Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases最新文献

{"title":"Accounting for missing ticks: Use (or lack thereof) of hierarchical models in tick ecology studies","authors":"Alexej P.K. Sirén ,&nbsp;Juliana Berube ,&nbsp;Laurence A. Clarfeld ,&nbsp;Cheryl F. Sullivan ,&nbsp;Benjamin Simpson ,&nbsp;Tammy L. Wilson","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102342","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102342","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ixodid (hard) ticks play important ecosystem roles and have significant impacts on animal and human health via tick-borne diseases and physiological stress from parasitism. Tick occurrence, abundance, activity, and key life-history traits are highly influenced by host availability, weather, microclimate, and landscape features. As such, changes in the environment can have profound impacts on ticks, their hosts, and the spread of diseases. Researchers recognize that spatial and temporal factors influence activity and abundance and attempt to account for both by conducting replicate sampling bouts spread over the tick questing period. However, common field methods notoriously underestimate abundance, and it is unclear how (or if) tick studies model the confounding effects of factors influencing activity and abundance. This step is critical as unaccounted variance in detection can lead to biased estimates of occurrence and abundance. We performed a descriptive review to evaluate the extent to which studies account for the detection process while modeling tick data. We also categorized the types of analyses that are commonly used to model tick data. We used hierarchical models (HMs) that account for imperfect detection to analyze simulated and empirical tick data, demonstrating that inference is muddled when detection probability is not accounted for in the modeling process. Our review indicates that only 5 of 412 (1 %) papers explicitly accounted for imperfect detection while modeling ticks. By comparing HMs with the most common approaches used for modeling tick data (e.g., ANOVA), we show that population estimates are biased low for simulated and empirical data when using non-HMs, and that confounding occurs due to not explicitly modeling factors that influenced both detection and abundance. Our review and analysis of simulated and empirical data shows that it is important to account for our ability to detect ticks using field methods with imperfect detection. Not doing so leads to biased estimates of occurrence and abundance which could complicate our understanding of parasite-host relationships and the spread of tick-borne diseases. We highlight the resources available for learning HM approaches and applying them to analyzing tick data.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 4","pages":"Article 102342"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000359/pdfft?md5=55397b0caa999060ef39a5d79626195b&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000359-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140547102","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":"Range of Ixodes laguri, a nidicolous tick that parasitizes critically endangered rodents, with details on its western distribution limit in Austria","authors":"Franz Rubel","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102341","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102341","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The nidicolous tick <em>Ixodes laguri</em> is a nest-dwelling parasite of small mammals that mainly infest rodents of the families Cricetidae, Gliridae, Muridae and Sciuridae. There is no proven vectorial role for <em>I. laguri</em>, although it is suggested that it is a vector of <em>Francisella tularensis</em>. In this study, a first map depicting the entire geographical distribution of <em>I. laguri</em> based on georeferenced locations is presented. For this purpose, a digital data set of 142 georeferenced locations from 16 countries was compiled. Particular attention is paid to the description of the westernmost record of <em>I. laguri</em> in the city of Vienna, Austria. There, <em>I. laguri</em> is specifically associated with its main hosts, the critically endangered European hamster (<em>Cricetus cricetus</em>) and the European ground squirrel (<em>Spermophilus citellus</em>). These two host species have also been mapped in the present paper to estimate the potential distribution of <em>I. laguri</em> in the Vienna metropolitan region. The range of <em>I. laguri</em> extends between 16–108<span><math><msup><mrow></mrow><mo>∘</mo></msup></math></span> E and 38–54<span><math><msup><mrow></mrow><mo>∘</mo></msup></math></span> N, i.e. from Vienna in the east of Austria to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. In contrast to tick species that are expanding their range and are also becoming more abundant as a result of global warming, <em>I. laguri</em> has become increasingly rare throughout its range. However, <em>I. laguri</em> is not threatened by climate change, but by anthropogenic influences on its hosts and their habitats, which are typically open grasslands and steppes. Rural habitats are threatened by the intensification of agriculture and semi-urban habitats are increasingly being destroyed by urban development.