Detection of Babesia species in questing Ixodes ricinus ticks in England and Wales

IF 3.1 2区医学 Q2 INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases Pub Date : 2023-12-06 DOI:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102291

Sara Gandy , Jolyon Medlock , Benjamin Cull , Rob Smith , Zoë Gibney , Sanam Sewgobind , Insiyah Parekh , Sophie Harding , Nicholas Johnson , Kayleigh Hansford

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Abstract

Babesiosis, a disease in humans and animals is caused by piroplasms from the genus Babesia and is transmitted by ixodid ticks. Bovine babesiosis, commonly called redwater fever, is reported in cattle from many regions of the British Isles. The presence of Babesia in questing ticks in the United Kingdom (UK) and its potential impact on public and animal health has not been widely studied. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the presence of Babesia spp. in England and Wales using ticks collected over a six-year period. Questing Ixodes ricinus nymphs were collected at 20 recreational areas between 2014 and 2019 and screened for Babesia. Of 3912 nymphs tested, Babesia spp. were detected in 15, giving an overall prevalence of 0.38% [95%CI: 0.21–0.63%]. A number of Babesia species were identified including B. venatorum (n = 9), B. divergens/capreoli (n = 5) and B. odocoilei-like species (n = 1). Based on the low prevalence of Babesia detected in questing I. ricinus nymphs in the recreational areas studied, the likelihood of exposure to Babesia-infected ticks is lower compared to other pathogens more widely studied in the UK (e.g. Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.). However, localized areas of elevated risk may occur in pockets in England and Wales.

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英格兰和威尔士蓖麻蜱中巴贝斯虫种类的检测

巴贝斯虫病是人类和动物中的一种疾病，由巴贝斯虫属的螺质虫引起，并由粘虫蜱传播。牛巴贝斯虫病，通常被称为红水热，在不列颠群岛许多地区的牛中都有报道。在英国，巴贝斯虫在蜱虫中的存在及其对公众和动物健康的潜在影响尚未得到广泛研究。因此，本研究旨在评估巴贝斯虫在英格兰和威尔士的存在，使用收集了六年的蜱虫。在2014年至2019年期间，在20个休闲区收集了蓖麻伊蚊若虫，并对巴贝斯虫进行了筛查。在3912只若虫中检出巴贝斯虫15只，总流行率为0.38% [95%CI: 0.21 ~ 0.63%]。许多巴贝斯虫被鉴定出，包括venatorum (n = 9)， B. divergens/capreoli (n = 5)和B. odocoilei样物种(n = 1)。基于巴贝斯虫在研究的娱乐区域的蓖麻螨若虫中检测到的低患病率，与在英国广泛研究的其他病原体(如伯氏疏螺旋体s.l)相比，接触巴贝斯虫感染的蜱虫的可能性更低。然而，风险升高的局部地区可能出现在英格兰和威尔士的小块地区。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases INFECTIOUS DISEASES-MICROBIOLOGY

CiteScore

6.90

自引率

12.50%

发文量

185

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases is an international, peer-reviewed scientific journal. It publishes original research papers, short communications, state-of-the-art mini-reviews, letters to the editor, clinical-case studies, announcements of pertinent international meetings, and editorials. The journal covers a broad spectrum and brings together various disciplines, for example, zoology, microbiology, molecular biology, genetics, mathematical modelling, veterinary and human medicine. Multidisciplinary approaches and the use of conventional and novel methods/methodologies (in the field and in the laboratory) are crucial for deeper understanding of the natural processes and human behaviour/activities that result in human or animal diseases and in economic effects of ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Such understanding is essential for management of tick populations and tick-borne diseases in an effective and environmentally acceptable manner.