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Khumalo N, Chaisi M, Magoro R, Mwale M. An analysis of the gaps in the South African DNA barcoding library of ticks of veterinary and public health importance. Genome 2024. [PMID: 39018572 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2024-0052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
Ticks transmit pathogens of veterinary and public health importance. Understanding their diversity is critical as infestations lead to significant economic losses globally. To date, over 90 species across three families have been identified in South Africa. However, the taxonomy of most species has not been resolved due to morphological identification challenges. DNA barcoding through the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) is therefore a valuable tool for species verifications for biodiversity assessments. This study conducted an analysis of South African tick COI barcodes on BOLD by verifying species on checklists, literature, and other sequence databases. The compiled list represented 97 species, including indigenous (59), endemics (27), introduced (2), invasives (1), and eight that could not be classified. Analyses indicated that 31 species (32%) from 11 genera have verified COI barcodes. These are distributed across all nine provinces with the Eastern Cape having the highest species diversity, followed by Limpopo, with KwaZulu-Natal having the least diversity. Rhipicephalus, Hyalomma, and Argas species had multiple barcode index numbers, suggesting cryptic diversity or unresolved taxonomy. We identified 21 species of veterinary or zoonotic importance from the Argasidae and Ixodidae families that should be prioritised for barcoding. Coordinating studies and defining barcoding targets is necessary to ensure that tick checklists are updated to support decision-making for the control of vector-borne diseases and alien invasives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nozipho Khumalo
- Foundational Biodiversity Science, South African National Biodiversity Institute, P.O. Box 754, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Mamohale Chaisi
- Foundational Biodiversity Science, South African National Biodiversity Institute, P.O. Box 754, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, P/Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0001, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Rebecca Magoro
- Foundational Biodiversity Science, South African National Biodiversity Institute, P.O. Box 754, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Monica Mwale
- Foundational Biodiversity Science, South African National Biodiversity Institute, P.O. Box 754, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
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Hornok S, Kontschán J, Takács N, Pap PL, Sándor AD. First record of Ixodes (Scaphixodes) caledonicus in the Carpathian Basin and first time molecular-phylogenetic analysis of this tick species with updated host records and geographical range. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2024; 15:102280. [PMID: 38000197 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102280] [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: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
Four Ixodes species represent the subgenus Scaphixodes Schulze, 1941 in Europe, but none of them were reported to be compared in a molecular-phylogenetic context. This study compensates for this lack of data. A tick larva, morphologically identified as Ixodes (Scaphixodes) caledonicus Nuttall, 1910, was collected from an Alpine swift (Tachymarptis melba) during its nesting period in Transylvania, Romania. Following DNA extraction, PCR analyses and sequencing in part with newly designed primers, three genetic markers of this specimen were amplified and compared to GenBank data, and two were analyzed phylogenetically. Based on sequence comparisons of its mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) and nuclear 28S rRNA genes I. caledonicus appeared to be closely related to members of the subgenus Pholeoixodes. However, the topology of the concatenated cox1 and 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic tree clearly showed its clustering with Ixodes (Scaphixodes) philipi. In conclusion, I. caledonicus is part of the tick fauna of Romania and is expected to occur also in other countries of the Carpathian Basin where rocky cliffs are available for nesting of swifts and other birds. This is the first species of the subgenus Scaphixodes in Europe, for which the traditional (morphology-based) taxonomic assignment is confirmed by molecular-phylogenetic analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sándor Hornok
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary; HUN-REN-UVMB Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Hungary.