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 4","pages":"Article 102341"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000347/pdfft?md5=e7e1598d3c3e72dc2cf8a5f25104f89a&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000347-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140535006","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":"Description of Rhipicephalus hibericus sp. nov. (Ixodoidea: Ixodidae), a species of the Rhipicephalus sanguineus group in southwestern Europe","authors":"Javier Millán ,&nbsp;Ruth Rodríguez-Pastor ,&nbsp;Agustín Estrada-Peña","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102340","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102340","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We describe all the life stages of <em>Rhipicephalus hibericus</em> n. sp., provide the types, and present molecular support for a new species of the <em>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</em> sensu lato group, present in southwestern Europe, that has been historically confused with <em>Rhipicephalus turanicus</em> Pomerantzev, 1940. A new name is proposed for this taxon because it was impossible to ascribe to types of already described species in the group, deposited for more than 100 years in natural history institutions. The males have a dorsum showing deep and coarse punctations (absent in <em>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</em> sensu stricto) and adanal plates with large punctations (absent in <em>R. sanguineus</em> s.s.); the tail of the spiracular plate is as wide as the closest festoon (half the width in <em>R. sanguineus</em> s.s.). Females have large punctations in dorsal fields, a wide spiracular plate, and a “V” shaped genital opening; such a combination of characters cannot be found in other species of the group. Immatures are described from specimens collected on hosts (Rodentia and Eulipotyphla). Both larvae and nymphs are markedly smaller than <em>R. sanguineus</em> s.s. Nymphs display long, backward-projected auriculae; larvae are almost half the size of <em>R. sanguineus</em> s.s. The new species can hybridize with <em>R. sanguineus</em> s.s. in laboratory colonies producing an unfertile F2, laying brown and dry eggs that did not hatch. Phylogenetic analysis of partial <em>coxI</em> gene sequences placed <em>R. hibericus</em> in a well-supported clade with other sequences of <em>R. sanguineus</em> s.l. from Portugal, as a sister clade of <em>R. sanguineus</em> s.s. The new species does not belong to the <em>R. turanicus</em> group of species. Both <em>12S</em> and <em>16S</em> partial gene sequences were not as precise in the correct phylogenetic placement of <em>R. hibericus</em>, in part probably due to the existence of erroneously identified sequences in GenBank©. This description, together with the previous reinstatement of <em>Rhipicephalus secundus</em> and <em>Rhipicephalus rutilus</em>, and the description of the neotypes of <em>R. sanguineus</em> s.s. should help researchers to adequately identify their collections. Our findings demonstrate that <em>R. turanicus</em> is absent in southwestern Europe. Old collections should be re-examined to provide the actual range of the new species.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 4","pages":"Article 102340"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000335/pdfft?md5=773b5280ea7bd8e4f38c8e9c62c63bd0&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000335-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140349949","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":"Evaluation of the biological function of ribosomal protein S18 from cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus","authors":"Gabriel C.A. Costa ,&nbsp;Fernando A.A. Silva ,&nbsp;Ricardo J.S. Torquato ,&nbsp;Itabajara Silva Vaz ,&nbsp;Luís F. Parizi ,&nbsp;Aparecida S. Tanaka","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102333","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102333","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><em>Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus</em>, also known as the cattle tick, causes severe parasitism and transmits different pathogens to vertebrate hosts, leading to massive economic losses. In the present study, we performed a functional characterization of a ribosomal protein from <em>R. microplus</em> to investigate its importance in blood feeding, egg production and viability. Ribosomal protein S18 (RPS18) is part of the 40S subunit, associated with 18S rRNA, and has been previously pointed to have a secondary role in different organisms. <em>Rhipicephalus microplus</em> RPS18 (RmRPS18) gene expression levels were modulated in female salivary glands during blood feeding. Moreover, mRNA levels in this tissue were 10 times higher than those in the midgut of fully engorged female ticks. Additionally, recombinant RmRPS18 was recognized by IgG antibodies from sera of cattle naturally or experimentally infested with ticks. RNAi-mediated knockdown of the RmRPS18 gene was performed in fully engorged females, leading to a significant (29 %) decrease in egg production. Additionally, egg hatching was completely impaired, suggesting that no viable eggs were produced by the RmRPS18-silenced group. Furthermore, antimicrobial assays revealed inhibitory activities against gram-negative <em>Escherichia coli</em> and gram-positive <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> bacteria, affecting bacterial growth. Data presented here show the important role of RmRPS18 in tick physiology and suggest that RmRPS18 can be a potential target for the development of novel strategies for tick control.