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Salata C, Moutailler S, Attoui H, Zweygarth E, Decker L, Bell-Sakyi L. How relevant are in vitro culture models for study of tick-pathogen interactions? Pathog Glob Health 2021; 115:437-455. [PMID: 34190676 PMCID: PMC8635668 DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2021.1944539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Although tick-borne infectious diseases threaten human and animal health worldwide, with constantly increasing incidence, little knowledge is available regarding vector-pathogen interactions and pathogen transmission. In vivo laboratory study of these subjects using live, intact ticks is expensive, labor-intensive, and challenging from the points of view of biosafety and ethics. Several in vitro models have been developed, including over 70 continuous cell lines derived from multiple tick species and a variety of tick organ culture systems, facilitating many research activities. However, some limitations have to be considered in the translation of the results from the in vitro environment to the in vivo situation of live, intact ticks, and vertebrate hosts. In this review, we describe the available in vitro models and selected results from their application to the study of tick-borne viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, where possible comparing these results to studies in live, intact ticks. Finally, we highlight the strengths and weaknesses of in vitro tick culture models and their essential role in tick-borne pathogen research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiano Salata
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Sara Moutailler
- Laboratoire De Santé Animale, Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Houssam Attoui
- Department of Animal Health, UMR1161 Virologie, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, ANSES, Université Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Erich Zweygarth
- The Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Lygia Decker
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Lesley Bell-Sakyi
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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Wass L, Grankvist A, Bell-Sakyi L, Bergström M, Ulfhammer E, Lingblom C, Wennerås C. Cultivation of the causative agent of human neoehrlichiosis from clinical isolates identifies vascular endothelium as a target of infection. Emerg Microbes Infect 2019; 8:413-425. [PMID: 30898074 PMCID: PMC6455172 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2019.1584017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Candidatus (Ca.) Neoehrlichia mikurensis is the cause of neoehrlichiosis, an emerging tick-borne infectious disease characterized by fever and vascular events. The bacterium belongs to the Anaplasmataceae, a family of obligate intracellular pathogens, but has not previously been cultivated, and it is uncertain which cell types it infects. The goals of this study were to cultivate Ca. N. mikurensis in cell lines and to identify possible target cells for human infection. Blood components derived from infected patients were inoculated into cell lines of both tick and human origin. Bacterial growth in the cell cultures was monitored by real-time PCR and imaging flow cytometry. Ca. N. mikurensis was successfully propagated from the blood of immunocompromised neoehrlichiosis patients in two Ixodes spp. tick cell lines following incubation periods of 7-20 weeks. Human primary endothelial cells derived from skin microvasculature as well as pulmonary artery were also susceptible to infection with tick cell-derived bacteria. Finally, Ca. N. mikurensis was visualized within circulating endothelial cells of two neoehrlichiosis patients. To conclude, we report the first successful isolation and propagation of Ca. N. mikurensis from clinical isolates and identify human vascular endothelial cells as a target of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Wass
- a Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy , University of Gothenburg , Göteborg , Sweden.,b Department of Clinical Microbiology , Sahlgrenska University Hospital , Göteborg , Sweden
| | - Anna Grankvist
- a Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy , University of Gothenburg , Göteborg , Sweden.,b Department of Clinical Microbiology , Sahlgrenska University Hospital , Göteborg , Sweden
| | - Lesley Bell-Sakyi
- c Department of Infection Biology, Institute of Infection and Global Health , University of Liverpool , Liverpool , UK
| | - Malin Bergström
- a Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy , University of Gothenburg , Göteborg , Sweden
| | - Erik Ulfhammer
- d The Wallenberg Laboratory for Cardiovascular Research, Sahlgrenska Academy , University of Gothenburg , Göteborg , Sweden
| | - Christine Lingblom
- a Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy , University of Gothenburg , Göteborg , Sweden.,b Department of Clinical Microbiology , Sahlgrenska University Hospital , Göteborg , Sweden
| | - Christine Wennerås
- a Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy , University of Gothenburg , Göteborg , Sweden.,b Department of Clinical Microbiology , Sahlgrenska University Hospital , Göteborg , Sweden
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Nguyen Trong TP, Wang J, Majzoub-Altweck M, Fell S, Straubinger RK. Recovering host cell-free Anaplasma phagocytophilum from HL-60 cells by using rock tumbler grit in comparison to the syringe lysis method. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018; 10:280-285. [PMID: 30455057 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap) is a tick-transmitted obligate intracellular bacterium and the causative agent of the granulocytic anaplasmosis in various species of domestic animals and in humans. During intracellular development Ap transforms from a dense-cored cell form into a reticulate cell form and vice versa. For isolation of intracellular bacteria, a range of different purification methods is used. However, unlike other Gram-negative bacteria Ap is considered to be sensitive to mechanical stress and osmolarity changes. An updated semi-purification method using rock tumbler grit is introduced here to increase the outcome of bacteria and to facilitate the procedure of host cell lysis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the structural integrity and infectivity of Ap after lysis of the host cells using rock tumbler grit and to compare the outcome to that of the frequently used method, syringe lysis. Human promyelocytic leukemia cell lines (HL-60) were infected with Ap and following host cell-free bacteria were assessed by transmission electron microscopy. The outcome of the different purification methods was compared using live/dead-staining based on immunofluorescence to count the number of viable bacteria and real-time PCR to compare the amount of DNA. Subsequently the isolated bacteria were tested to infect naive cell cultures. We observed that both Ap dense-cored cells and reticulate cells are preserved intact after the application of rock tumbler grit. The number of viable, host cell-free bacteria was higher by factor 1.7-2.4 compared to the syringe lysis protocol. Quantitative analysis based on real-time PCR showed an increase of bacterial DNA up to 1.6-2.9 times higher using the rock tumbler grit protocol. Bacteria released from the same number of infected host cells were used for new infections. Flow cytometric analysis of the cell cultures confirmed that the number of Ap organisms recovered by using the rock tumbler grit protocol resulted in higher infection rates than the number of Ap organisms recovered by using syringe lysis protocol. Our observations indicate that the rock tumbler grit protocol can be applied as a safe, robust and convenient method to recover Ap compared to syringe lysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thu Phong Nguyen Trong
- Institute for Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Veterinaerstr. 13, 80539, Munich, Germany.
| | - Jinyong Wang
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology Chicago Medical School Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road 2-407, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA.
| | - Monir Majzoub-Altweck
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Veterinaerstr. 13, 80539, Munich, Germany.
| | - Shari Fell
- Institute for Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Veterinaerstr. 13, 80539, Munich, Germany.
| | - Reinhard K Straubinger
- Institute for Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Veterinaerstr. 13, 80539, Munich, Germany.
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Silaghi C, Santos AS, Gomes J, Christova I, Matei IA, Walder G, Domingos A, Bell-Sakyi L, Sprong H, von Loewenich FD, Oteo JA, de la Fuente J, Dumler JS. Guidelines for the Direct Detection of Anaplasma spp. in Diagnosis and Epidemiological Studies. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2017; 17:12-22. [PMID: 28055579 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2016.1960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The genus Anaplasma (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) comprises obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacteria that are mainly transmitted by ticks, and currently includes six species: Anaplasma bovis, Anaplasma centrale, Anaplasma marginale, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Anaplasma platys, and Anaplasma ovis. These have long been known as etiological agents of veterinary diseases that affect domestic and wild animals worldwide. A zoonotic role has been recognized for A. phagocytophilum, but other species can also be pathogenic for humans. Anaplasma infections are usually challenging to diagnose, clinically presenting with nonspecific symptoms that vary greatly depending on the agent involved, the affected host, and other factors such as immune status and coinfections. The substantial economic impact associated with livestock infection and the growing number of human cases along with the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections, determines the need for accurate laboratory tests. Because hosts are usually seronegative in the initial phase of infection and serological cross-reactions with several Anaplasma species are observed after seroconversion, direct tests are the best approach for both case definition and epidemiological studies. Blood samples are routinely used for Anaplasma spp. screening, but in persistently infected animals with intermittent or low-level bacteremia, other tissues might be useful. These guidelines have been developed as a direct outcome of the COST action TD1303 EURNEGVEC ("European Network of Neglected Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases"). They review the direct laboratory tests (microscopy, nucleic acid-based detection and in vitro isolation) currently used for Anaplasma detection in ticks and vertebrates and their application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia Silaghi
- 1 National Center for Vector Entomology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich , Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ana Sofia Santos
- 2 Center for Vector and Infectious Diseases Research, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge , Águas de Moura, Portugal
| | - Jacinto Gomes
- 3 Animal Health and Production Unit, National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinary Research , Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Iva Christova
- 4 Department of Microbiology, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases , Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Ioana Adriana Matei
- 5 Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca , Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Gernot Walder
- 6 Department of Hygiene, Medical Microbiology and Social Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University , Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ana Domingos
- 7 Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa , Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Lesley Bell-Sakyi
- 8 The Pirbright Institute , Ash Road, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Hein Sprong
- 9 Center for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) , Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | | | - José A Oteo
- 11 Infectious Diseases Department, Center of Rickettsioses and Arthropod-Borne Diseases , Hospital San Pedro- CIBIR, Logroño, Spain
| | - José de la Fuente
- 12 SaBio. Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ciudad Real, Spain .,13 Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University , Stillwater, Oklahoma
| | - J Stephen Dumler
