMID: 26728197 PMCID: PMC4700745 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-1287-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis (CNM) is an emerging tick-borne pathogen causing severe disease in immunocompromised patients. In Europe, Ixodes ricinus is the primary vector and rodents act as reservoir hosts. New data on the prevalence of CNM in ticks and rodents contribute to the knowledge on the distribution of endemic areas and circulation of the bacterium in natural foci. Methods Questing ticks were collected and rodents were trapped in urban/suburban and natural habitats in South-Western Slovakia from 2011 to 2014. DNA from questing and rodent-attached ticks and rodent tissues were screened for CNM by real-time PCR. Rodent spleen samples positive for CNM were characterised at the groEL gene locus. Spatial and temporal differences in CNM prevalence in ticks and rodents and co-infections of ticks with CNM and Anaplasma phagocytophilum were analysed. Results The presence of CNM was confirmed in questing and rodent-attached I. ricinus ticks and in rodents. Total prevalence in both ticks and rodents was significantly higher in the natural habitat (2.3 % and 10.1 %, respectively) than in the urban/suburban habitat (1.0 % and 3.3 %, respectively). No seasonal pattern in CNM prevalence in ticks was observed, but prevalence in rodents was higher in autumn than in spring. CNM was detected in Apodemus flavicollis, Myodes glareolus, Microtus arvalis and Micromys minutus, with the highest prevalence in M. arvalis (30 %). By screening CNM dissemination in rodent tissues, infection was detected in lungs of all specimens with positive spleens and in blood, kidney, liver and skin of part of those individuals. Infection with CNM was detected in 1.3 % of rodent attached I. ricinus ticks. Sequences of a fragment of the groEL gene from CNM-positive rodents showed a high degree of identity with sequences of the gene amplified from ticks and infected human blood from Europe. Only 0.1 % of CNM-positive questing ticks carried A. phagocytophilum. Ticks infected with CNM prevailed in the natural habitat (67.2 %), whereas ticks infected with A. phagocytophilum prevailed in the urban/suburban habitat (75.0 %). Conclusion The study confirmed the circulation of CNM between I. ricinus ticks and rodents in South-Western Slovakia, and indicates a potential risk of contracting human infections.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Danka Haruštiaková
- Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 3, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Lenka Mahríková
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 84506, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Michala Mojšová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Mlynská Dolina B-1, 84215, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Lenka Berthová
- Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 84505, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Mirko Slovák
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 84506, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Elena Kocianová
- Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 84505, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | | | - Mária Kazimírová
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 84506, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Multi-trophic interactions driving the transmission cycle of Borrelia afzelii between Ixodes ricinus and rodents: a review. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8:643. [PMID: 26684199 PMCID: PMC4684625 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-1257-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2015] [Accepted: 12/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The tick Ixodes ricinus is the main vector of the spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the causal agent of Lyme borreliosis, in the western Palearctic. Rodents are the reservoir host of B. afzelii, which can be transmitted to I. ricinus larvae during a blood meal. The infected engorged larvae moult into infected nymphs, which can transmit the spirochaetes to rodents and humans. Interestingly, even though only about 1 % of the larvae develop into a borreliae-infected nymph, the enzootic borreliae lifecycle can persist. The development from larva to infected nymph is a key aspect in this lifecycle, influencing the density of infected nymphs and thereby Lyme borreliosis risk. The density of infected nymphs varies temporally and geographically and is influenced by multi-trophic (tick-host-borreliae) interactions. For example, blood feeding success of ticks and spirochaete transmission success differ between rodent species and host-finding success appears to be affected by a B. afzelii infection in both the rodent and the tick. In this paper, we review the major interactions between I. ricinus, rodents and B. afzelii that influence this development, with the aim to elucidate the critical factors that determine the epidemiological risk of Lyme borreliosis. The effects of the tick, rodent and B. afzelii on larval host finding, larval blood feeding, spirochaete transmission from rodent to larva and development from larva to nymph are discussed. Nymphal host finding, nymphal blood feeding and spirochaete transmission from nymph to rodent are the final steps to complete the enzootic B. afzelii lifecycle and are included in the review. It is concluded that rodent density, rodent infection prevalence, and tick burden are the major factors affecting the development from larva to infected nymph and that these interact with each other. We suggest that the B. afzelii lifecycle is dependent on the aggregation of ticks among rodents, which is manipulated by the pathogen itself. Better understanding of the processes involved in the development and aggregation of ticks results in more precise estimates of the density of infected nymphs, and hence predictions of Lyme borreliosis risk.