| | - Jenő Kontschán
- Plant Protection Institute, HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Plant Sciences, Albert Kázmér Faculty of Mosonmagyaróvár, Széchenyi István University, Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary
| | - Nóra Takács
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary; HUN-REN-UVMB Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Hungary
| | - Péter L Pap
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Attila D Sándor
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary; HUN-REN-UVMB Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Hungary; Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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Hornok S, Kontschán J, Takács N, Heyne H, Kovács ÁB, Plantard O, Keve G, Fedorov D, Gyuranecz M, Halajian A. Molecular-phylogenetic analyses of Ixodes species from South Africa suggest an African origin of bird-associated exophilic ticks (subgenus Trichotoixodes). Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:392. [PMID: 37898783 PMCID: PMC10612238 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05998-5] [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: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Among hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae), the genus Ixodes comprises the highest number of species, which in turn are most numerous in the Afrotropical zoogeographic region. In South Africa extensive morphological studies have been performed on Ixodes species but only few reports included molecular analyses. METHODS In this study, 58 Ixodes spp. ticks, collected from ten mammalian and eight avian host species in South Africa, were molecularly and phylogenetically analyzed. In addition, a newly collected sample of the Palearctic Ixodes trianguliceps was included in the analyses. RESULTS Among the ticks from South Africa, 11 species were identified morphologically. The majority of ticks from mammals represented the Ixodes pilosus group with two species (n = 20), followed by ticks resembling Ixodes rubicundus (n = 18) and Ixodes alluaudi (n = 3). In addition, single specimens of Ixodes rhabdomysae, Ixodes ugandanus, Ixodes nairobiensis and Ixodes simplex were also found. Considering bird-infesting ticks, Ixodes theilerae (n = 7), Ixodes uriae (n = 4) and ticks most similar to Ixodes daveyi (provisionally named I. cf. daveyi, n = 2) were identified. Molecular analyses confirmed two species in the I. pilosus group and a new species (I. cf. rubicundus) closely related to I. rubicundus sensu stricto. Phylogenetic trees based on concatenated mitochondrial or mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences indicated that the subgenus Afrixodes forms a monophyletic clade with bird-associated exophilic ticks (subgenus Trichotoixodes). Ixodes trianguliceps clustered separately whereas I. alluaudi with their morphologically assigned subgenus, Exopalpiger. CONCLUSIONS Phylogenetic analyses shed new lights on the relationships of Ixodes subgenera when including multiple sequences from subgenus Afrixodes and African as well as Palearctic species of subgenera Trichotoixodes and Exopalpiger. Subgenera Afrixodes and bird-associated Trichotoixodes share common ancestry, suggesting that the latter might have also originated in Africa. Regarding the subgenus Exopalpiger, I. alluaudi is properly assigned as it clusters among different Australian Ixodes, whereas I. trianguliceps should be excluded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sándor Hornok
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.
- HUN-REN-UVMB Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Jenő Kontschán
- Plant Protection Institute, HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Plant Sciences, Albert Kázmér Faculty of Mosonmagyaróvár, Széchenyi István University, Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary
| | - Nóra Takács
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- HUN-REN-UVMB Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Heloise Heyne
- Epidemiology, Parasites & Vectors (EPV), ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARC-OVR), Onderstepoort, South Africa
| | - Áron Botond Kovács
- HUN-REN Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
- National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety, HUN-REN Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Gergő Keve
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- HUN-REN-UVMB Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Denis Fedorov
- HUN-REN-UVMB Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Miklós Gyuranecz
- HUN-REN Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
- National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety, HUN-REN Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
- National Laboratory of Health Safety, HUN-REN Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ali Halajian
- Research Administration and Development, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, 0727, South Africa
- Department of Biodiversity, DSI-NRF SARChI Chair, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, 0727, South Africa
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Abreu-Yanes E, Abreu-Acosta N, Foronda P. Study of tick-borne zoonotic pathogens in questing and feeding ticks in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. JOURNAL OF VECTOR ECOLOGY : JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR VECTOR ECOLOGY 2023; 48:59-62. [PMID: 37255360 DOI: 10.52707/1081-1710-48.1.59] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Ticks are vectors of many zoonotic pathogens of clinical relevance, including Anaplasma and Rickettsia species. Since few data about these tick-borne pathogens are available in the Canary Islands, the aim of the present study was to screen their presence in questing and feeding ticks on the island of Tenerife. A total of 81 ticks was removed from six hedgehogs, and eight ticks were collected from the grass. PCR assays for tick species identification based on the LSU rRNA gene, and detection of Anaplasma spp. and Rickettsia spp. by targeting the 16s rRNA and gltA gene, respectively, were carried out. Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Haemaphysalis formosensis tick species were identified, with Rickettsia hoogstraalii detected in H. formosensis. In addition, Rickettsia helvetica and one unidentified Rickettsia species were detected. The overall prevalence of Rickettsia in ticks was 12.2%, and none harbored Anaplasma sp. This work constitutes the first identification in the Canary Islands of pathogenic R. helvetica and the species of unknown pathogenicity R. hoogstraalii in questing ticks. The clinical relevance of the pathogens identified highlights the need for studies with increased sample size and locations, including potential hosts, as well as warning the population about the relevance of ticks as vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estefanía Abreu-Yanes
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna. Avda. Astrofísico F. Sánchez, s/n, 38203 La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain
- Nertalab S.L. José Rodríguez Mouré, 38008 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Néstor Abreu-Acosta
- Nertalab S.L. José Rodríguez Mouré, 38008 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Pilar Foronda
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna. Avda. Astrofísico F. Sánchez, s/n, 38203 La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain,
- Departament Obstetricia y Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Universidad de La Laguna. Avda. Astrofísico F. Sánchez, s/n, 38203 La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain
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Li J, Chen ZH, Jiang L, Wu CY, Liao SQ, Lin XH, Xiang R, Lv MN, Qi NS, Zhang JF, Chen QL, Sun MF. Characterization of cattle-origin ticks from Southern China. Acta Trop 2018; 187:92-98. [PMID: 30055177 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2018.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
To characterize ticks in cattle from Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Nationality Autonomous Region, Southern China, 783 cattle in four localities were examined. Among them, 232 (29.63%) cattle were positive for tick infection. A total of 503 ticks collected in these cattle were further investigated. Two Rhipicephalus species, namely R. microplus and R. sanguineus, were firstly identified by morphological features. Thereinto, R. microplus is the prevalent species in cattle in southern China, with high prevalent in summer and autumn annually. Mixed infection of R. microplus and R. sanguineus was just found in yellow cattle. To further confirm the morphological identification of these cattle-origin ticks, a phylogeographic analysis inferred from the sequences of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer-2 (ITS-2) was performed, and R. microplus and R. sanguineus were identified. However, the morphological taxonomy of R. microplus has been challenged in recent years. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) marker was then used to provide higher resolution of R. mircoplus complex. The re-constructed cox1 phylogenetic tree further identified these R. mircoplus tick samples as R. microplus Clade A. These findings illustrated the prevalence and characterization of cattle-origin ticks in Southern China for the first time, and provided base-line information for further control of tick and tick-borne disease in these areas.