- 14 Departments of Pathology and Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland , School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.,15 Department of Pathology, Uniformed Services University for the Health Sciences "America's Medical School," Bethesda, Maryland
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Mansfield KL, Cook C, Ellis RJ, Bell-Sakyi L, Johnson N, Alberdi P, de la Fuente J, Fooks AR. Tick-borne pathogens induce differential expression of genes promoting cell survival and host resistance in Ixodes ricinus cells. Parasit Vectors 2017; 10:81. [PMID: 28202075 PMCID: PMC5312269 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2011-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There has been an emergence and expansion of tick-borne diseases in Europe, Asia and North America in recent years, including Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis and human anaplasmosis. The primary vectors implicated are hard ticks of the genus Ixodes. Although much is known about the host response to these bacterial and viral pathogens, there is limited knowledge of the cellular responses to infection within the tick vector. The bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum is able to bypass apoptotic processes in ticks, enabling infection to proceed. However, the tick cellular responses to infection with the flaviviruses tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and louping ill virus (LIV), which cause tick-borne encephalitis and louping ill respectively, are less clear. Results Infection and transcriptional analysis of the Ixodes ricinus tick cell line IRE/CTVM20 with the viruses LIV and TBEV, and the bacterium A. phagocytophilum, identified activation of common and distinct cellular pathways. In particular, commonly-upregulated genes included those that modulate apoptotic pathways, putative anti-pathogen genes, and genes that influence the tick innate immune response, including selective activation of toll genes. Conclusion These data provide an insight into potential key genes involved in the tick cellular response to viral or bacterial infection, which may promote cell survival and host resistance. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2011-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L Mansfield
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Woodham Lane, New Haw, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK. .,Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
| | - Charlotte Cook
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Woodham Lane, New Haw, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
| | - Richard J Ellis
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Woodham Lane, New Haw, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
| | - Lesley Bell-Sakyi
- The Tick Cell Biobank, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey, GU24 0NF, UK
| | - Nicholas Johnson
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Woodham Lane, New Haw, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.,Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK
| | - Pilar Alberdi
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, Ciudad Real, 13005, Spain
| | - José de la Fuente
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, Ciudad Real, 13005, Spain.,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Anthony R Fooks
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Woodham Lane, New Haw, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.,Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.,Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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Abstract
In the last decade, novel tick-borne pathogenic phleboviruses in the family Bunyaviridae, all closely related to Uukuniemi virus (UUKV), have emerged on different continents. To reproduce the tick-mammal switch in vitro, we first established a reverse genetics system to rescue UUKV with a genome close to that of the authentic virus isolated from the Ixodes ricinus tick reservoir. The IRE/CTVM19 and IRE/CTVM20 cell lines, both derived from I. ricinus, were susceptible to the virus rescued from plasmid DNAs and supported production of the virus over many weeks, indicating that infection was persistent. The glycoprotein GC was mainly highly mannosylated on tick cell-derived viral progeny. The second envelope viral protein, GN, carried mostly N-glycans not recognized by the classical glycosidases peptide-N-glycosidase F (PNGase F) and endoglycosidase H (Endo H). Treatment with β-mercaptoethanol did not impact the apparent molecular weight of GN. On viruses originating from mammalian BHK-21 cells, GN glycosylations were exclusively sensitive to PNGase F, and the electrophoretic mobility of the protein was substantially slower after the reduction of disulfide bonds. Furthermore, the amount of viral nucleoprotein per focus forming unit differed markedly whether viruses were produced in tick or BHK-21 cells, suggesting a higher infectivity for tick cell-derived viruses. Together, our results indicate that UUKV particles derived from vector tick cells have glycosylation and structural specificities that may influence the initial infection in mammalian hosts. This study also highlights the importance of working with viruses originating from arthropod vector cells in investigations of the cell biology of arbovirus transmission and entry into mammalian hosts. IMPORTANCE Tick-borne phleboviruses represent a growing threat to humans globally. Although ticks are important vectors of infectious emerging diseases, previous studies have mainly involved virus stocks produced in mammalian cells. This limitation tends to minimize the importance of host alternation in virus transmission to humans and initial infection at the molecular level. With this study, we have developed an in vitro tick cell-based model that allows production of the tick-borne Uukuniemi virus to high titers. Using this system, we found that virions derived from tick cells have specific structural properties and N-glycans that may enhance virus infectivity for mammalian cells. By shedding light on molecular aspects of tick-derived viral particles, our data illustrate the importance of considering the host switch in studying early virus-mammalian receptor/cell interactions. The information gained here lays the basis for future research on not only tick-borne phleboviruses but also all viruses and other pathogens transmitted by ticks.
