A new spotted fever group Rickettsia genotype in Haemaphysalis leporispalustris from Maine, USA

IF 3.4 2区医学 Q2 INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases Pub Date : 2025-03-18 DOI:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102465

Guang Xu , Elissa Ballman , Nolan Stamborski , Eric L. Siegel , Patrick Pearson , Stephen M. Rich

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsioses are increasingly recognized worldwide as threats to public health. Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia parkeri, and Rickettsia rickettsii subspecies californica cause spotted fever rickettsioses, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever. These disease agents are transmitted to humans by various tick vectors in the United States. There is growing concern that other tick species, such as Haemaphysalis leporispalustris, may also transmit new and potentially unrecognized SFG rickettsial pathogens. In this study, we found that 6.1 % of 296 questing H. leporispalustris ticks (21 larvae, 260 nymphs, 9 males, and 6 females) collected from 38 towns across nine counties in Maine, USA, were positive for Rickettsia spp. Further multilocus sequence typing and phylogenetic analysis revealed that this is a new Rickettsia genotype (Rickettsia sp. ME2023) belonging to the SFG group and close to Candidatus Rickettsia lanei. Tick vectors and rickettsial species associated with SFG rickettsioses in New England warrant further investigation. Additionally, the role of H. leporispalustris in pathogen enzootic cycles and transmission requires further study.

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美国缅因州麻鼠血蜱一种新的斑点热群立克次体基因型

斑疹热群（SFG）立克次体病在世界范围内日益被认为是对公共卫生的威胁。立克次体、白氏立克次体和加利福尼亚立克次体亚种引起立克次体斑疹热，包括落基山斑疹热。在美国，这些疾病病原体通过各种蜱虫媒介传播给人类。越来越多的人担心，其他蜱类，如狐纹血蜱，也可能传播新的和可能未被识别的SFG立克次体病原体。本研究在美国缅因州9个县38个镇采集的296只蜱（21只幼虫，260只若虫，9只雄，6只雌）中检测到立克次体，阳性率为6.1 %。进一步的多位点序列分型和系统发育分析表明，这是一种新的立克次体基因型（立克次体sp. ME2023），属于SFG类群，与候选立克次体相近。与新英格兰SFG立克次体病相关的蜱虫媒介和立克次体物种值得进一步调查。此外，狐猴在病原地方性动物循环和传播中的作用有待进一步研究。

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.