Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases最新文献

{"title":"Ehrlichia ruminantium (Ehrlichiaceae) infection rates and genotyping in Amblyomma species from southern Africa","authors":"Andeliza Smit ,&nbsp;Fernando C. Mulandane ,&nbsp;Stephane H. Wójcik ,&nbsp;Choolwe Malabwa ,&nbsp;Gourgelia Sili ,&nbsp;Stephen Mandara ,&nbsp;Kaïssa Plaisir Pineau ,&nbsp;Sylvie Lecollinet ,&nbsp;Antoni Exbrayat ,&nbsp;Valérie Rodrigues ,&nbsp;Hannah Rose Vineer ,&nbsp;Zinathi Dlamkile ,&nbsp;Wilhelm H. Stoltsz ,&nbsp;Damien F. Meyer ,&nbsp;Darshana Morar-Leather ,&nbsp;Benjamin L. Makepeace ,&nbsp;Luis Neves","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102462","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102462","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ticks are haematophagous ectoparasites of domestic and wild animals. With their vast geographical distribution and aptitude as vectors of a large variety of pathogens, they are ranked amongst the top two arthropod families of veterinary and medical concern. <em>Amblyomma</em>, the third largest genus in the Ixodidae, is important in southern Africa due to its vector competence for <em>Ehrlichia ruminantium</em> and other pathogens. <em>Ehrlichia ruminantium,</em> the causative agent of heartwater, a potentially lethal disease in ruminants, is classified as a notifiable disease by the World Organisation for Animal Health. <em>Amblyomma</em> species ticks were collected in five southern African countries from livestock and wildlife. They were morphologically identified to species level with taxonomic keys, and species identity was confirmed with molecular assays. Preliminary screening for <em>E. ruminantium</em> was conducted by targeting the pCS20 gene fragment. Genotyping of 39 <em>E. ruminantium</em> positives was obtained using Ampliseq technology. In total, 7,734 <em>Amblyomma</em> ticks were collected and identified as belonging to four species: <em>Amblyomma eburneum, Amblyomma hebraeum, Amblyomma pomposum</em> and <em>Amblyomma variegatum. Ehrlichia ruminantium</em> infection rates per country ranged from 7.1 % to 34.1 %. The genotyping analysis indicated the clustering of our sequences with strains Gardel, Welgevonden, Um Banein, Springbokfontein 4 and 2, Kwanyanga, and Blaauwkrans. The Ampliseq analysis was not effective in differentiating between strains found in southern Africa. This large study documents the genetic diversity and prevalence of <em>E. ruminantium</em> in ticks across southern Africa, highlighting implications for disease control and vaccine development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 102462"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143642576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A new spotted fever group Rickettsia genotype in Haemaphysalis leporispalustris from Maine, USA","authors":"Guang Xu ,&nbsp;Elissa Ballman ,&nbsp;Nolan Stamborski ,&nbsp;Eric L. Siegel ,&nbsp;Patrick Pearson ,&nbsp;Stephen M. Rich","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102465","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102465","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsioses are increasingly recognized worldwide as threats to public health. <em>Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia parkeri</em>, and <em>Rickettsia rickettsii</em> subspecies <em>californica</em> 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 <em>Haemaphysalis leporispalustris</em>, may also transmit new and potentially unrecognized SFG rickettsial pathogens. In this study, we found that 6.1 % of 296 questing <em>H. leporispalustris</em> ticks (21 larvae, 260 nymphs, 9 males, and 6 females) collected from 38 towns across nine counties in Maine, USA, were positive for <em>Rickettsia</em> spp. Further multilocus sequence typing and phylogenetic analysis revealed that this is a new <em>Rickettsia</em> genotype (<em>Rickettsia</em> sp. ME2023) belonging to the SFG group and close to <em>Candidatus</em> Rickettsia lanei. Tick vectors and rickettsial species associated with SFG rickettsioses in New England warrant further investigation. Additionally, the role of <em>H. leporispalustris</em> in pathogen enzootic cycles and transmission requires further study.