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Alberdi P, Mansfield KL, Manzano-Román R, Cook C, Ayllón N, Villar M, Johnson N, Fooks AR, de la Fuente J. Tissue-Specific Signatures in the Transcriptional Response to Anaplasma phagocytophilum Infection of Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes ricinus Tick Cell Lines. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2016; 6:20. [PMID: 26904518 PMCID: PMC4748044 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2016.00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Accepted: 01/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Anaplasma phagocytophilum are transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks and have become one of the most common and relevant tick-borne pathogens due to their impact on human and animal health. Recent results have increased our understanding of the molecular interactions between Ixodes scapularis and A. phagocytophilum through the demonstration of tissue-specific molecular pathways that ensure pathogen infection, development and transmission by ticks. However, little is known about the Ixodes ricinus genes and proteins involved in the response to A. phagocytophilum infection. The tick species I. scapularis and I. ricinus are evolutionarily closely related and therefore similar responses are expected in A. phagocytophilum-infected cells. However, differences may exist between I. scapularis ISE6 and I. ricinus IRE/CTVM20 tick cells associated with tissue-specific signatures of these cell lines. To address this hypothesis, the transcriptional response to A. phagocytophilum infection was characterized by RNA sequencing and compared between I. scapularis ISE6 and I. ricinus IRE/CTVM20 tick cell lines. The transcriptional response to infection of I. scapularis ISE6 cells resembled that of tick hemocytes while the response in I. ricinus IRE/CTVM20 cells was more closely related to that reported previously in infected tick midguts. The inhibition of cell apoptosis by A. phagocytophilum appears to be a key adaptation mechanism to facilitate infection of both vertebrate and tick cells and was used to investigate further the tissue-specific response of tick cell lines to pathogen infection. The results supported a role for the intrinsic pathway in the inhibition of cell apoptosis by A. phagocytophilum infection of I. scapularis ISE6 cells. In contrast, the results in I. ricinus IRE/CTVM20 cells were similar to those obtained in tick midguts and suggested a role for the JAK/STAT pathway in the inhibition of apoptosis in tick cells infected with A. phagocytophilum. Nevertheless, tick cell lines were derived from embryonated eggs and may contain various cell populations with different morphology and behavior that could affect transcriptional response to infection. These results suggested tissue-specific signatures in I. scapularis ISE6 and I. ricinus IRE/CTVM20 tick cell line response to A. phagocytophilum infection that support their use as models for the study of tick-pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilar Alberdi
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas- Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha-Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha Ciudad Real, Spain
| | | | - Raúl Manzano-Román
- Parasitología Animal, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca (IRNASA, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) Salamanca, Spain
| | | | - Nieves Ayllón
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas- Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha-Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Margarita Villar
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas- Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha-Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha Ciudad Real, Spain
| | | | - Anthony R Fooks
- Animal and Plant Health AgencyNew Haw, Surrey, UK; Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, University of LiverpoolLiverpool, UK
| | - José de la Fuente
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas- Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha-Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La ManchaCiudad Real, Spain; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State UniversityStillwater, OK, USA
