Assembly and Comparison of Ca. Neoehrlichia mikurensis Genomes

Azagi, Tal; Dirks, Ron P.; Yebra-Pimentel, Elena Santidrian; Schaap, Peter J.; Koehorst, Jasper J.; Esser, Helen J.; Sprong, Hein

doi:10.3390/microorganisms10061134

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…The prevalence of CNM in our vole community ranged 24–47% depending on Microtus species. This is a moderate rate of prevalence, similar values having been reported in at least seven papers for the most commonly studied rodent species in several countries in Europe 5 , 8 , 10 , 13 , 53 , 55 , 56 . In one study, much lower values (prevalence < 2%) were reported 7 and in two studies in Germany prevalence (> 55%) was found to be slightly higher compared to that in our work 9 , 12 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…In one study, much lower values (prevalence < 2%) were reported 7 and in two studies in Germany prevalence (> 55%) was found to be slightly higher compared to that in our work 9 , 12 . Hence, there is a some disparity in prevalence values for the most commonly studied species, ranging 0.3–33% for A. agrarius 7 , 12 , 57 , 1.7–65% for A. flavicollis 5 , 7 – 10 , 12 , 13 , 53 , 56 , 57 , 1.1–58% for M. glareolus 5 , 7 – 10 , 12 , 13 , 53 , 55 – 57 , and 11–33% for A. sylvaticus 5 , 8 , 10 , 53 , 56 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis and Hepatozoon sp. in voles (Microtus spp.): occurrence and evidence for vertical transmission

Tołkacz

Kowalec

Alsarraf

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis (CNM) and Hepatozoon spp. are important vector-borne parasites of humans and animals. CNM is a relatively recently discovered pathogen of humans. Hepatozoon are parasites of reptiles, amphibians and mammals, commonly found in rodents and carnivores worldwide. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of CNM and Hepatozoon spp. in three species of Microtus and to assess the occurrence of vertical transmission in naturally-infected voles. Molecular techniques were used to detect pathogen DNA in blood and tissue samples of captured voles and their offspring. The prevalence of CNM in the vole community ranged 24–47% depending on Microtus species. The DNA of CNM was detected in 21% of pups from three litters of six infected Microtus dams (two Microtus arvalis and one M. oeconomus) and in 3/45 embryos (6.6%) from two litters of eight CNM-infected pregnant females. We detected Hepatozoon infection in 14% of M. arvalis and 9% of M. oeconomus voles. Hepatozoon sp. DNA was detected in 48.7% of pups from seven litters (6 M. arvalis and 1 M. oeconomus) and in two embryos (14.3%) obtained from one M. arvalis litter. The high prevalence of CNM infections in the Microtus spp. community may be a result of a relatively high rate of vertical transmission among naturally infected voles. Vertical transmission was also demonstrated for Hepatozoon sp. in M. arvalis and M. oeconomus. Our study underlines the significance of alternative routes of transmission of important vector-borne pathogens.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis and Hepatozoon sp. in voles (Microtus spp.): occurrence and evidence for vertical transmission

Tołkacz

Kowalec

Alsarraf

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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“…These genera include Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis that cause human granulocytic anaplasmosis and human monocytic ehrlichiosis, respectively and Ehrlichia ruminantium that causes heartwater (cowdriosis) in African cattle [ 1 , 11 , 12 , 18 , 33 ]. Recent advances in the genomics of these major pathogens have shed new light on the intracellular lifestyle of Anaplasmataceae and the mechanisms by which they induce and evade the innate immune response [ 2 , 15 , 17 , 25 ]. Current epidemiological surveys on Anaplasmataceae are now uncovering emergent tick-borne pathogens such as Neoehrlichia mikurensis , causing neoehrlichiosis in Europe and Asia [ 31 , 38 ], and Ca.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity and phylogeny of the tick-borne bacterial genus Candidatus Allocryptoplasma (Anaplasmataceae)