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 4","pages":"Article 102333"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000268/pdfft?md5=8894d7321891d1ee7028a496da1f73ee&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000268-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140190895","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":"Adapting vector surveillance using Bayesian experimental design: An application to an ongoing tick monitoring program in the southeastern United States","authors":"B.K.M. Case ,&nbsp;Kyndall C. Dye-Braumuller ,&nbsp;Chris Evans ,&nbsp;Huixuan Li ,&nbsp;Lauren Rustin ,&nbsp;Melissa S. Nolan","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102329","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102329","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Maps of the distribution of medically-important ticks throughout the US remain lacking in spatial and temporal resolution in many areas, leading to holes in our understanding of where and when people are at risk of tick encounters, an important baseline for informing public health response. In this work, we demonstrate the use of Bayesian Experimental Design (BED) in planning spatiotemporal surveillance of disease vectors. We frame survey planning as an optimization problem with the objective of identifying a calendar of sampling locations that maximizes the expected information regarding some goal. Here we consider the goals of understanding associations between environmental factors and tick presence and minimizing uncertainty in high risk areas. We illustrate our proposed BED workflow using an ongoing tick surveillance study in South Carolina parks. Following a model comparison study based on two years of initial data, several techniques for finding optimal surveys were compared to random sampling. Two optimization algorithms found surveys better than all replications of random sampling, while a space-filling heuristic performed favorably as well. Further, optimal surveys of just 20 visits were more effective than repeating the schedule of 111 visits used in 2021. We conclude that BED shows promise as a flexible and rigorous means of survey design for vector control, and could help alleviate pressure on local agencies by limiting the resources necessary for accurate information on arthropod distributions. We have made the code for our BED workflow publicly available on Zenodo to help promote the application of these methods to future surveillance efforts.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 3","pages":"Article 102329"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000220/pdfft?md5=7b855d1a5ad9ed51317f1d70bd48a255&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000220-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140122062","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":"Web search volume as a near-real-time complementary surveillance tool of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Italy","authors":"Alexander Domnich ,&nbsp;Allegra Ferrari ,&nbsp;Matilde Ogliastro ,&nbsp;Andrea Orsi ,&nbsp;Giancarlo Icardi","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102332","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102332","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The Internet is an important gateway for accessing health-related information, and data generated through web queries have been increasingly used as a complementary source for monitoring and forecasting of infectious diseases and they may partially address the issue of underreporting. In this study, we assessed whether tick-borne encephalitis (TBE)-related Internet search volume may be useful as a complementary tool for TBE surveillance in Italy. Monthly Google Trends (GT) data for TBE-related information were extracted for the period between January 2017 and September 2022, corresponding to the available time series of TBE notifications in Italy. Time series modeling was performed by applying seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) models with or without GT data. The search terms relative to tick bites reflected best the observed temporal distribution of TBE cases, showing a correlation coefficient of 0.81 (95 % CI: 0.71–0.88). Particularly, both the reported number of TBE cases and GT searches occurred mainly during the summer. The peak of disease notifications coincided with that of Google searches in 4 of 6 years. Once calibrated, SARIMA models with or without GT data were applied to a validation set. Retrospective forecast made by the model with GT data was associated with a lower prediction error and accurately predicted the peak timing. By contrast, the traditional SARIMA model underestimated the actual number of TBE notifications by 65 %. Timeliness, easy availability, low cost and transparency make monitoring of the TBE-related Internet search queries a promising addition to the traditional methods of TBE surveillance in Italy.