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Serological and molecular evidence for spotted fever group Rickettsia and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato co-infections in The Netherlands. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2015; 7:371-7. [PMID: 26739030 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Revised: 12/08/2015] [Accepted: 12/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Only a few reported cases indicate that Rickettsia helvetica and Rickettsia monacensis can cause disease in humans. Exposure to these two spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae occurs through bites of Ixodes ricinus, also the primary vector of Lyme borreliosis in Europe. To date, it is unclear how often exposure to these two microorganisms results in infection or disease. We show that of all the Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.-positive ticks, 25% were co-infected with rickettsiae. Predominantly R. helvetica was detected while R. monacensis was only found in approximately 2% of the ticks. In addition, exposure to tick-borne pathogens was compared by serology in healthy blood donors, erythema migrans (EM)-patients, and patients suspected of Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB). As could be expected, seroreactivity against B. burgdorferi sensu lato was lower in blood donors (6%) compared to EM patients (34%) and suspected LNB cases (64%). Interestingly, seroreactivity against SFG Rickettsia antigens was not detected in serum samples from blood donors (0%), but 6% of the EM patients and 21% of the LNB suspects showed anti-rickettsial antibodies. Finally, the presence of B. burgdorferi s.l. and Rickettsia spp. in cerebrospinal fluid samples of a large cohort of patients suspected of LNB (n=208) was investigated by PCR. DNA of B. burgdorferi s.l., R. helvetica and R. monacensis was detected in seventeen, four and one patient, respectively. In conclusion, our data show that B. burgdorferi s.l. and SFG rickettsiae co-infection occurs in Dutch I. ricinus and that Lyme borreliosis patients, or patients suspected of Lyme borreliosis, are indeed exposed to both tick-borne pathogens. Whether SFG rickettsiae actually cause disease, and whether co-infections alter the clinical course of Lyme borreliosis, is not clear from our data, and warrants further investigation.
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Henningsson AJ, Wilhelmsson P, Gyllemark P, Kozak M, Matussek A, Nyman D, Ekerfelt C, Lindgren PE, Forsberg P. Low risk of seroconversion or clinical disease in humans after a bite by an Anaplasma phagocytophilum-infected tick. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2015; 6:787-92. [PMID: 26187418 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Revised: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 07/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The risk of contracting human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) after a tick bite is mainly unknown. In this study we investigated the clinical and serological response in 30 humans bitten by ticks positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Group A), 30 humans bitten by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.)-positive ticks (Group B), and 30 humans bitten by ticks negative for both A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. (Group C). Ticks, blood samples and questionnaires were collected from tick-bitten humans at 34 primary healthcare centres in Sweden and in the Åland Islands, Finland, at the time of the tick bite and after three months. A total of 2553 ticks detached from humans in 2007-2009 were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction, and 31 (1.2%) were positive for A. phagocytophilum, 556 (21.8%) were positive for B. burgdorferi s.l., and eight (0.3%) were co-infected by A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. The overall prevalence of Anaplasma IgG antibodies in the included participants (n=90) was 17%, and there was no significant difference between the groups A-C. Only one of the participants (in Group C) showed a four-fold increase of IgG antibodies against A. phagocytophilum at the three-month follow-up, but reported no symptoms. The frequency of reported symptoms did not differ between groups A-C, and was unrelated to the findings of A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. in the detached ticks. We conclude that the risk for HGA or asymptomatic seroconversion after a tick bite in Sweden or in the Åland Islands is low, even if the tick is infected by A. phagocytophilum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna J Henningsson
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Ryhov County Hospital, S-551 85 Jönköping, Sweden.