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Alberdi P, Ayllón N, Cabezas-Cruz A, Bell-Sakyi L, Zweygarth E, Stuen S, de la Fuente J. Infection of Ixodes spp. tick cells with different Anaplasma phagocytophilum isolates induces the inhibition of apoptotic cell death. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2015; 6:758-67. [PMID: 26183310 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2015] [Revised: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 07/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an intracellular rickettsial pathogen transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks, which causes granulocytic anaplasmosis in humans, horses and dogs and tick-borne fever (TBF) in ruminants. In the United States, human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) is highly prevalent while TBF has not been reported. However, in Europe the situation is the opposite, with high prevalence for TBF in sheep and low prevalence of HGA. The origin of these differences has not been identified and our hypothesis is that different A. phagocytophilum isolates impact differently on tick vector capacity through inhibition of apoptosis to establish infection of the tick vector. In this study we used three different isolates of A. phagocytophilum of human, canine and ovine origin to infect the Ixodes ricinus-derived cell line IRE/CTVM20 and the Ixodes scapularis-derived cell line ISE6 in order to characterize the effect of infection on the level of tick cell apoptosis. Inhibition of apoptosis was observed by flow cytometry as early as 24h post-infection for both tick cell lines and all three isolates of A. phagocytophilum, suggesting that pathogen infection inhibits apoptotic pathways to facilitate infection independently of the origin of the A. phagocytophilum isolate and tick vector species. However, infection with A. phagocytophilum isolates inhibited the intrinsic apoptosis pathway at different levels in I. scapularis and I. ricinus cells. These results suggested an impact of vector-pathogen co-evolution on the adaptation of A. phagocytophilum isolates to grow in tick cells as each isolate grew better in the tick cell line derived from its natural vector species. These results increase our understanding of the mechanisms of A. phagocytophilum infection and multiplication and suggest that multiple mechanisms may affect disease prevalence in different geographical regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilar Alberdi
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | - Nieves Ayllón
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain; Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille (CIIL), INSERM U1019 - CNRS UMR 8204, Université Lille Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille, France
| | - Lesley Bell-Sakyi
- The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey GU24 0NF, UK
| | - Erich Zweygarth
- Institute for Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Leopoldstrasse 5, 80802 Munich, Germany; Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Snorre Stuen
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Sandnes, Norway
| | - José de la Fuente
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
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9
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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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10
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Härtwig V, von Loewenich FD, Schulze C, Straubinger RK, Daugschies A, Dyachenko V. Detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) from Brandenburg, Germany. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2014; 5:277-80. [PMID: 24512760 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2013.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2013] [Revised: 11/15/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an obligate intracellular and tick-transmitted bacterium, which causes granulocytic anaplasmosis in animals and humans. Although infection with A. phagocytophilum in domestic animals and vector ticks is documented, there is sparse information on the occurrence of A. phagocytophilum in wild animals. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) as well as raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) are wildlife species highly abundant in certain areas of Germany and represent a potential wildlife reservoir for zoonotic diseases. To obtain data about the occurrence of A. phagocytophilum in these animals, red fox and raccoon dog carcasses (hunted or found dead) were collected from January to September 2009 in the Federal State of Brandenburg, Germany. Lung tissue samples were subjected to DNA extraction and were examined for the presence of A. phagocytophilum DNA by means of real-time PCR. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was detected in 10 out of 122 (8.2%) lungs of red foxes and in 3 out of 13 (23%) lungs of raccoon dogs. To the best of our knowledge, A. phagocytophilum was detected for the first time in red foxes and raccoon dogs in Germany.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Härtwig
- Institute of Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | | - Reinhard K Straubinger
- Institute for Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, Department for Veterinary Science, Faculty for Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Germany
| | - Arwid Daugschies
- Institute of Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Leipzig, Germany
| | - Viktor Dyachenko
- Institute for Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, Department for Veterinary Science, Faculty for Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Germany.
