Bing Zhang , Xiao Wang , Rewuzi Aguli·Nurland , Miao Lu , Yaqun Guan , Mengyun Liu , Fan Gao , Kun Li
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Tick-borne microorganisms in many tick species and many areas of China are still not thoroughly investigated. In this study, 224 ticks including two species (Haemaphysalis longicornis and Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis) were collected from four cities in Hebei, Shandong, and Qinghai provinces, China. Ticks were screened for the presence of tick-borne bacterial microorganisms including Rickettsia, Anaplasmataceae (Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Neoehrlichia, etc.), Coxiella, Borrelia, and Bartonella. Two Anaplasma species (Anaplasma ovis and Anaplasma capra) were detected in H. longicornis from Xingtai City of Hebei Province, with a positive rate of 3 % and 8 %, respectively. A Coxiella species was detected in H. longicornis ticks from all three locations in Hebei and Shandong provinces, with the positive rate ranging from 30 to 75 %. All the 16S and rpoB sequences were very similar (99.77–100 % identity) to Coxiella endosymbiont of Haemaphysalis ticks. An Ehrlichia species was detected in H. qinghaiensis (6/66, 9 %) from Xining City, Qinghai Province. The 16S and groEL sequences had 100 % and 97.40–97.85 % nucleotide identities to “Candidatus Ehrlichia pampeana” strains, respectively, suggesting that it may be a variant of “Candidatus Ehrlichia pampeana”. All the ticks were negative for Rickettsia, Borrelia, and Bartonella. Because all the ticks were removed from goats or humans and were partially or fully engorged, it is possible that the microorganisms were from the blood meal but not vectored by the ticks. Our results may provide some information on the diversity and distribution of tick-borne pathogens in China.
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.