| | - Peter Wilhelmsson
- Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, S-581 85 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Paula Gyllemark
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Ryhov County Hospital, S-551 85 Jönköping, Sweden
| | - Monika Kozak
- Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, S-581 85 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Andreas Matussek
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Ryhov County Hospital, S-551 85 Jönköping, Sweden
| | - Dag Nyman
- The Åland Group for Borrelia Research, Bimelix Biomedical Laboratory, Torggatan 10, AX-22100 Mariehamn, Åland, Finland
| | - Christina Ekerfelt
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, S-551 85 Jönköping, Sweden
| | - Per-Eric Lindgren
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Ryhov County Hospital, S-551 85 Jönköping, Sweden; Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, S-581 85 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Pia Forsberg
- Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Linköping University Hospital, and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, S-551 85 Jönköping, Sweden
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Svitálková Z, Haruštiaková D, Mahríková L, Berthová L, Slovák M, Kocianová E, Kazimírová M. Anaplasma phagocytophilum prevalence in ticks and rodents in an urban and natural habitat in South-Western Slovakia. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8:276. [PMID: 25980768 PMCID: PMC4435654 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-0880-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2015] [Accepted: 05/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ixodes ricinus is the principal vector of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the ethiological agent of granulocytic anaplasmosis in Europe. Anaplasmosis is an emerging zoonotic disease with a natural enzootic cycle. The reservoir competence of rodents is unclear. Monitoring of A. phagocytophilum prevalence in I. ricinus and rodents in various habitat types of Slovakia may contribute to the knowledge about the epidemiology of anaplasmosis in Central Europe. Methods Over 4400 questing ixodid ticks, 1000 rodent-attached ticks and tissue samples of 606 rodents were screened for A. phagocytophilum DNA by real-time PCR targeting the msp2 gene. Ticks and rodents were captured along six transects in an urban/suburban and natural habitat in south-western Slovakia during 2011–2014. Estimates of wildlife (roe deer, red deer, fallow deer, mouflon, wild boar) densities in the study area were taken from hunter’s yearly reports. Spatial and temporal differences in A. phagocytophilum prevalence in questing I. ricinus and relationships with relative abundance of ticks and wildlife were analysed. Results Overall prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in questing I. ricinus was significantly higher in the urban/suburban habitat (7.2 %; 95 % CI: 6.1–8.3 %) compared to the natural habitat (3.1 %; 95 % CI: 2.5–3.9 %) (χ2 = 37.451; P < 0.001). Significant local differences in prevalence of infected questing ticks were found among transects within each habitat as well as among years and between seasons. The trapped rodents belonged to six species. Apodemus flavicollis and Myodes glareolus prevailed in both habitats, Microtus arvalis was present only in the natural habitat. I. ricinus comprised 96.3 % of the rodent-attached ticks, the rest were Haemaphysalis concinna, Ixodes trianguliceps and Dermacentor reticulatus. Only 0.5 % of rodent skin and 0.6 % of rodent-attached ticks (only I. ricinus) were infected with A. phagocytophilum. Prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in questing I. ricinus did not correlate significantly with relative abundance of ticks or with abundance of wildlife in the area. Conclusion The study confirms that urban I. ricinus populations are infected with A. phagocytophilum at a higher rate than in a natural habitat of south-western Slovakia and suggests that rodents are not the main reservoirs of the bacterium in the investigated area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Svitálková
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 06, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Danka Haruštiaková
- Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 3, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Lenka Mahríková
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 06, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Lenka Berthová
- Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 05, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Mirko Slovák
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 06, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Elena Kocianová
- Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 05, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Mária Kazimírová
