1
|
Tarragona EL, Flores FS, Lamattina D, Torrents J, Sebastian PS, Nava S. Two novel Ehrlichia (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) strains detected in ticks (Ixodida, Ixodidae) and opossums (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae) in Argentina. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2022; 13:102043. [PMID: 36150285 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2022.102043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study is to determine if there is circulation of microorganisms of the genus Ehrlichia in opossums Didelphis albiventris and their ticks from the Humid Chaco in Argentina. Blood samples of 15 specimens of the opossum D. albiventris were analysed. Immature stages of the ticks Amblyomma ovale (Larvae=26; Nymphs=10), Amblyomma sculptum (Larvae=86; Nymphs=6) and Ornithodoros sp. cf. O. mimon (Larvae=90) were also analyzed. DNA was extracted individually from blood samples and ticks. Molecular detection of Ehrlichia agents was performed targeting two different loci: 16S rRNA and dsb gen. The phylogenetic analyses showed that the Ehrlichia sp. detected in D. albiventris in this study is identical to Ehrlichia sp. strain Natal previously detected in two marsupials from Brazil. Furthermore, a new Ehrlichia strain was amplified from an A. ovale nymph (named as Ehrlichia sp. strain El Bagual) which is phylogenetically closely related to a strain of Ehrlichia sp. detected in Bradypus tridactylus in Brazil. The findings of the current study represent the first report of these two strains of Ehrlichia for Argentina, showing that the diversity of Ehrlichia spp. is greater than previously assumed. Further studies should determine the epidemiological relevance of these findings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Evelina L Tarragona
- Instituto de Investigación de la Cadena Láctea (IDICAL, INTA - CONICET) Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, E.E.A. Rafaela, Rafaela, Santa Fe, Argentina. CC 22, CP 2300, Rafaela, Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - Fernando S Flores
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades, Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral (ICiVet-Litoral), Universidad Nacional del Litoral / Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Esperanza, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Daniela Lamattina
- Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical (INMeT) - ANLIS "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán", Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Almafuerte y Ámbar S/N, CP 3370, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina/CONICET
| | - Jorgelina Torrents
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Kreder 2805, CP 3080 Esperanza, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Patrick S Sebastian
- Instituto de Investigación de la Cadena Láctea (IDICAL, INTA - CONICET) Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, E.E.A. Rafaela, Rafaela, Santa Fe, Argentina. CC 22, CP 2300, Rafaela, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Santiago Nava
- Instituto de Investigación de la Cadena Láctea (IDICAL, INTA - CONICET) Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, E.E.A. Rafaela, Rafaela, Santa Fe, Argentina. CC 22, CP 2300, Rafaela, Santa Fe, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Duncan KT, Sundstrom KD, Hunt D, Lineberry MW, Grant A, Little SE. Survey on the Presence of Equine Tick-Borne Rickettsial Infections in Southcentral United States. J Equine Vet Sci 2022; 118:104135. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2022.104135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
3
|
Santana MDS, Hoppe EGL, Carraro PE, Calchi AC, de Oliveira LB, Bressianini do Amaral R, Mongruel ACB, Machado DMR, Burger KP, Barros-Batestti DM, Machado RZ, André MR. Molecular detection of vector-borne agents in wild boars (Sus scrofa) and associated ticks from Brazil, with evidence of putative new genotypes of Ehrlichia, Anaplasma and hemoplasmas. Transbound Emerg Dis 2022; 69:e2808-e2831. [PMID: 35717607 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate, by molecular techniques, the occurrence of Anaplasmataceae, Bartonellaceae, Rickettsiaceae, Mycoplasmataceae, Coxiellaceae e Babesiidae/Theileriidae agents in blood samples of free-living wild boars (Sus scrofa) and associated ticks in southeastern Brazil. For this purpose, 67 blood samples and 265 ticks (264 Amblyomma sculptum and one A. ovale) were analyzed. In the screening for Anaplasmataceae agents by a PCR assay based on the 16S rRNA gene, 5.97% blood samples and 50.54% ticks were positive. In the PCR assay for Ehrlichia spp. based on the dsb gene, 9.24% of ticks were positive. Despite the low occurrence, a possible new 16S rRNA genotype of Anaplasma sp. was detected in a wild boar's blood sample. According to phylogenetic analyses based on the groEL, gltA, sodB genes and ITS (23S-5S rRNA) intergenic region, it was found that A. sculptum and A. ovale ticks collected from wild boars carry Ehrlichia genotypes phylogenetically associated with E. ewingii, E. ruminantium, and new Ehrlichia genotypes previously detected in horses, peccaries, and ticks collected from jaguars. In the screening for hemoplasmas by a qPCR based on the 16S rRNA gene, 88.06% of blood samples and 8.69% of ticks were positive. Mycoplasma suis, M. parvum and a possible new hemoplasma genotype were detected in wild boars in southeastern Brazil. In the screening for Bartonella spp. using a nuoG-based qPCR assay, 3.8% of tick samples were positive. Phylogenetic inferences positioned four nuoG and one r gltA Bartonella sequences into the same clade as Bartonella machadoae. No blood or tick samples from wild boars showed to be positive in the qPCR for Coxiella burnetii based on the IS1111 gene. On