Natural Panola Mountain Ehrlichia infections in cattle in a longitudinal study of Angus beef calves

IF 3.1 2区医学 Q2 INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases Pub Date : 2024-11-01 DOI:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102408

Cierra Briggs , Drew Casey , Anna Grace Deakins , Jeremy G. Powell , Kelly Loftin , Emily G. McDermott

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Panola Mountain Ehrlichia (PME) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen, transmitted by Amblyomma americanum ticks in the southeastern United States. It is closely related to Ehrlichia ruminantium, the causative agent of heartwater disease. Heartwater disease is an often-fatal illness of ruminant livestock present in Africa and the Caribbean. The taxonomic relationship between PME and E. ruminantium has raised concerns about the pathogenicity of PME in livestock. To determine whether cattle could be naturally infected with PME in an endemic area, we conducted a one-year longitudinal study of Angus-breed beef calves in Fayetteville, Arkansas. One hundred seventy-seven calves born between September and October 2022 were sampled for blood and ticks in February, May, and September 2023. Blood and ticks from each animal were tested for bacteria in the family, Anaplasmataceae using quantitative and conventional PCR, and positive samples were sequenced for species identification. Panola Mountain Ehrlichia was detected in 2.34 % of male A. americanum collected in February, and 1.27 % of female, 0.95 % of male, and 0.43 % of nymphal A. americanum collected in May. No PME-positive ticks were collected in September. Active PME infections were detected in two calves: one which tested positive in May 2023 and one which tested positive in September 2023. Neither animal exhibited any signs of disease, and the animal PME-positive in May tested negative in September. Cattle are susceptible to PME, but the pathogen does not appear to cause obvious disease. However, all animals in this study were under one year old, and older animals may be more susceptible. Cattle are at risk of tick-borne illness in the winter as well as spring, and off-season acaricide applications may improve disease management.

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安格斯肉牛犊纵向研究中牛的自然帕诺拉山埃希氏菌感染。

帕诺拉山埃希氏菌（PME）是一种新出现的人畜共患病原体，由美国东南部的蜱虫 Amblyomma americanum 传播。它与Ehrlichia ruminantium密切相关，后者是心水病的病原体。心水病通常是非洲和加勒比海地区反刍家畜的一种致命疾病。PME 与反刍埃希氏菌在分类学上的关系引起了人们对 PME 在家畜中致病性的关注。为了确定牛是否会在PME流行地区自然感染PME，我们对阿肯色州费耶特维尔的安格斯种肉牛犊进行了为期一年的纵向研究。2022 年 9 月至 10 月间出生的 177 头小牛分别于 2023 年 2 月、5 月和 9 月接受了血液和蜱虫采样。使用定量 PCR 和传统 PCR 对每头动物的血液和蜱虫进行了无形体科细菌检测，并对阳性样本进行了物种鉴定测序。在 2 月份采集的 2.34% 的雄性美洲蜱、5 月份采集的 1.27% 的雌性美洲蜱、0.95% 的雄性美洲蜱和 0.43% 的若蜱中检测到了帕诺拉山艾氏菌。9 月份未采集到 PME 阳性的蜱虫。在两头小牛身上发现了活跃的 PME 感染：一头在 2023 年 5 月检测呈阳性，另一头在 2023 年 9 月检测呈阳性。两头牛都没有表现出任何疾病迹象，5 月份检测出 PME 阳性的牛在 9 月份检测出 PME 阴性。牛对 PME 易感，但病原体似乎不会引起明显的疾病。不过，本研究中的所有动物都不满一岁，年龄较大的动物可能更容易感染。牛在冬季和春季都有蜱传疾病的风险，淡季施用杀螨剂可改善疾病管理。

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.