Ouass,

Boulanger,

Lelouvier

et al. 2023

Parasite

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The family Anaplasmataceae includes tick-borne bacteria of major public and veterinary health interest, as best illustrated by members of the genera Anaplasma and Ehrlichia. Recent epidemiological surveys have also reported on the presence of a novel putative genus in the Anaplasmataceae, Candidatus Allocryptoplasma, previously described as Candidatus Cryptoplasma in the western black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus. However, the genetic diversity of Ca. Allocryptoplasma and its phylogenetic relationship with other Anaplasmataceae remain unclear. In this study, we developed a multi-locus sequence typing approach, examining the DNA sequence variation at five genes of Ca. Allocryptoplasma found in ticks. Combining this multi-locus sequence typing and genetic data available on public databases, we found that substantial genetic diversity of Ca. Allocryptoplasma is present in Ixodes, Amblyomma and Haemaphysalis spp. ticks on most continents. Further analyses confirmed that the Ca. Allocryptoplasma of ticks, the Ca. Allocryptoplasma of lizards and some Anaplasma-like bacteria of wild mice cluster into a monophyletic genus, divergent from all other genera of the family Anaplasmataceae. Candidatus Allocryptoplasma appears as a sister genus of Anaplasma and, with the genera Ehrlichia and Neoehrlichia, they form a monophyletic subgroup of Anaplasmataceae associated with tick-borne diseases. The detection of genetically distinct Ca. Allocryptoplasma in ticks of significant medical or veterinary interest supports the hypothesis that it is an emergent genus of tick-borne pathogens of general concern.

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“…A significant number of paired-end reads (with a cumulative score of > 20.000 read pairs) were assigned to known tick borne pathogens: Anaplasma phagocytophilum was found to be present in tick Ir_d1 and Ir_d9, both collected from the dune area; Borrelia afzelii was found to be present in tick Ir_d9 and Neoehrlichia mikurensis [96] was present in tick Ir_f3 collected from the forested area. Rickettsiella species have been identified as facultative endosymbionts of I. ricinus ticks [97] and with more than 1 million read pairs assigned, Ricketssiella species appear to be present in Ir_d1, Ir_d6 and Ir_d7 (Figure 2).…”

Section: Deep Sequencing Of I Ricinus Adult Females Reveals the Prese...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep sequencing of 16Ixodes ricinusticks unveils insights into their interactions with endosymbionts

Lesiczka,

Azagi,

Krawczyk

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background: Ixodes ricinus ticks act as vectors for numerous pathogens that present substantial health threats. Additionally, they harbor vertically transmitted symbionts, some of which have been linked to diseases. The difficulty of isolating and cultivating these symbionts has has hampered our understanding of their biological role, their potential to cause disease, and their modes of transmission. To expand our understanding on the tick symbiont Midichloria mitochondrii and on Rickettsia helvetica, which has been linked to disease in humans, we utilized deep sequencing on sixteen individual adult female ticks. Among these, eight were collected from a coastal sand dune environment, while another eight were obtained from forested areas in the Netherlands. Results: By employing a combination of next-generation and third-generation sequencing techniques, we successfully reconstructed the complete genomes of M. mitochondrii from eleven individuals, R. helvetica from eight individuals and the mitochondrial genome from all ticks. Additionally, we visualised the location of R. helvetica in tick organs and constructed genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) of both symbionts to study their growth related environmental dependencies. Our analysis revealed a strong cophylogeny between M. mitochondrii and mitochondrial genomes, suggesting frequent maternal transmission. In contrast, the absence of cophylogeny between R. helvetica and the mitochondrial genomes, coupled with its presence in the receptaculum seminis of I. ricinus females, raises the possibility of paternal transmission of R. helvetica. Notably, the genetic diversity of R. helvetica was found to be very low, except for the rickA virulence gene, where the presence of up to thirteen insertions of a 33nt-long repeat led to significant variability. However, this variation could not account for the differences in infection prevalence observed across eight distinct locations in the Netherlands. Conclusions: By employing deep sequencing, it becomes feasible to extract complete genomes and genetic data of symbionts directly from their host organisms. This methodology serves as a robust means to gain fresh insights into their interactions. Our observations, which suggest paternal transmission of R. helvetica, a relatively unexplored mode of transmission in ticks, require validation through experimental investigations. The genetic variations identified in the rickA virulence gene of R. helvetica have the potential to influence the infectivity and transmission dynamics of R. helvetica.

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Assembly and Comparison of Ca. Neoehrlichia mikurensis Genomes

Cited by 4 publications

References 59 publications

Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis and Hepatozoon sp. in voles (Microtus spp.): occurrence and evidence for vertical transmission

Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis and Hepatozoon sp. in voles (Microtus spp.): occurrence and evidence for vertical transmission

Diversity and phylogeny of the tick-borne bacterial genus Candidatus Allocryptoplasma (Anaplasmataceae)

Deep sequencing of 16Ixodes ricinusticks unveils insights into their interactions with endosymbionts

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