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11
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Santos HA, Thomé SMG, Baldani CD, Silva CB, Peixoto MP, Pires MS, Vitari GLV, Costa RL, Santos TM, Angelo IC, Santos LA, Faccini JLH, Massard CL. Molecular epidemiology of the emerging zoonosis agent Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Foggie, 1949) in dogs and ixodid ticks in Brazil. Parasit Vectors 2013; 6:348. [PMID: 24330631 PMCID: PMC3874603 DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-6-348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2013] [Accepted: 12/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an emerging pathogen of humans, dogs and other animals, and it is transmitted by ixodid ticks. The objective of the current study was a) detect A. phagocytophilum in dogs and ixodid ticks using real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR); and b) Determine important variables associated to host, environment and potential tick vectors that are related to the presence of A. phagocytophilum in dogs domiciled in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. METHODS We tested blood samples from 398 dogs and samples from 235 ticks, including 194 Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato, 15 Amblyomma cajennense, 8 Amblyomma ovale and 18 pools of Amblyomma sp. nymphs. A semi-structured questionnaire was applied by interviewing each dog owner. Deoxyribonucleic acid obtained from ticks and dog buffy coat samples were amplified by qPCR (msp2 gene). The sequencing of 16S rRNA and groESL heat shock operon genes and a phylogenetic analysis was performed. The multiple logistic regression model was created as a function of testing positive dogs for A. phagocytophilum. RESULTS Among the 398 blood samples from dogs, 6.03% were positive for A. phagocytophilum. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was detected in one A. cajennense female tick and in five R. sanguineus sensu lato ticks (four males and one female). The partial sequences of the 16S rRNA, and groESL genes obtained were highly similar to strains of A. phagocytophilum isolated from wild birds from Brazil and human pathogenic strains. The tick species collected in positive dogs were R. sanguineus sensu lato and A. cajennense, with A.cajennense being predominant. Tick infestation history (OR = 2.86, CI = 1.98-14.87), dog size (OR = 2.41, IC: 1.51-12.67), the access to forest areas (OR = 3:51, CI: 1.52-16.32), hygiene conditions of the environment in which the dogs lived (OR = 4.35, CI: 1.86-18.63) and Amblyomma sp. infestation (OR = 6.12; CI: 2.11-28.15) were associated with A. phagocytophilum infection in dogs. CONCLUSIONS This is the first report of A. phagocytophilum in ixodid ticks from Brazil. The detection of A. phagocitophylum in A. cajennense, an aggressive feeder on a wide variety of hosts, including humans, is considered a public health concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huarrisson A Santos
- Epidemiology and Public Health Department, IV-UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Sandra MG Thomé
- Epidemiology and Public Health Department, IV-UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Cristiane D Baldani
- Medicine and Surgery Veterinary Department, IV-UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Claudia B Silva
- Animal Parasitology Department, IV-UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Maristela P Peixoto
- Animal Parasitology Department, IV-UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Marcus S Pires
- Animal Parasitology Department, IV-UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gabriela LV Vitari
- Animal Parasitology Department, IV-UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Renata L Costa
- Animal Parasitology Department, IV-UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Tiago M Santos
- Zootechny Department, ITCA-UFMT, Mato Grosso, Rondonópolis, Brazil
| | - Isabele C Angelo
- Parasitology Department, ICB-UFMG, Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | - João LH Faccini
- Animal Parasitology Department, IV-UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carlos L Massard
- Animal Parasitology Department, IV-UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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12
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Smith FD, Wall LER. Prevalence of Babesia and Anaplasma in ticks infesting dogs in Great Britain. Vet Parasitol 2013; 198:18-23. [PMID: 24055106 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.08.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2013] [Revised: 08/19/2013] [Accepted: 08/23/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Ticks are important vectors of disease in companion animals and transmit an extensive range of viral, bacterial and protozoan pathogens to dogs and cats. They may also be vectors of zoonotic pathogens which affect the health of in-contact owners. In recent years, babesiosis, and anaplasmosis have all shown signs of increased prevalence and distribution in various parts of Europe. Here, the prevalence of Anaplasma spp. and Babesia spp. pathogens in Ixodes ticks, collected from dogs in the UK in 2009, were evaluated using PCR and sequence analysis of the 16S rDNA or 18S rDNA regions respectively. Species identification was performed by alignment with existing sequences in GenBank. After sequencing, 5 out of 677 tick samples (0.74%) contained rDNA which shared 97-100%% sequence homology with Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Of these, three samples came from Ixodes ricinus and two from Ixodes hexagonus. Sixteen out of 742 ticks (2.4%) were positive for Babesia and of these 11 showed 97-100% homology with B. gibsoni. All of these 11 samples were derived from I. ricinus. One sample, again from I. ricinus, showed 99% homology for B. divergens. Four of the Babesia spp sequences were of the "venatorum" or EU1 type, three of which came from I. ricinus and one from an Ixodes canisuga. This strain has been associated with severe human cases of babeisiosis. A further 246 positive results, which appeared to show the presence of Anaplasma following PCR, were shown by sequence analysis to be derived from the bacterium Candidatus "Midichloria mitochondrii", which to date has been assumed to be non-pathogenic. The results are of interest because the presence of B. gibsoni in the UK further confirms the worldwide distribution of this piroplasm and supports the inference that I. ricinus may act as a vector for Babesia of the gibsoni-complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faith D Smith
- Veterinary Parasitology & Ecology Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1UG, UK
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