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 102465"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143642381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Risk factors for tick infestation and equine Piroplasmosis infection among draught horses in France","authors":"C. Nadal ,&nbsp;C. Chanet ,&nbsp;C. Delaunay ,&nbsp;Pierre-Hugues Pitel ,&nbsp;M. Marsot ,&nbsp;S.I. Bonnet","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102468","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102468","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Equine piroplasmosis, caused by the protozoan parasites <em>Babesia caballi</em> and <em>Theileria equi</em>, is endemic in Europe's Mediterranean basin, creating significant health and economic challenges for the equine sector. With no available vaccine, an eco-epidemiological approach is essential in order to identify and implement effective preventive measures. With this aim in view, we identified risk factors associated with <em>B. caballi</em> and <em>T. equi</em> infections and tick infestation for draught horses in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, known for its high piroplasmosis seroprevalence. During the spring of 2021, blood samples from 146 horses and ticks from both hosts and pastures were collected across 38 farms, then analysed using PCR to determine parasite prevalence. Environmental and meteorological data, along with information on management practices and individual horse characteristics, were collected on-site and from national databases. The results showed significant spatial variability in <em>T. equi</em> and <em>B. caballi</em> prevalence in horses, ranging from 25.7 % [95 % CI: 13.1 – 43.6] to 83.7 % [95 % CI: 69.8 – 92.2] and from 0 % [95 % CI: 0.0 – 26.8] to 26.5 % [95 % CI: 15.4 – 41.3], respectively. Among 1046 collected ticks, 3 % carried either a species of <em>Babesia</em> or <em>Theileria</em> and were identified as <em>Dermacentor marginatus, Dermacentor reticulatus</em> or <em>Ixodes ricinus.</em> We showed a stronger link between the environment and tick exposure for <em>T. equi</em> infections, while <em>B. caballi</em> infections were more closely associated with individual horse characteristics and management practices. Key risk factors for tick infestation included environmental conditions (temperature, rainfall, vegetation cover, altitude, etc.) and the presence of wild animals in pastures. These findings provide a valuable foundation on which to develop targeted prevention and control strategies to protect horses in enzootic regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"16 3","pages":"Article 102468"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143637518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Determining the photic chronotype in locomotor activity and levels of endogenous control in the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis)","authors":"Joseph Giulian ,&nbsp;Natalia Toporikova ,&nbsp;Jessica Petko ,&nbsp;Nadia Ayoub ,&nbsp;Thomas C. Jones ,&nbsp;Darrell Moore","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102461","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102461","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>It is an open question whether the activity of host-seeking ticks is under endogenous circadian control or arises entirely as an exogenous response to external stimuli. We experimentally evaluated the chronotype of locomotor activity in individual unfed adult <em>Dermacentor variabilis.</em> Two major activity peaks in locomotor activity arose in response to an evenly split 24-hour photic cycle. Most individuals had either a chronotype with exclusively nocturnal activity or with both nocturnal and diurnal activity components. Our results indicate that diurnal behavior has an endogenous basis but suggest that nocturnal behavior is driven by an exogenous response to the photic cycle.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 102461"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143592122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ferritin1-mediated ferroptosis participates in granular acini degeneration of Haemaphysalis longicornis salivary glands","authors":"Dongqi Yuan ,&nbsp;Songqin Chen ,&nbsp;Yongzhi Zhou,&nbsp;Jie Cao,&nbsp;Houshuang Zhang,&nbsp;Yanan Wang,&nbsp;Jinlin Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102464","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102464","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ticks (<em>Haemaphysalis longicornis</em>) transmit pathogens to their hosts through their salivary glands during blood-feeding. The salivary glands of adult parthenogenetic <em>H. longicornis</em> undergo degeneration post-engorgement. Clarifying the molecular mechanisms underlying salivary gland degeneration of <em>H. longicornis</em> is conducive to identifying novel targets for preventing and controlling these widespread vectors. In this study, we investigated the salivary glands of adult parthenogenetic <em>H. longicornis</em> to elucidate the relationship between ferroptosis, iron-dependent cell death, <em>H. longicornis</em> ferritin 1 (HlFer1) and salivary gland degeneration