the other hand, only 1.6% of ticks was positive in the nested PCR assay for piroplasmids based on the 18S rRNA gene. A 18S rRNA sequence detected in a pool of A. sculptum nymphs was phylogenetically close to Cytauxzoon felis sequences previously detected in cats from the United States. Rickettsia sp. closely related to R. bellii was detected in a pool of A. sculptum nymphs. This is the first report of hemoplasmas, B. machadoae and Cytauxzoon spp. in A. sculptum. Wild boars and associated ticks do not seem to participate in the epidemiological cycle of C. burnetii in the region studied. This invasive mammal species may act as a potential disperser of ticks infected with Ehrlichia spp., Bartonella spp., hemotropic mycoplasmas, and Cytauxzoon, and may bring important epidemiological implications in the transmission of bartonelosis, ehrlichiosis, hemoplasmosis, and cytauxzoonosis to humans and animals, more specifically to horses, rodents, pigs, and cats. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matheus de Souza Santana
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction, and One Health - Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences/University State Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Estevam Guilherme Lux Hoppe
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction, and One Health - Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences/University State Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Paulo Eduardo Carraro
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction, and One Health - Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences/University State Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Cláudia Calchi
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction, and One Health - Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences/University State Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Laryssa Borges de Oliveira
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction, and One Health - Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences/University State Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Renan Bressianini do Amaral
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction, and One Health - Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences/University State Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Anna Claudia Baumel Mongruel
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction, and One Health - Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences/University State Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Dália Monique Ribeiro Machado
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction, and One Health - Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences/University State Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Karina Paes Burger
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction, and One Health - Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences/University State Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Darci Moraes Barros-Batestti
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction, and One Health - Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences/University State Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Rosangela Zacarias Machado
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction, and One Health - Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences/University State Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcos Rogério André
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction, and One Health - Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences/University State Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Félix ML, Muñoz-Leal S, Carvalho LA, Queirolo D, Remesar S, Armúa-Fernández MT, Venzal JM. Characterization of " Candidatus Ehrlichia Pampeana" in Haemaphysalis juxtakochi Ticks and Gray Brocket Deer ( Mazama gouazoubira) from Uruguay. Microorganisms 2021; 9:2165. [PMID: 34683486 PMCID: PMC8538733 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9102165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Human ehrlichiosis are scantily documented in Uruguay. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Ehrlichia spp. in Haemaphysalis juxtakochi and in a gray brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira) from Uruguay. The presence of Ehrlichia DNA was investigated in free-living H. juxtakochi in five localities of southeast and northeast Uruguay, as well as blood, spleen, and ticks retrieved from a M. gouazoubira. Ehrlichia spp. DNA was detected in six out of 99 tick pools from vegetation, in the spleen of M. gouazoubira, and in one out of five pools of ticks feeding on this cervid. Bayesian inference analyses for three loci (16S rRNA, dsb, and groEL) revealed the presence of a new rickettsial organism, named herein as "Candidatus Ehrlichia pampeana". This new detected Ehrlichia is phylogenetically related to those found in ticks from Asia, as well as Ehrlichia ewingii from USA and Cameroon. Although the potential pathogenicity of "Ca. E. pampeana" for humans is currently unknown, some eco-epidemiological factors may be relevant to its possible pathogenic role, namely: (i) the phylogenetic closeness with the zoonotic agent E. ewingii, (ii) the evidence of H. juxtakochi parasitizing humans, and (iii) the importance of cervids as reservoirs for zoonotic Ehrlichia spp. The molecular detection of "Ca. E. pampeana" represents the third Ehrlichia genotype described in Uruguay.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María Laura Félix
- Laboratorio de Vectores y Enfermedades Transmitidas, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, CENUR Litoral Norte—Salto, Universidad de la República, Rivera 1350, Salto 50000, Uruguay; (M.T.A.-F.); (J.M.V.)