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 3","pages":"Article 102332"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000256/pdfft?md5=c5943bb84f58074090a1d86d8a60f0d1&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000256-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140112946","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":"New records of soft ticks (Acari: Argasidae) from caves in Brazil, with a morphological study of Ornithodoros fonsecai and an analysis of the taxonomic status of Antricola inexpectata","authors":"Glauber M.B. de Oliveira ,&nbsp;Sebastián Muñoz-Leal ,&nbsp;Santiago Nava ,&nbsp;Maurício C. Horta ,&nbsp;Leopoldo Bernardi ,&nbsp;José Manuel Venzal ,&nbsp;Marcelo B. Labruna","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102331","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102331","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this study, we report soft ticks from bat-inhabiting caves in different areas of Brazil. From 2010 to 2019, we collected 807 tick specimens from nine caves located in four Brazilian states among two biomes. Ticks were morphologically identified as <em>Antricola guglielmonei</em> (282 specimens)<em>, Ornithodoros cavernicolous</em> (260 specimens), and <em>Ornithodoros fonsecai</em> (265 specimens). Whereas <em>A. guglielmonei</em> was collected on bat guano in hot caves, <em>O. cavernicolous</em> and <em>O. fonsecai</em> were collected in cracks and crevices on the walls of cold caves, sometimes in the same chamber. Morphological identifications were corroborated by molecular and phylogenetic analyses inferred from tick mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene partial sequences. The sequences of <em>A. guglielmonei, O. cavernicolous</em> and <em>O. fonsecai</em> collected in this study clustered with conspecific GenBank sequences from different localities of Brazil. Remarkably, a clade containing 12 sequences of <em>O. fonsecai</em> was clearly bifurcated, denoting a degree of genetic divergence (up to 5 %) of specimens from Cerrado/Atlantic Forest biomes with the specimens from the Caatinga biome. To further evaluate this divergence, we performed morphometric analysis of the larval stage of different <em>O. fonsencai</em> populations by principal component analysis, which indicated that the larvae from Caatinga populations were generally smaller than the larvae from other biomes. Some of the present <em>A. guglielmonei</em> specimens were collected from the type locality of <em>Antricola inexpectata.</em> Comparisons of these specimens with the type specimens of <em>A. inexpectata</em> and <em>A. guglielmonei</em> indicated that they could not be separated by their external morphology<em>.</em> Hence, we are relegating <em>A. inexpectata</em> to a synonym of <em>A. guglielmonei.</em> This proposal is corroborated by our phylogenetic analysis.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 3","pages":"Article 102331"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000244/pdfft?md5=b320efc333adba87f6fa48d4a6540d50&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000244-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140069470","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 structure and behavioral patterns of the human population affected by ixodid tick bites in Irkutsk Region, Eastern Siberia, Russia","authors":"Nadezhda A. Podkamennaya,&nbsp;Galina A. Danchinova,&nbsp;Natalia A. Liapunova,&nbsp;Innokentii S. Solovarov,&nbsp;Ekaterina K. Lagunova,&nbsp;Nadezhda V. Khamnueva,&nbsp;Vladimir Yu. Shubin,&nbsp;Marina V. Savelkaeva,&nbsp;Irina V. Petrova,&nbsp;Maxim A. Khasnatinov","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102327","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102327","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The bites of hard ticks are the major route of transmission of tick-borne infections to humans, causing thousands of cases of diseases worldwide. However, the characteristics of the human population that is exposed to tick bites are still understudied. This work is aimed at characterizing both the structure of the population directly contacting ticks and the human behavioral features associated with tick bites. We studied 25,970 individuals who sought medical help after a tick bite at the Centre for Diagnostics and Prevention of Tick-borne Infections (CDPTBI) in Irkutsk City (Russian Federation). The demographic and behavioral characteristics of the human population were analyzed using z-tests for proportions, the Mann-Whitney <em>U</em> test, and