Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases最新文献

{"title":"Diagnostic patterns of serum inflammatory protein markers in children with Lyme neuroborreliosis","authors":"Tobias Fredriksson ,&nbsp;Lars Brudin ,&nbsp;Anna J. Henningsson ,&nbsp;Barbro H. Skogman ,&nbsp;Ivar Tjernberg","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102349","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102349","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Definite diagnosis of Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) requires investigation of serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Thus, lumbar puncture is necessary, and requires administration of sedating drugs in children. This study aimed to investigate if a pattern of different inflammatory biomarkers in serum could contribute to the selection of children for lumbar puncture in suspected LNB.</p><p>Patients were included from a cohort of children who was previously investigated for LNB including serum and CSF sampling during the years 2010–2014. The multiplex proximity extension assay (PEA) inflammation panel Target 96 (Olink Bioscience, Uppsala, Sweden) was used to examine 92 biomarkers in serum.</p><p>Based on the presence of CSF pleocytosis and <em>Borrelia</em>-specific antibodies, patients were divided into a definite LNB group (n=61) and a non-LNB control group (n=58). Following PEA and statistical analysis with multivariate logistic regression, five biomarkers remained significant (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001), which were included in a calculation of protein index. The index biomarkers were CST5, IL-15RA, CXCL10, DNER and CX3CL1. A receiver operating characteristic curve was constructed from the index, which showed an 80 % sensitivity and 81 % specificity. Area under the curve was 0.889.</p><p>We offer evidence that, with further refinements, patterns of serum biomarkers might help identify those children more or less likely to have LNB, perhaps ultimately decreasing the need for lumbar punctures.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 4","pages":"Article 102349"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000426/pdfft?md5=ba22a16f53c7d45992aaa6cf6ae7c128&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000426-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140893897","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 case of Mediterranean spotted fever of the traveler returned from Zambia","authors":"Takahiro Ichikawa ,&nbsp;Yongjin Qiu ,&nbsp;Shuji Ando ,&nbsp;Yuto Takeuchi ,&nbsp;Atsushi Nagasaka","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102347","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102347","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We report the case of a traveler who returned from Zambia and was diagnosed with Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF), an infectious disease caused by <em>Rickettsia conorii conorii.</em> The patient presented to Sapporo City General Hospital with symptoms of fever, malaise, headache, and rash. The pathogen was identified by Polymerase Chain Reaction assays and subsequent analyses. The patient improved with 10-day treatment of oral doxycycline. Although some cases of MSF have been reported in sub-Saharan Africa, none have been reported in Zambia. <em>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</em> sensu lato, the vector of the <em>Rickettsia conorii conorii</em>, has been found in various areas of Zambia. Our case report highlights the potential threat of Mediterranean spotted fever in urban areas of Zambia.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 4","pages":"Article 102347"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000402/pdfft?md5=3aae0d755ea8b2109503d3df61de0f43&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000402-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140842795","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":"Introducing a new Editor-in-Chief","authors":"Olaf Kahl (Managing Editor of Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases),&nbsp;Ard Nijhof (Editor-in-Chief of Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases)","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102348","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102348","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 4","pages":"Article 102348"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000414/pdfft?md5=ddf5877a63428ec80b44fbd9c9225167&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000414-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140861115","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 mutation associated with resistance to synthetic pyrethroids is widespread in US populations of the tropical lineage of Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l","authors":"Nathan E. Stone ,&nbsp;Rebecca Ballard ,&nbsp;Reanna M. Bourgeois ,&nbsp;Grant L. Pemberton ,&nbsp;Ryelan F. McDonough ,&nbsp;Megan C. Ruby ,&nbsp;Laura H. Backus ,&nbsp;Andrés M. López-Pérez ,&nbsp;Darrin Lemmer ,&nbsp;Zane Koch ,&nbsp;Maureen Brophy ,&nbsp;Christopher D. Paddock ,&nbsp;Gilbert J. Kersh ,&nbsp;William L. Nicholson ,&nbsp;Jason W. Sahl ,&nbsp;Joseph D. Busch ,&nbsp;Johanna S. Salzer ,&nbsp;Janet E. Foley ,&nbsp;David M. Wagner","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102344","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102344","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The brown dog tick, <em>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</em> sensu lato (s.l.), is an important vector for <em>Rickettsia rickettsii</em>, causative agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Current public health prevention and control efforts to