| | - Sebastián Muñoz-Leal
- Departamento de Ciencia Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Concepción, Av. Vicente Méndez 595, Casilla 537, Chillán 3780000, Chile;
| | - Luis Andrés Carvalho
- AgResearch, Grasslands Research Centre, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand;
| | - Diego Queirolo
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Vertebrados, CENUR Noreste, Universidad de la República, Ituzaingó 667, Rivera 40000, Uruguay;
| | - Susana Remesar
- INVESAGA Group, Department of Animal Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain;
| | - María Teresa Armúa-Fernández
- Laboratorio de Vectores y Enfermedades Transmitidas, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, CENUR Litoral Norte—Salto, Universidad de la República, Rivera 1350, Salto 50000, Uruguay; (M.T.A.-F.); (J.M.V.)
| | - José Manuel Venzal
- Laboratorio de Vectores y Enfermedades Transmitidas, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, CENUR Litoral Norte—Salto, Universidad de la República, Rivera 1350, Salto 50000, Uruguay; (M.T.A.-F.); (J.M.V.)
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Félix ML, Muñoz-Leal S, Carvalho LA, Queirolo D, Remesar Alonso S, Nava S, Armúa-Fernández MT, Venzal JM. Molecular characterization of novel Ehrlichia genotypes in Ixodes auritulus from Uruguay. CURRENT RESEARCH IN PARASITOLOGY & VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES 2021; 1:100022. [PMID: 35284857 PMCID: PMC8906135 DOI: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2021.100022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Ehrlichia are small intracellular Gram-negative bacteria transmitted by ticks. These microorganisms cause ehrlichiosis, a complex of life-threatening emerging zoonoses and diseases of global veterinary relevance. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Ehrlichia in free-living Ixodes auritulus collected in Uruguay. Ticks were collected from vegetation in five localities from the southeast and northeast of the country between 2014 and 2017. Detection of Ehrlichia DNA was performed in pools of adults or nymphs grouped according to the collection site and date. A total of 1,548 I. auritulus ticks were collected in four of the five locations sampled. Fragments of three loci (16S rRNA, dsb and groEL) were obtained by PCR, and phylogenies inferred using Bayesian inference analysis for each gene independently. DNA of Ehrlichia spp. was found in 15 out of 42 tick pools. Based on the topology of the phylogenetic trees, our sequences represent two novel genotypes for the genus named as Ehrlichia sp. Serrana and Ehrlichia sp. Laguna Negra. Both genotypes were closely related to Ehrlichia sp. Magellanica, a species detected in Ixodes uriae and Magellanic penguins. Considering that all stages of I. auritulus and I. uriae are parasites of birds, their phylogenetic relationships, and common eco–epidemiological profiles, it is reasonable to state that these genotypes of Ehrlichia spp. may represent a natural group likely associated with birds. Our results constitute the first characterization of Ehrlichia spp. in Uruguay. Future studies on birds reported as hosts for I. auritulus are needed to further understand the epidemiological cycles of both Ehrlichia genotypes in the country. Finally, I. auritulus does not feed on humans, so the two Ehrlichia species reported herein might have no implications in human health. First molecular characterization of Ehrlichia in Uruguay. Two novel genotypes of Ehrlichia were detected in Ixodes auritulus. Evidence of a natural lineage of Ehrlichia associated with birds is reinforced.
Collapse
|