the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. The majority of bitten people were urban residents (70 %), and most of them were either of active ages between 30 and 74 years old (62 %), or children between 0 and 9 years old (approximately 20%). Tick bites occurred mostly in the range of 150 km around the location of the diagnostic facility (83 %). In comparison to the general population, significant differences were revealed in the representation of different age groups among bitten people. The population affected by tick bites included fewer men and women in the ages of 10–29 and over 75 years old than would be predicted based on the demographics of the general population. Vice versa, the proportions of people in the ages of 5–9 and 60–74 increased among bitten people. Among men, such activities (in order of occurrence) as “leisure and recreation”, “visiting allotments”, “foraging for forest food”, and “fulfilling work duties” tend to be more associated with tick bites. Among women, tick bites occurred mainly during “visiting allotments”, “leisure and recreation”, “visiting cemeteries” and “contact with pets and plants at home”. The overall vaccination rate was 12 %; however, significantly more men than women were vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis (up to 20 % vs. approximately 7 % respectively). The structure of the tick bite - affected population suggests that it is age-specific human behavior that mainly determines the frequency of contact between people and ticks. However, in several age groups, especially among children from 5 to 9 and people aged 30–39 years old, gender-related factors could significantly change the exposure of people to tick bites.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 3","pages":"Article 102327"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000207/pdfft?md5=c95609ddcbc3fa13ab336999e2d1cc3c&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000207-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140062700","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":"Density and behavior of capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Amblyomma sculptum and Amblyomma dubitatum with notes on Rickettsia bellii infection: Assessing human exposure risk","authors":"Matias P.J. Szabó ,&nbsp;Caroline Lopes Queiroz ,&nbsp;Adriane Suzin ,&nbsp;Vinicius da Silva Rodrigues ,&nbsp;Raíssa Brauner Kamla Vieira ,&nbsp;Maria Marlene Martins ,&nbsp;Lais Miguel Rezende ,&nbsp;Ana Carolina P. Sousa ,&nbsp;Vanessa do Nascimento Ramos ,&nbsp;Fernanda Marinho Muraro ,&nbsp;Lais Keocheguerian Fernandes ,&nbsp;Lorena C.M. Santos ,&nbsp;Rodrigo da Costa Maia ,&nbsp;Amanda Ferreira Rezende","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102330","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102330","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;In several urban and peri‑urban areas of Brazil, populations of &lt;em&gt;Amblyomma sculptum&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Amblyomma dubitatum&lt;/em&gt; ticks are maintained by capybaras (&lt;em&gt;Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris&lt;/em&gt;). In some of these areas, this host and these tick species are associated with Brazilian spotted fever (BSF), a lethal human disease caused by the bacterium &lt;em&gt;Rickettsia rickettsii&lt;/em&gt;. In this work, we evaluated the risk of human exposure to these tick species using four collection techniques to discern host-seeking behavior. The study was carried out in 10 urban sites inhabited by capybaras in Uberlândia, a BSF-free municipality in southeastern Brazil. Ticks were collected in areas of 400 m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; at each site and at three seasons. Within the same municipality, the distance and speed of &lt;em&gt;A. sculptum&lt;/em&gt; nymphs moving towards the CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; traps were evaluated. In a sample of ticks &lt;em&gt;Rickettsia&lt;/em&gt; DNA was investigated. During the study period, 52,953 ticks were collected. Among these, 83.4 % were &lt;em&gt;A. sculptum&lt;/em&gt; (1,523 adults, 10,545 nymphs and 32,104 larvae) and 16.6 % were &lt;em&gt;A. dubitatum&lt;/em&gt; (464 adults, 2,153 nymphs and 6,164 larvae). An average annual questing tick density of 4.4/m² was observed, with the highest density recorded at one site in autumn (31.8/m²) and the lowest in summer at another site (0.03/m²). The visual search yielded the highest proportion of &lt;em&gt;A. sculptum&lt;/em&gt; larvae, constituting 47 % of the total and 63.6 % of all &lt;em&gt;A. sculptum&lt;/em&gt; larvae. In contrast, CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; traps collected a greater proportion of nymphs and adults of &lt;em&gt;A. sculptum&lt;/em&gt; ticks. In the case of &lt;em&gt;A. dubitatum&lt;/em&gt;, the CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; trap was the most efficient technique with 57.7 % of captures of this species, especially of nymphs (94.5 % of captures) and adults (97.8 % of captures). Ticks' ambush height on vegetation (9 to 77 cm), observed by visual search 30 times, yielded a total