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 06, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Stańczak J, Cieniuch S, Lass A, Biernat B, Racewicz M. Detection and quantification of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia spp. in Ixodes ricinus ticks from urban and rural environment, northern Poland, by real-time polymerase chain reaction. EXPERIMENTAL & APPLIED ACAROLOGY 2015; 66:63-81. [PMID: 25721255 PMCID: PMC4412423 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-015-9887-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 02/17/2015] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia spp. are emerging tick-borne pathogens which can threaten human health. A duplex real-time PCR and qPCRs with primers and probes targeting 97 and 116 bp fragments of 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes, respectively, were used for qualitative and quantitative detection of both pathogens in Ixodes ricinus ticks. Altogether 1875 ticks (1084 adults and 791 nymphs) were collected from rural and urban habitats in northern Poland. Of them, at least 0.9% were found to be infected with A. phagocytophilum while 2.5% with Babesia spp. A comparison of the infection rates by the tick stage, the type of area, the collection site, habitats of different tick density and by the month of collection was done. The prevalence of pathogens was significantly lower in nymphs than in adult ticks (p = 0.02) and in rural areas than in urban areas (p = 0.007). Four different 16S rRNA gene variants of A. phagocytophilum were determine, however none of them showed 100% identity with compared sequences isolated from human patients. The dominant Babesia species was B. venatorum. Results of qPCRs with circular and linearized forms of plasmids used as the standards showed significant difference in the pathogen loads (p = 0.001). The copy numbers of A. phagocytophilum and Babesia spp. estimated from the linear plasmids were 28.7 and 5.1 times lower, respectively, when compared with their circular forms, and were accepted as more reliable. The average number of copies of 16S rRNA gene of A. phagocytophilum in the positive I. ricinus samples were 3.39 × 10(5) ± 6.09 × 10(5). The mean copy number of 18S rRNA gene of Babesia spp. was ~2.55 × 10(5) ± 1.04 × 10(6). We confirmed the presence of A. phagocytophilum and Babesia spp. in I. ricinus in both rural and urban environments. The determined low infection rates suggests, however, that the risk for local population and tourists to acquire infection is also low. Moreover, we confirmed recent findings that serious overestimation by circular plasmid DNA makes it less suitable as a standard and that the linear standards should be recommended for qPCR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Stańczak
- Department of Tropical Parasitology, Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, 9B Powstania Styczniowego Street, 81-519, Gdynia, Poland,
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Krawczyk AI, van Leeuwen AD, Jacobs-Reitsma W, Wijnands LM, Bouw E, Jahfari S, van Hoek AHAM, van der Giessen JWB, Roelfsema JH, Kroes M, Kleve J, Dullemont Y, Sprong H, de Bruin A. Presence of zoonotic agents in engorged ticks and hedgehog faeces from Erinaceus europaeus in (sub) urban areas. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8:210. [PMID: 25885888 PMCID: PMC4406014 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-0814-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2015] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) are hosts for Ixodes hexagonus and I. ricinus ticks, which are vectors for zoonotic microorganisms. In addition, hedgehogs may carry several enteric zoonoses as well. It is unclear to what extent a presence of pathogens in hedgehogs poses a risk to public health, as information on the presence of zoonotic agents in hedgehogs in urban areas is relatively scarce. Methods Engorged ticks and hedgehog faeces were collected from rehabilitating hedgehogs. Ticks were screened individually for presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, B. miyamotoi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis using PCR-based assays. Faecal samples were screened for presence of Campylobacter, Salmonella, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant-Escherichia coli (ESC)-resistant E. coli, using both culture-based and PCR-based methods. Results Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia genospecies B. afzelii, B. spielmanii, B. garinii, and B. burgdorferi sensu stricto were detected in both I. hexagonus and I. ricinus ticks. Despite their widespread distribution in the Netherlands, B. miyamotoi and Candidatus N. mikurensis were not detected in collected ticks. Analysis of hedgehog faecal samples revealed the presence of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica and Campylobacter jejuni. In addition, ESC-resistant E. coli were observed in high prevalence in faecal samples, but no Shiga-toxin producing-E.coli were detected. Finally, potentially zoonotic protozoan parasites were observed in hedgehog faecal samples as well, including Giardia duodenalis assemblage A, Cryptosporidium parvum subtypes IIaA17G1R1 and IIcA5G3, and C. hominis subtype IbA10G2. Conclusions European hedgehogs in (sub)urban areas harbor a number of zoonotic agents, and therefore may contribute to the spread and transmission of zoonotic diseases. The relatively high prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l. and A. phagocytophilum in engorged ticks, suggests that hedgehogs contribute to their enzootic cycles in (sub)urban areas. To what extent can hedgehogs maintain the enteric zoonotic agents in natural cycles, and the role of (spill-back from) humans remains to be investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra I Krawczyk
- Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Arieke Docters van Leeuwen
- Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Wilma Jacobs-Reitsma
- Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Lucas M Wijnands
- Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
| | - El Bouw
- Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Setareh Jahfari
- Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands. .,Centre for Research Infectious Diseases Diagnostics and Screening, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Angela H A M van Hoek
- Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Joke W B van der Giessen
- Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Jeroen H Roelfsema
- Centre for Research Infectious Diseases Diagnostics and Screening, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Michiel Kroes
- Centre for Research Infectious Diseases Diagnostics and Screening, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Jenny Kleve
- Stichting Egelbescherming Nederland, Naarden, the Netherlands.
| | | | - Hein Sprong
- Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Arnout de Bruin
- Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
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Fonville M, Friesema IHM, Hengeveld PD, Docters van Leeuwen A, Jahfari S, Harms MG, van Vliet AJH, Hofhuis A, van Pelt W, Sprong H, van den Wijngaard CC. Human exposure to tickborne relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia miyamotoi, the Netherlands. Emerg Infect Dis 2015; 20:1244-5. [PMID: 24963562 PMCID: PMC4073841 DOI: 10.3201/eid2007.131525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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70
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Braks M, Medlock JM, Hubalek Z, Hjertqvist M, Perrin Y, Lancelot R, Duchyene E, Hendrickx G, Stroo A, Heyman P, Sprong H. Vector-borne disease intelligence: strategies to deal with disease burden and threats. Front Public Health 2014; 2:280. [PMID: 25566522 PMCID: PMC4273637 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2014.00280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Accepted: 12/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Owing to the complex nature of vector-borne diseases (VBDs), whereby monitoring of human case patients does not suffice, public health authorities experience challenges in surveillance and control of VBDs. Knowledge on the presence and distribution of vectors and the pathogens that they transmit is vital to the risk assessment process to permit effective early warning, surveillance, and control of VBDs. Upon accepting this reality, public health authorities face an ever-increasing range of possible surveillance targets and an associated prioritization process. Here, we propose a comprehensive approach that integrates three surveillance strategies: population-based surveillance, disease-based surveillance, and context-based surveillance for EU member states to tailor the best surveillance strategy for control of VBDs in their geographic region. By classifying the surveillance structure into five different contexts, we hope to provide guidance in optimizing surveillance efforts. Contextual surveillance strategies for VBDs entail combining organization and data collection approaches that result in disease intelligence rather than a preset static structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieta Braks
- Centre for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Jolyon M. Medlock
- Medical Entomology Group, MRA, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Salisbury, UK
| | - Zdenek Hubalek
- Medical Zoology Laboratory, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Brno, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Department of Experimental Biology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marika Hjertqvist
- Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten), Solna, Sweden
| | - Yvon Perrin
- Centre National d’Expertise sur les Vecteurs, Centre IRD de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Renaud Lancelot
- CIRAD, UMR CMAEE, Montpellier, France
- INRA, UMR CMAEE 1309, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Arjan Stroo
- Centre for Monitoring of Vectors, Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NWVA), Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Paul Heyman
- Research Laboratory for Vector-Borne Diseases, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hein Sprong
- Centre for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
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71
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Rizzoli A, Silaghi C, Obiegala A, Rudolf I, Hubálek Z, Földvári G, Plantard O, Vayssier-Taussat M, Bonnet S, Spitalská E, Kazimírová M. Ixodes ricinus and Its Transmitted Pathogens in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas in Europe: New Hazards and Relevance for Public Health. Front Public Health 2014; 2:251. [PMID: 25520947 PMCID: PMC4248671 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2014.00251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 285] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2014] [Accepted: 11/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Tick-borne diseases represent major public and animal health issues worldwide. Ixodes ricinus, primarily associated with deciduous and mixed forests, is the principal vector of causative agents of viral, bacterial, and