post-attachment and post-engorgement. Fluorescence microscopy, revealed increased iron accumulation, reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation, and decreased mitochondrial cristae in the granular acini of <em>H. longicornis</em> salivary glands post-engorgement. The results of a qPCR analysis indicated that HlFer1, glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), transferrin (TRF), and high mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1) expression elevated in <em>H. longicornis</em> salivary glands post-attachment and post-engorgement. <em>In vitro</em> culture of <em>H. longicornis</em> salivary glands showed that erastin promotes ferroptosis, while ferrostatin-1 blocks this process. RNA interference (RNAi) targeting HlFer1 promoted ferroptosis in salivary gland granular acini. In conclusion, we demonstrated that HlFer1-induced ferroptosis is a key molecular mechanism underlying the salivary gland granular acini degeneration of <em>H. longicornis</em>. Our findings are important for developing novel preventive measures against <em>H. longicornis</em> as a disease vector.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 102464"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143577745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rodent-targeted fluralaner baiting reduces the density of Borrelia burgdorferi-infected questing Ixodes scapularis ticks in a peri-urban setting in southern Canada","authors":"Jérôme Pelletier ,&nbsp;Jean-Philippe Rocheleau ,&nbsp;Catherine Bouchard ,&nbsp;Geneviève Baron ,&nbsp;Heather Coatsworth ,&nbsp;Antonia Dibernardo ,&nbsp;Christopher Fernandez-Prada ,&nbsp;Nicholas H. Ogden ,&nbsp;Liliana Potes ,&nbsp;Patrick A. Leighton ,&nbsp;Cécile Aenishaenslin","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102467","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102467","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lyme disease (LD) is a threat to public health in southern regions of Canada. In response, we used a One Health approach to design an integrated intervention in a high-incidence LD community in southern Québec aiming to increase preventive behaviours in the population and reduce the density of <em>Borrelia burgdorferi</em>-infected <em>Ixodes scapularis</em> ticks in the environment. The environmental component involved distributing fluralaner baits to rodents around residential properties and public trails from 2019 to 2023. Effectiveness was measured by changes in the density of questing nymphs (DON) and the prevalence of <em>B. burgdorferi</em>-infected nymphs (NIP). Treated areas were compared to areas located between 0 and 250 m from treatment locations and to untreated areas located &gt;250 m away. The DON was reduced by 39 % (95 % confidence interval [95 % CI] = 1 - 62 %) in treated areas when compared to untreated areas in 2021 and 2022. Over this same period, in areas between 0 and 250 m, the DON was lower when closer to bait stations (<em>P</em> = 0.001). The treatment significantly reduced the NIP in treated area in 2020 (Odds ratio [OR] = 0.87 [95 % CI 0.08 - 0.98]), 2021 (OR = 0.85 [95 % CI 0.26 - 0.97], and 2022 (OR = 0.88 [95 % CI 0.12 - 0.98]), and in areas between 0 and 250 m in 2020 (OR = 0.87 [0.08 - 0.98]) and 2021 (OR = 0.84 [95 % CI 0.25 - 0.97]). This study confirms the potential of rodent-targeted fluralaner baiting for reducing the density of infected questing nymphs in peri‑urban environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 102467"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143620946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimating the density of questing Ixodes scapularis nymphs in the eastern United States using climate and land cover data","authors":"Karen M Holcomb,&nbsp;Erik Foster,&nbsp;Rebecca J Eisen","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102446","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102446","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tick-borne diseases pose a persistent and increasing threat to public health. In the United States, the majority of human infections are caused by pathogens spread by the blacklegged tick, <em>Ixodes scapularis</em>. Most infections are reported during the summer months, when nymphal ticks are active in states in the Northeast and Upper Midwest. The density of questing <em>I. scapularis</em> nymphs (DON) provides an estimate for the risk of human encounters with nymphs, but it is a resource intensive metric to obtain from field sampling. Thus, DON estimates are limited in the US national tick surveillance database, the ArboNET Tick Module. We estimated DON across all counties in the eastern US using a zero-inflated negative