of 20,771 ticks. Of these, 28 (93 %) were &lt;em&gt;A. sculptum&lt;/em&gt; ticks, with only two (7 %) identified as &lt;em&gt;A. dubitatum&lt;/em&gt; ticks. Among &lt;em&gt;A. sculptum&lt;/em&gt; ticks, the nymph was the most attracted stage to humans and larva in the case of &lt;em&gt;A. dubitatum. Amblyomma sculptum&lt;/em&gt; adults and nymphs were significantly more attracted to humans than those of &lt;em&gt;A. dubitatum,&lt;/em&gt; but &lt;em&gt;A. dubitatum&lt;/em&gt; larvae were significantly more attracted than the same stage of &lt;em&gt;A. sculptum&lt;/em&gt;. The maximum distance and speed of horizontal displacement for &lt;em&gt;A. sculptum&lt;/em&gt; nymphs were five meters and 2.0 m/h, respectively. The only species of &lt;em&gt;Rickettsia&lt;/em&gt; detected in ticks, exclusively in &lt;em&gt;A. dubitatum,&lt;/em&gt; was &lt;em&gt;R. bellii&lt;/em&gt;. Importantly, it was observed that the higher the proportion of &lt;em&gt;A. sculptum&lt;/em&gt; in the community of ticks, the lower the rate of infection of &lt;em&gt;A. dubitatum&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;em&gt;R. bellii&lt;/em&gt;. In conclusion, host-seeking behavior differed between the two tick species, as well as between stages of ","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 3","pages":"Article 102330"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000232/pdfft?md5=0a3c0c205f4bef6c950aedc17eb4710f&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000232-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140066922","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":"Potential novel Colpodella spp. (phylum Apicomplexa) and high prevalence of Colpodella spp. in goat-attached Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks in Shandong province, China","authors":"Yong Qi ,&nbsp;Junhu Wang ,&nbsp;Nianhong Lu ,&nbsp;Xin Qi ,&nbsp;Chaoyue Yang ,&nbsp;Bing Liu ,&nbsp;Yongfeng Lu ,&nbsp;Yuan Gu ,&nbsp;Weilong Tan ,&nbsp;Changqiang Zhu ,&nbsp;Lele Ai ,&nbsp;Jixian Rao ,&nbsp;Yingqing Mao ,&nbsp;Haiming Yi ,&nbsp;Yuexi Li ,&nbsp;Ming Yue","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102328","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102328","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Tick-borne Apicomplexan parasites pose a significant threat to both public health and animal husbandry. Identifying potential pathogenic parasites and gathering their epidemiological data are essential for prospectively preventing and controlling infections. In the present study, genomic DNA of ticks collected from two goat flocks (Goatflock1 and Goatflock2) and one dog group (Doggroup) were extracted and the 18S rRNA gene of <em>Babesia</em>/<em>Theileria</em>/<em>Colpodella</em> spp. was amplified by PCR and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted based on the obtained sequences. The differences in pathogen positive rates between ticks of different groups were statistically analyzed using the Chi-square or continuity-adjusted Chi-square test. As a result, two pathogenic <em>Theileria</em> (<em>T.</em>) <em>luwenshuni</em> genotypes, one novel pathogenic <em>Colpodella</em> sp. HLJ genotype, and two potential novel <em>Colpodella</em> spp. (referred to as <em>Colpodella</em> sp. struthionis and <em>Colpodella</em> sp. yiyuansis in this study) were identified in the <em>Haemaphysalis</em> (<em>H</em>.) <em>longicornis</em> ticks. Ticks of Goatflock2 had a significantly higher positive rate of <em>Colpodella</em> spp. than those from Goatflock1 (χ2=92.10; <em>P</em> = 8.2 × 10⁻²²) and Doggroup (χ2=42.34; <em>P</em> = 7.7 × 10⁻¹¹), and a significantly higher positive rate of <em>T. luwenshuni</em> than Doggroup (χ2=5.38; <em>P</em> = 0.02). However, the positive rates of <em>T. luwenshuni</em> between Goatflock1 and Goatflock2 were not significantly different (χ2=2.02; <em>P</em> = 0.16), and so as the positive rates of both pathogens between Goatflock1 and Doggroup groups (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05). For either <em>Colpodella</em> spp. or <em>T. luwenshuni</em>, no significant difference was found in prevalence between male and female ticks. These findings underscore the potential importance of <em>Colpodella</em> spp. in domestic animal-attached ticks, as our study revealed two novel <em>Colpodella</em> spp. and identified <em>Colpodella</em> spp. in <em>H. longicornis</em> for the first time. The study also sheds light on goats' potential roles in the transmission of <em>Colpodella</em> spp. to ticks and provides crucial epidemiological data of pathogenic <em>Theileria</em> and <em>Colpodella</em>. These data may help physicians, veterinarians, and public health officers prepare suitable detection and treatment methods and develop prevention and control strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 3","pages":"Article 102328"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000219/pdfft?md5=5fca0c6b06add2ec4b2651f5a4c73b14&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000219-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140016088","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}