protozoan zoonotic diseases in Europe. Recently, abundant tick populations have been observed in European urban green areas, which are of public health relevance due to the exposure of humans and domesticated animals to potentially infected ticks. In urban habitats, small and medium-sized mammals, birds, companion animals (dogs and cats), and larger mammals (roe deer and wild boar) play a role in maintenance of tick populations and as reservoirs of tick-borne pathogens. Presence of ticks infected with tick-borne encephalitis virus and high prevalence of ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., causing Lyme borreliosis, have been reported from urbanized areas in Europe. Emerging pathogens, including bacteria of the order Rickettsiales (Anaplasma phagocytophilum, "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis," Rickettsia helvetica, and R. monacensis), Borrelia miyamotoi, and protozoans (Babesia divergens, B. venatorum, and B. microti) have also been detected in urban tick populations. Understanding the ecology of ticks and their associations with hosts in a European urbanized environment is crucial to quantify parameters necessary for risk pre-assessment and identification of public health strategies for control and prevention of tick-borne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annapaola Rizzoli
- Fondazione Edmund Mach, Research and Innovation Centre, San Michele all'Adige , Trento , Italy
| | - Cornelia Silaghi
- Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität , Munich , Germany ; Vetsuisse-Faculty, Swiss National Centre for Vector Entomology, Institute for Parasitology, University of Zurich , Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Anna Obiegala
- Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität , Munich , Germany ; Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig , Leipzig , Germany
| | - Ivo Rudolf
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i. , Brno , Czech Republic
| | - Zdeněk Hubálek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i. , Brno , Czech Republic
| | - Gábor Földvári
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University , Budapest , Hungary
| | - Olivier Plantard
- INRA, UMR1300 BioEpAR , Nantes , France ; LUNAM Université, Oniris, Ecole nationale vétérinaire, agroalimentaire et de l'alimentation Nantes-Atlantique, UMR BioEpAR , Nantes , France
| | - Muriel Vayssier-Taussat
- USC BIPAR, INRA, ANSES - French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety , Maisons-Alfort , France
| | - Sarah Bonnet
- USC BIPAR, INRA, ANSES - French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety , Maisons-Alfort , France
| | - Eva Spitalská
- Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences , Bratislava , Slovakia
| | - Mária Kazimírová
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences , Bratislava , Slovakia
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72
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Jahfari S, Coipan EC, Fonville M, van Leeuwen AD, Hengeveld P, Heylen D, Heyman P, van Maanen C, Butler CM, Földvári G, Szekeres S, van Duijvendijk G, Tack W, Rijks JM, van der Giessen J, Takken W, van Wieren SE, Takumi K, Sprong H. Circulation of four Anaplasma phagocytophilum ecotypes in Europe. Parasit Vectors 2014; 7:365. [PMID: 25127547 PMCID: PMC4153903 DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 197] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2014] [Accepted: 07/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the etiological agent of granulocytic anaplasmosis in humans and animals. Wild animals and ticks play key roles in the enzootic cycles of the pathogen. Potential ecotypes of A. phagocytophilum have been characterized genetically, but their host range, zoonotic potential and transmission dynamics has only incompletely been resolved. METHODS The presence of A. phagocytophilum DNA was determined in more than 6000 ixodid ticks collected from the vegetation and wildlife, in 289 tissue samples from wild and domestic animals, and 69 keds collected from deer, originating from various geographic locations in The Netherlands and Belgium. From the qPCR-positive lysates, a fragment of the groEL-gene was amplified and sequenced. Additional groEL sequences from ticks and animals from Europe were obtained from GenBank, and sequences from human cases were obtained through literature searches. Statistical analyses were performed to identify A. phagocytophilum ecotypes, to assess their host range and their zoonotic potential. The population dynamics of A. phagocytophilum ecotypes was investigated using population genetic analyses. RESULTS DNA of A. phagocytophilum was present in all stages of questing and feeding Ixodes ricinus, feeding I. hexagonus, I. frontalis, I. trianguliceps, and deer keds, but was absent in questing I. arboricola and Dermacentor reticulatus. DNA of A. phagocytophilum was present in feeding ticks and tissues from many vertebrates, including roe deer, mouflon, red foxes, wild boar, sheep and hedgehogs but was rarely found in rodents and birds and was absent in badgers and lizards. Four geographically dispersed A. phagocytophilum ecotypes were identified, that had significantly different host ranges. All sequences from human cases belonged to only one of these ecotypes. Based on population genetic parameters, the potentially zoonotic ecotype showed significant expansion. CONCLUSION Four ecotypes of A. phagocytophilum with differential enzootic cycles were identified. So far, all human cases clustered in only one of these ecotypes. The zoonotic ecotype has the broadest range of wildlife hosts. The expansion of the zoonotic A. phagocytophilum ecotype indicates a recent increase of the acarological risk of exposure of humans and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Hein Sprong
- Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, P,O, Box 1, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
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73
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Abstract
This paper reports the first detection of Borrelia miyamotoi in UK Ixodes ricinus ticks. It also reports on the presence and infection rates of I. ricinus for a number of other tick-borne pathogens of public health importance. Ticks from seven regions in southern England were screened for B. miyamotoi, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Neoehrlichia mikurensis using qPCR. A total of 954 I. ricinus ticks were tested, 40 were positive for B. burgdorferi s.l., 22 positive for A. phagocytophilum and three positive for B. miyamotoi, with no N. mikurensis detected. The three positive B. miyamotoi ticks came from three geographically distinct areas, suggesting a widespread distribution, and from two separate years, suggesting some degree of endemicity. Understanding the prevalence of Borrelia and other tick-borne pathogens in ticks is crucial for locating high-risk areas of disease transmission.
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74
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Tijsse-Klasen E, Koopmans MPG, Sprong H. Tick-borne pathogen - reversed and conventional discovery of disease. Front Public Health 2014; 2:73. [PMID: 25072045 PMCID: PMC4083466 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2014.00073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2014] [Accepted: 06/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular methods have increased the number of known microorganisms associated with ticks significantly. Some of these newly identified microorganisms are readily linked to human disease while others are yet unknown to cause human disease. The face of tick-borne disease discovery has changed with more diseases now being discovered in a “reversed way,” detecting disease cases only years after the tick-borne microorganism was first discovered. Compared to the conventional discovery of infectious diseases, reverse order discovery presents researchers with new challenges. Estimating public health risks of such agents is especially challenging, as case definitions and diagnostic procedures may initially be missing. We discuss the advantages and shortcomings of molecular methods, serology, and epidemiological studies that might be used to study some fundamental questions regarding newly identified tick-borne diseases. With increased tick-exposure and improved detection methods, more tick-borne microorganisms will be added to the list of pathogens causing disease in humans in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Tijsse-Klasen
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) , Bilthoven , Netherlands
| | - Marion P G Koopmans
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) , Bilthoven , Netherlands ; Erasmus Medical Center , Rotterdam , Netherlands
| | - Hein Sprong
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) , Bilthoven , Netherlands
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75
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Birds as potential reservoirs of tick-borne pathogens: first evidence of bacteraemia with Rickettsia helvetica. Parasit Vectors 2014; 7:128. [PMID: 24679245 PMCID: PMC3976504 DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2013] [Accepted: 03/04/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Birds have long been known as carriers of ticks, but data from the literature are lacking on their role as a reservoir in the epidemiology of certain tick-borne disease-causing agents. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of three emerging, zoonotic tick-borne pathogens in blood samples and ticks of birds and to assess the impact of feeding location preference and migration distance of bird species on their tick infestation. Methods Blood samples and ticks of birds were analysed with TaqMan real-time PCRs and conventional PCR followed by sequencing. Results During the spring and autumn bird migrations, 128 blood samples and 140 ticks (Ixodes ricinus, Haemaphysalis concinna and a Hyalomma specimen) were collected from birds belonging to 16 species. The prevalence of tick infestation and the presence of tick species were related to the feeding and migration habits of avian hosts. Birds were shown to be bacteraemic with Rickettsia helvetica and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, but not with Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis. The prevalence of rickettsiae was high (51.4%) in ticks, suggesting that some of them may have acquired their infection from their avian host. Conclusion Based on the present results birds are potential reservoirs of both I. ricinus transmitted zoonotic pathogens, R. helvetica and A. phagocytophilum, but their epidemiological role appears to be less important concerning the latter, at least in Central Europe.