protect people involve preventing tick infestations on domestic animals and in and around houses. Primary prevention tools rely on acaricides, often synthetic pyrethroids (SPs); resistance to this chemical class is widespread in ticks and other arthropods. <em>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</em> s.l. is a complex that likely contains multiple unique species and although the distribution of this complex is global, there are differences in morphology, ecology, and perhaps vector competence among these major lineages. Two major lineages within <em>Rh. sanguineus</em> s.l., commonly referred to as temperate and tropical, have been documented from multiple locations in North America, but are thought to occupy different ecological niches. To evaluate potential acaricide resistance and better define the distributions of the tropical and temperate lineages throughout the US and in northern Mexico, we employed a highly multiplexed amplicon sequencing approach to characterize sequence diversity at: 1) three loci within the voltage-gated sodium channel (<em>VGSC</em>) gene, which contains numerous genetic mutations associated with resistance to SPs; 2) a region of the gamma-aminobutyric acid-gated chloride channel gene (<em>GABA-Cl</em>) containing several mutations associated with dieldrin/fipronil resistance in other species; and 3) three mitochondrial genes (COI, 12S, and 16S). We utilized a geographically diverse set of <em>Rh sanguineus</em> s.l. collected from domestic pets in the US in 2013 and a smaller set of ticks collected from canines in Baja California, Mexico in 2021. We determined that a single nucleotide polymorphism (T2134C) in domain III segment 6 of the <em>VGSC</em>, which has previously been associated with SP resistance in <em>Rh. sanguineus</em> s.l., was widespread and abundant in tropical lineage ticks (&gt;50 %) but absent from the temperate lineage, suggesting that resistance to SPs may be common in the tropical lineage. We found evidence of multiple copies of <em>GABA-Cl</em> in ticks from both lineages, with some copies containing mutations associated with fipronil resistance in other species, but the effects of these patterns on fipronil resistance in <em>Rh. sanguineus</em> s.l. are currently unknown. The tropical lineage was abundant and geographically widespread, accounting for 79 % of analyzed ticks and present at 13/14 collection sites. The temperate and tropical lineages co-occurred in four US states, and as far north as New York. None of the ticks we examined were positive for <em>Rickettsia rickettsii</em> or <em>Rickettsia massiliae</em>.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 4","pages":"Article 102344"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000372/pdfft?md5=23fca2cbfeba744047fc69acab4c1e1f&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000372-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140621836","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":"Factors associated with perceived Anaplasma marginale infection and clinical anaplasmosis cases on beef operations in California","authors":"SY Chen ,&nbsp;L Forero ,&nbsp;J Davy ,&nbsp;J Stackhouse ,&nbsp;D Harvey ,&nbsp;E Abdelfattah ,&nbsp;G Maier","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102346","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102346","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Bovine anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease caused by <em>Anaplasma marginale</em> in the United States. The objective of this study was to use a survey tool to generate information for beef operations in California on anaplasmosis prevention and control management, including to what extent management activities were informed by perceived herd-level exposure to <em>A. marginale</em> infection or occurrence of clinical anaplasmosis cases. We mailed 2,621 questionnaires with questions on <em>Anaplasma</em> status, herd demographics, anaplasmosis control and prevention measures, and environmental factors to beef ranchers in California in October 2020. Survey-weighted chi-square tests were used to compare management differences according to perceived <em>Anaplasma</em> infection status. Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were used to analyze whether region of California, management practices, or environmental factors were associated with reported clinical cases of anaplasmosis in the previous five years. A total of 466 questionnaires describing 749 herds were obtained and used in this study. Use of management measures, including deliberate exposure of calves to ticks, vaccination for <em>Anaplasma</em>, infection control through antibiotics in feed, maintaining a completely closed herd, blood testing for <em>Anaplasma</em> on all herd additions, and taking no anaplasmosis control and prevention measures, were significantly different between herds with or without perceived <em>A. marginale</em> infection based on producers’ self-declared status. The overall perceived prevalence for <em>Anaplasma</em> infection and reported clinical cases of anaplasmosis at the herd level was 26.0 % (95 % CI: 24.3–27.7 %) and 17.1 % (95 % CI: 15.6–18.6 %) respectively, with the highest perceived infection and case numbers reported in the Central Coast region. In the GEE model, higher odds of reporting clinical cases of anaplasmosis in the previous five years were observed in cattle located in the Central Coast region, cattle within a large herd, cattle that are treated with tick/fly control, cattle in a completely closed herd, and cattle receiving <em>Anaplasma</em> vaccine. <em>Anaplasma</em> infection and bovine anaplasmosis status may be underestimated in beef herds in California based on previous study results. Changing needles between cattle after injections and conducting blood testing for <em>Anaplasma</em> on herd additions are important <em>Anaplasma</em> management measures that are infrequently implemented in beef herds in California. The results show a need for producer education to improve producers’ awareness of bovine anaplasmosis and implement proper measures for disease control and prevention.