binomial model utilizing tick surveillance data reported to ArboNET (2004–2023) as well as climate and land cover data. The model estimated generally low DON across the southeastern US and Great Plains states with higher estimates in the Upper Midwest and Northeast regions. We assigned counties to relative acarological encounter risk categories based on estimated DON: zero or lower quartile DON estimates were scored as low risk, whereas inter- and upper-quartile DON estimates were scored as moderate-high risk. Counties with moderate-high DON reported from field sampling were accurately categorized by the model as moderate-high encounter risk (99 % sensitivity). However, 80 % of sampled counties reporting low DON were classified as moderate-high risk (20 % specificity). These misclassified counties were typically situated in recently colonized areas in the Northeast and Upper Midwest and likely indicated areas potentially suitable for tick population expansion. Our model yielded a very high negative predictive value (96 %) indicating the model did very well estimating low relative encounter risk in counties where no or few nymphs were collected, and a fair positive predictive value (60 %) indicated that densities may not have reached an expected peak in some locations, particularly in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and northern states in the Southeast. Further tick surveillance is needed to evaluate and to refine these predictions. The resulting maps are useful for estimating relative risk of nymphal encounters across the eastern US where field data are sparse and may aid in efforts aimed at promoting the use of personal protective measures in communities that are at risk for nymphal tick encounters.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 102446"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143587653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cervids and raccoon dogs as wildlife sentinels for the geographical distribution of tick-borne encephalitis virus and Francisella tularensis in Denmark","authors":"Mette Frimodt Hansen ,&nbsp;Camilla Adler Sørensen ,&nbsp;Kokoe Anna Brinckmann Lawson ,&nbsp;Sara Moth Jedari ,&nbsp;Anna-Sofie Stensgaard ,&nbsp;Mita Eva Sengupta ,&nbsp;Heidi Huus Petersen ,&nbsp;Karen Angeliki Krogfelt","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102466","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102466","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Collecting and testing ticks for rare tick-borne pathogen surveillance can be labour-intensive and true absence of rare pathogens in ticks is difficult to determine. Nevertheless, knowledge of the distribution of tick-borne pathogens is relevant for risk assessment and diagnosis.</div><div>Tick-borne encephalitis and tularemia are rare human tick-borne diseases. Knowledge of the distribution of the pathogens of these diseases in Denmark is limited. The aim of this study was to assess the geographical distribution of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and <em>Francisella tularensis</em> using wildlife as sentinels.</div><div>Wildlife serum and plasma from 717 cervids (305 roe deer (<em>Capreolus capreolus</em>), 291 red deer (<em>Cervus elaphus</em>), 107 fallow deer (<em>Dama dama</em>), 14 sika deer (<em>Cervus nippon</em>)) and 64 raccoon dogs (<em>Nyctereutes procyonoides</em>) from all Danish regions, collected from 2017 to 2023, were screened for IgG antibodies against TBEV by using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Positive samples were subsequently tested in a virus neutralisation test (NT). A total of 294 cervids and 67 raccoon dogs were examined for antibodies against <em>F. tularensis</em> using a commercial quick agglutination assay.</div><div>We detected a TBEV NT seroprevalence of 0.6 % in cervids and 1.6 % in raccoon dogs and an <em>F. tularensis</em> seroprevalence of 6.8 % in cervids and 16.4 % in raccoon dogs.</div><div>We confirmed TBEV presence in several areas of Denmark and we detected antibodies in new areas of the island of Zealand. Furthermore, this is the first study to indirectly explore the geographical distribution of <em>F. tularensis</em> in Denmark and we identified areas with probable presence of <em>F. tularensis</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 102466"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143610560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Uneven temporal distribution of piroplasms (Piroplasmida: Babesiidae, Theileriidae) in Haemaphysalis concinna in an urban biotope of the Western Palearctic focus region of this tick species","authors":"Gergő Keve ,&nbsp;Ciara Reynolds ,&nbsp;Nóra Takács ,&nbsp;Sándor