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76
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Rizzoli A, Silaghi C, Obiegala A, Rudolf I, Hubálek Z, Földvári G, Plantard O, Vayssier-Taussat M, Bonnet S, Spitalská E, Kazimírová M. Ixodes ricinus and Its Transmitted Pathogens in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas in Europe: New Hazards and Relevance for Public Health. Front Public Health 2014. [PMID: 25520947 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2014.00251.pmid:25520947;pmcid:pmc4248671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Tick-borne diseases represent major public and animal health issues worldwide. Ixodes ricinus, primarily associated with deciduous and mixed forests, is the principal vector of causative agents of viral, bacterial, and protozoan zoonotic diseases in Europe. Recently, abundant tick populations have been observed in European urban green areas, which are of public health relevance due to the exposure of humans and domesticated animals to potentially infected ticks. In urban habitats, small and medium-sized mammals, birds, companion animals (dogs and cats), and larger mammals (roe deer and wild boar) play a role in maintenance of tick populations and as reservoirs of tick-borne pathogens. Presence of ticks infected with tick-borne encephalitis virus and high prevalence of ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., causing Lyme borreliosis, have been reported from urbanized areas in Europe. Emerging pathogens, including bacteria of the order Rickettsiales (Anaplasma phagocytophilum, "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis," Rickettsia helvetica, and R. monacensis), Borrelia miyamotoi, and protozoans (Babesia divergens, B. venatorum, and B. microti) have also been detected in urban tick populations. Understanding the ecology of ticks and their associations with hosts in a European urbanized environment is crucial to quantify parameters necessary for risk pre-assessment and identification of public health strategies for control and prevention of tick-borne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annapaola Rizzoli
- Fondazione Edmund Mach, Research and Innovation Centre, San Michele all'Adige , Trento , Italy
| | - Cornelia Silaghi
- Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität , Munich , Germany ; Vetsuisse-Faculty, Swiss National Centre for Vector Entomology, Institute for Parasitology, University of Zurich , Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Anna Obiegala
- Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität , Munich , Germany ; Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig , Leipzig , Germany
| | - Ivo Rudolf
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i. , Brno , Czech Republic
| | - Zdeněk Hubálek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i. , Brno , Czech Republic
| | - Gábor Földvári
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University , Budapest , Hungary
| | - Olivier Plantard
- INRA, UMR1300 BioEpAR , Nantes , France ; LUNAM Université, Oniris, Ecole nationale vétérinaire, agroalimentaire et de l'alimentation Nantes-Atlantique, UMR BioEpAR , Nantes , France
| | - Muriel Vayssier-Taussat
- USC BIPAR, INRA, ANSES - French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety , Maisons-Alfort , France
| | - Sarah Bonnet
- USC BIPAR, INRA, ANSES - French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety , Maisons-Alfort , France
| | - Eva Spitalská
- Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences , Bratislava , Slovakia
| | - Mária Kazimírová
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences , Bratislava , Slovakia
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