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 4","pages":"Article 102346"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000396/pdfft?md5=714a0a474141c27962d19479b0d03f46&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000396-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140621837","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 of heart failure among individuals tested for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato antibodies, and serum Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato seropositive individuals; a nationwide population-based, registry-based matched cohort study","authors":"Malte M. Tetens ,&nbsp;Lars Haukali Omland ,&nbsp;Ram B. Dessau ,&nbsp;Svend Ellermann-Eriksen ,&nbsp;Nanna S. Andersen ,&nbsp;Charlotte Sværke Jørgensen ,&nbsp;Christian Østergaard ,&nbsp;Jacob Bodilsen ,&nbsp;Kirstine K. Søgaard ,&nbsp;Jette Bangsborg ,&nbsp;Alex Christian Yde Nielsen ,&nbsp;Jens Kjølseth Møller ,&nbsp;Ming Chen ,&nbsp;Jesper Hastrup Svendsen ,&nbsp;Niels Obel ,&nbsp;Anne-Mette Lebech","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102345","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102345","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Lyme borreliosis is a tick-borne disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) sensu lato complex. Previous studies have suggested an association between Lyme borreliosis and heart failure, which have been suggested to be a possible manifestation of Lyme carditis. We aimed to investigate the risk of heart failure among individuals tested for serum Bb antibodies, and serum Bb seropositive individuals.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>We performed a matched nationwide cohort study (Denmark, 1993–2020) and included 52,200 Bb seropositive individuals, and two age- and sex-matched comparison cohorts: 1) 104,400 Bb seronegative comparison cohort members, and 2) 261,000 population controls. We investigated the risk associated with 1) being tested for serum Bb antibodies, and 2) being Bb seropositive. Outcomes were: 1) a composite of heart failure, cardiomyopathy, and/or myocarditis diagnosis, and 2) redemption of cardiovascular medicine used for treatment of heart failure. We calculated short-term odds ratios (aOR) (within 1 month) and long-term hazard rates (aHR) (after 1 month) adjusted for age, sex, diabetes, pre-existing heart failure, and kidney disease.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Compared with the population controls, individuals tested for Bb antibodies, regardless of the test result, had increased short-term risk of heart failure, cardiomyopathy, and myocarditis (aOR 8.3, 95 %CI: 6.7–10.2), and both increased short- and long-term risk of redemption of cardiovascular medicine (aOR 4.3, 95 %CI: 3.8–4.8, aHR 1.13, 95 % CI: 1.11–1.15). The Bb seropositive individuals had no increased short- or long-term risk of any outcome compared with Bb seronegative comparison cohort members.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>In conclusion, Bb antibody tests seemed to be performed in the diagnostic work-up of heart failure, but Bb seropositivity was not associated with heart failure.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 4","pages":"Article 102345"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000384/pdfft?md5=0362cdd6b144bef6c36e06c333963d27&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000384-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140606913","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 next generation sequencing assay combining Ixodes species identification with pathogen detection to support tick surveillance efforts in the United States","authors":"Lynn M. Osikowicz,&nbsp;Sarah E. Maes,&nbsp;Rebecca J. Eisen,&nbsp;Andrias Hojgaard","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102343","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102343","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The burden of tick-borne diseases continues to increase in the United States. Tick surveillance has been implemented to monitor changes in the distribution and prevalence of human disease-causing pathogens in ticks that frequently bite humans. Such efforts require accurate identification of ticks to species and highly sensitive and specific assays that can detect and differentiate pathogens from genetically similar microbes in ticks that have not been demonstrated to be pathogenic in humans. We describe a modification to a next generation sequencing pathogen detection assay that includes a target that accurately identifies <em>Ixodes</em> ticks to species. We show that the replacement of internal control primers used to ensure assay performance with primers that also act as an internal control and can additionally differentiate tick species, retains high sensitivity and specificity, improves efficiency, and reduces costs by eliminating the need to run separate assays to screen for pathogens and for tick identification.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 4","pages":"Article 102343"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000360/pdfft?md5=0db3c2f76927109901c0f598d209dbc9&pid=1-s2.0-S1877959X24000360-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140549234","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":"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}