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Addo SO, Bentil RE, Baako BOA, Yartey KN, Behene E, Asiamah B, Nyarko AA, Asoala V, Sallam M, Mate S, Dunford JC, Larbi JA, Baidoo PK, Wilson MD, Diclaro Ii JW, Dadzie SK. Occurrence of Rickettsia spp. and Coxiella burnetii in ixodid ticks in Kassena-Nankana, Ghana. Exp Appl Acarol 2023:10.1007/s10493-023-00808-0. [PMID: 37322233 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-023-00808-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Ticks are arthropods of veterinary and medical importance which spread zoonotic pathogens that link animal and human health. In this study, ticks were collected from 448 livestock between February and December 2020 in the Kassena-Nankana Districts of Ghana and screened for the presence of zoonotic pathogens DNA using PCR and sequencing approaches. In total, 1550 ticks were collected and morphologically identified. Three tick genera were identified with Amblyomma variegatum (63%) as the predominant tick species collected. DNA was extracted from 491 tick pools and screened for the presence of DNA of Rickettsia spp. based on the 115 bp fragment of the 17 kDa surface protein and 639 bp of the Outer membrane protein A (ompA) gene and the 295 bp fragment of the transposase gene of Coxiella burnetii IS1111a element. From the 491 pools screened, the DNA of Rickettsia spp. and C. burnetii was detected in 56.8 and 3.7%, respectively. Coinfections were identified in 2.4% of the tick pools. Characterization of the Rickettsia spp. in this study based on the ompA gene showed that the DNA of Rickettsia africae and Rickettsia aeschlimannii accounted for 39.7 and 14.7%, respectively, and were 100% similar to sequences in GenBank. Most R. africae and C. burnetii infections occurred in ticks collected in the wet season, whereas R. aeschlimannii occurred mostly in the dry season. These pathogens are potential public health threats, thus there is a need to implement control measures to reduce the risk of infections in vulnerable populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth Offei Addo
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, College of Science, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana.
| | - Ronald Essah Bentil
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | | | - Kevin Nii Yartey
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Eric Behene
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Benjamin Asiamah
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Abena Akyeamaa Nyarko
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Victor Asoala
- Navrongo Health Research Centre, Upper East Region, Navrongo, Ghana
| | - Mohamed Sallam
- Public Health and Biostatistics Department, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Suzanne Mate
- U.S. Army Emerging Infectious Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - James C Dunford
- Navy Entomology Center of Excellence, Jacksonville, FL, USA
- Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - John Asiedu Larbi
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, College of Science, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Philip Kweku Baidoo
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, College of Science, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Michael David Wilson
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Joseph W Diclaro Ii
- Navy Entomology Center of Excellence, Center for Disease Control and Prevention Detachment, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Samuel K Dadzie
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
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Addo SO, Bentil RE, Baako BOA, Addae CA, Larbi JA, Baidoo PK, Wilson MD, Asoala V, Oduro D, Mate S, Diclaro Ii JW, Dadzie SK. First record of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus in Ghana, a potential risk to livestock production. Exp Appl Acarol 2023; 89:475-483. [PMID: 37052725 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-023-00793-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Ticks are a public health threat due to their tendency to spread pathogens that affect humans and animals. With reports of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus invasion in neighbouring countries, there is the risk of this species invading Ghana through livestock trade. Previous identification of tick species in Ghana has been based on morphological identification, which can be ineffective, especially with damaged tick specimens or engorged nymphs. This study focused on the Kassena-Nankana District, which serves as a trade route for cattle into Ghana, to determine the presence of R. microplus. Three genera of ticks were identified as Amblyomma (70.9%), Hyalomma (21.3%) and Rhipicephalus (7.8%). The engorged nymphs that could not be identified morphologically were analyzed using primers that target the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. This study reports the first record of R. (B.) microplus in Ghana. Furthermore, R. microplus constituted 54.8% of the Boophilus species collected in this study. This finding is an addition to the diverse tick species previously collected in Ghana, most of which are of veterinary and public health importance. With reports of acaricide resistance in R. microplus and its role in spreading infectious pathogens, the detection of this species in Ghana cannot be overlooked. Nationwide surveillance will be essential to ascertain its distribution, its effects on cattle production, and the control measures adopted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth Offei Addo
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, College of Science, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana.
| | - Ronald Essah Bentil
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | | | - Charlotte Adwoa Addae
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - John Asiedu Larbi
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, College of Science, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Philip Kweku Baidoo
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, College of Science, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Michael David Wilson
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Victor Asoala
- Navrongo Health Research Centre, Upper East Region, Navrongo, Ghana
| | - Daniel Oduro
- Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
- Immunology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Suzanne Mate
- U.S. Army Emerging Infectious Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Joseph W Diclaro Ii
- Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center; Center for Disease Control and Prevention Detachment, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Samuel K Dadzie
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
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