Hornok","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102458","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102458","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Haemaphysalis concinna</em> is a Palearctic tick species known as a potential or proven vector of several pathogens, including a broad spectrum of <em>Babesia</em> and <em>Theileria</em> species. The aim of this study was to examine the monthly presence of these piroplasms in <em>H. concinna</em> specimens collected from the vegetation of an urban habitat in Budapest, Hungary, in 2019 and 2020. The questing abundance of <em>H. concinna</em> was highest in June. By contrast, the occurrence of <em>T. capreoli</em> in unfed <em>H. concinna</em> peaked in April, and was significantly more common in the spring, than in the rest of the year. Among the detected eleven <em>Babesia</em> genotypes, two were present only in nymphs and adults of <em>H. concinna</em>. These were identical in the amplified part of their 18S rRNA gene to piroplasms reported from the Far East. Three further <em>Babesia</em> genotypes, however, showed genetic heterogeneity and were also carried by larvae. <em>Babesia</em>-infected nymphs and adults were most common in May and July.</div><div>In conclusion, the results of this study show that in a questing population of <em>H. concinna</em> the highest monthly prevalence of <em>Babesia</em> and <em>Theileria</em> spp. may be different from each other and from the peak abundance of carrier ticks. Based on previous reports on the effect of tick-borne pathogens on other species of ticks, the factors that may influence this phenomenon in <em>H. concinna</em> may include changes in the metabolism and behavior (host finding and feeding success) as well as survival rate of infected ticks. Further studies will be necessary to clarify this.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 102458"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143463460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The importance of the tortoise tick Hyalomma aegyptium as a carrier of bacterial agents on a wide range","authors":"Matej Kautman ,&nbsp;Branka Bilbija ,&nbsp;Markéta Nováková ,&nbsp;Emil Tkadlec ,&nbsp;Ivo Papoušek ,&nbsp;Peter Mikulíček ,&nbsp;David Jandzik ,&nbsp;Hossein Javanbakht ,&nbsp;Ghoulem Tiar ,&nbsp;Pavel Široký","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102456","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102456","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ticks are important vectors of various microorganisms, including bacteria. In this study, we examined <em>Hyalomma aegyptium</em> ticks collected from 240 spur-thighed tortoises <em>Testudo graeca</em> at 42 localities in the Mediterranean and Middle East and analysed them for the presence of bacteria of the genera <em>Anaplasma, Borrelia, Coxiella</em>, and <em>Rickettsia</em>. Altogether, 576 out of 928 analysed ticks (62.1%) were positive for at least one of the tested bacteria. The highest prevalence in individual ticks was found for <em>Borrelia turcica</em> (43.6%), followed by <em>Rickettsia</em> (12.3%) and <em>Anaplasma</em> (6.1%). No sample was positive for <em>Coxiella burnetii</em>. Among <em>Rickettsia</em>, we detected two species, <em>Rickettsia africae</em> and <em>Rickettsia aeschlimannii</em>, and also other unspecified <em>Rickettsia. Anaplasma</em> (100% identity with <em>A. phagocytophilum</em>) was detected at 15 (35%) out of 42 studied localities, any of <em>Rickettsia</em> at 28 (67%), and <em>B. turcica</em> at 32 (76%) localities. The geographic distribution of the studied microorganisms varied, with none of them detected in Syria, and only <em>Rickettsia</em> spp. detected in Morocco. Sequence analysis revealed substantial genetic variability in all detected agents, with the most variable (36 new haplotypes) being <em>glpQ</em> gene used as a marker for <em>B. turcica</em>. We also analysed the prevalence of various co-infections among studied ticks, with the mean number of co-infected ticks per tortoise increased with the number of ticks per tortoise. However, the frequencies of co-infected ticks do not indicate the presence of antagonistic or synergistic facilitative interactions between the agents. According to our data, we could expect that the eco-epidemiological importance of <em>H. aegyptium</em> does not stem from their tortoise hosts but rather from the low host specificity of its larvae and nymphs, feeding on a wider spectrum of reptilian, avian, and mammalian hosts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"16 2","pages":"Article 102456"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143453744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}