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Identification of I. ricinus, I. persulcatus and I. trianguliceps species by multiplex PCR. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2017; 8:235-240. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Revised: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Presence of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) and its natural infection with dengue virus at unrecorded heights in Colombia. BIOMEDICA 2016; 36:303-8. [PMID: 27622492 DOI: 10.7705/biomedica.v36i2.3301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2016] [Revised: 04/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Aedes aegypti is the main vector of urban yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. The biogeographical distribution of this species has expanded due to global warming, and socioeconomic and cultural factors. The changes in the altitudinal distribution patterns of this vector and its natural infection are priority fields of research to develop entomological, virological and public health surveillance strategies. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the presence of A. aegypti and its natural infection with dengue virus in altitudes above 1.800 meters above sea level in two peripheral municipalities of the Valle de Aburrá, Antioquia, Colombia. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-one ovitraps were set in the municipalities of Bello and San Pedro de los Milagros, at altitudes ranging from 1.882 to 2.659 masl. Emerged adults caught in the ovitraps were tested by RT-PCR for dengue virus detection. RESULTS We collected 367 A. aegypti adults, seven of which were found as high as 2.302 masl in Tierradentro, Bello. We detected serotype 2 dengue infection in 12 A. aegypti specimens collected in the neighbourhood of París, in Bello, at 1.984 masl. CONCLUSION We recorded A. aegypti at 2.302 masl, so far the highest altitudinal record in Colombia for this vector. Furthermore, mosquitoes collected at 1.984 masl were positive for dengue virus. These findings are significant as they identify regions in Colombia at risk of potential autochthonous transmission of dengue and other arboviruses by A. aegypti.
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Comparative analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers for the molecular identification of Rhipicephalus spp. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2013; 20:422-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2013.09.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2013] [Revised: 09/24/2013] [Accepted: 09/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Kovalev SY, Mukhacheva TA. Phylogeographical structure of the tick Ixodes persulcatus: a novel view. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2012; 3:212-8. [PMID: 22652512 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2012.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2012] [Revised: 03/19/2012] [Accepted: 03/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The tick Ixodes persulcatus Schulze, 1930, has a wide distribution from the Baltic to the Far East and is a vector of a number of human pathogens. Thus, the study of the genetic structure and evolution of this species is of great epidemiological importance. rRNA genes were used as genetic markers to identify the phylogeographical structure of the ticks. The sequences of gene fragments of 28S (expansion segment D3) and mitochondrial 12S rRNA for 25 and 76 ticks, respectively, that had been collected in various regions of Russia in 2007-2011, were obtained. The sequences of the 28S rRNA D3 segment were identical for all ticks within the studied area. Analysis of the sequences of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA fragment revealed 4 haplotypes with one occurring at a frequency of 0.96. It is shown that the 'deep' population structure of I. persulcatus (McLain et al., 2001) was erroneous because of the inclusion of contaminating fungi sequences of 28S rRNA in the phylogenetic analysis. This was, possibly, due to the use of universal PCR primers that amplify the DNA of a wide range of eukaryotes, particularly of fungi which are common in samples of ticks. The influence of PCR conditions on the preferential amplification of the DNA of different organisms is also demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey Y Kovalev
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Department of Biology, Ural Federal University, Lenin Avenue 51, Yekaterinburg 620000, Russia.
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