Babesia odocoilei and zoonotic pathogens identified from Ixodes scapularis ticks in southern Ontario, Canada

Milnes, Ellie L.; Thornton, Grace; Léveillé, Alexandre N.; Delnatte, Pauline; Barta, John R.; Smith, Dale A.; Nemeth, Nicole M.

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.02.016

Cited by 24 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Scott et al published the first report of B. odocoilei in an I. scapularis tick (nymph) collected from a bird (Veery) [39]. Subsequently, Milnes et al reported B. odocoilei-positive pools of I. scapularis larvae collected from two songbirds [40]. However, there is a paucity of information on how these I. scapularis larvae became infected with B. odocoilei.…”

Section: Ticks Collected From Songbirdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These tick habitats are also commonly inhabited with small mammals (i.e., deer mice, meadow voles, eastern chipmunk, shrews) that act as hosts for immature life stages of blacklegged ticks and I. muris ticks [14,48,61,77]. Several researchers indicate that I. scapularis are directly connected to B. odocoilei [39][40][41]78], and denote that B. odocoilei overlaps with the distribution range of I. scapularis and white-tailed deer. Meadows and wooded areas are community-centered foci where deer, small mammals, ground-dwelling songbirds congregate, and form enzootic hubs for the enzootic transmission cycle of Bbsl and B. odocoilei.…”

Section: Co-infected Ticks On Birdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Documentation of Bbsl-positive I. scapularis ticks within the southernmost part of mainland Ontario [33][34][35][36][37][38] have been ongoing. In contrast, documentation of Babesia-positive I. scapularis ticks have been limited [39,40]. It is noteworthy that Babesia odocoilei has been reported in I. scapularis ticks collected in Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Wisconsin [41] and, likewise, in Pennsylvania [42].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Detection and Transstadial Passage of Babesia Species and Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Ticks Collected from Avian and Mammalian Hosts in Canada

et al. 2019

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Lyme disease and human babesiosis are the most common tick-borne zoonoses in the Temperate Zone of North America. The number of infected patients has continued to rise globally, and these zoonoses pose a major healthcare threat. This tick-host-pathogen study was conducted to test for infectious microbes associated with Lyme disease and human babesiosis in Canada. Using the flagellin (flaB) gene, three members of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) complex were detected, namely a Borrelia lanei-like spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (Bbss), and a distinct strain that may represent a separate Bbsl genospecies. This novel Bbsl strain was detected in a mouse tick, Ixodes muris, collected from a House Wren, Troglodytes aedon, in Quebec during the southward fall migration. The presence of Bbsl in bird-feeding larvae of I. muris suggests reservoir competency in three passerines (i.e., Common Yellowthroat, House Wren, Magnolia Warbler). Based on the 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene, three Babesia species (i.e., Babesia divergens-like, Babesia microti, Babesia odocoilei) were detected in field-collected ticks. Not only was B. odocoilei found in songbird-derived ticks, this piroplasm was apparent in adult questing blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, in southern Canada. By allowing live, engorged ticks to molt, we confirm the transstadial passage of Bbsl in I. muris and B. odocoilei in I. scapularis. Bbss and Babesia microti were detected concurrently in a groundhog tick, Ixodes cookei, in Western Ontario. In Alberta, a winter tick, Dermacentor albipictus, which was collected from a moose, Alces alces, tested positive for Bbss. Notably, a B. divergens-like piroplasm was detected in a rabbit tick, Haemaphysalis leporispalustris, collected from an eastern cottontail in southern Manitoba; this Babesia species is a first-time discovery in Canada. This rabbit tick was also co-infected with Borrelia lanei-like spirochetes, which constitutes a first in Canada. Overall, five ticks were concurrently infected with Babesia and Bbsl pathogens and, after the molt, could potentially co-infect humans. Notably, we provide the first authentic report of I. scapularis ticks co-infected with Bbsl and B. odocoilei in Canada. The full extent of infectious microorganisms transmitted to humans by ticks is not fully elucidated, and clinicians need to be aware of the complexity of these tick-transmitted enzootic agents on human health. Diagnosis and treatment must be administered by those with accredited medical training in tick-borne zoonosis.

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Section: Ticks Collected From Songbirdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Co-infected Ticks On Birdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Detection and Transstadial Passage of Babesia Species and Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Ticks Collected from Avian and Mammalian Hosts in Canada

et al. 2019

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“…The Babesia genus comprises apicomplexa parasites that are naturally transmitted by ixodids (63). However, the literature associates Babesia transmission with ticks from at least four genera: Rhipicephalus, Ixodes, Haemaphysalis, and Hyalomma (64)(65)(66). In Brazil, ticks belonging to the Amblyomma and Ixodes genera collected from small mammals were negative for Babesia pathogens (67).…”

Section: Tick-borne Associated Pathogensmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ticks and Associated Pathogens From Rescued Wild Animals in Rainforest Fragments of Northeastern Brazil

et al. 2020

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The Ixodidae family comprises ticks that are hematophagous ectoparasites and are considered vectors of several hemoparasites from the Anaplasmataceae family and the genus Hepatozoon, Babesia, and Rickettsia. These ectoparasites parasitize domestic and wild animals belonging to several vertebrate groups. Ticks are highly adapted to different biomes and thus possess a wide geographical distribution. In the Brazilian state of Bahia, localized in the Northeast region, there are large rainforest fragments. Studies have rarely been carried out on ticks, and their hemoparasites, that parasitize wild animals in this region. Thus, this study aimed to identify the tick species parasitizing wild animals rescued in rainforest fragments of Bahia and investigate the presence of hemoparasites in tick tissues. During a 2-year period, 238 ticks were collected from 41 wild mammalians, reptiles, and amphibians. These ectoparasites were taxonomically classified according to their morphological characteristics. The ticks identified belonged to five different species from the Ixodidae family: Amblyomma varium, Amblyomma rotundatum, Amblyomma nodosum, Ixodes loricatus, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus. For the first time, an A. rotundatum parasitizing the Mesoclemmys tuberculata turtle was described. PCR assays using DNA extracted from salivary glands or midgut of the ticks were performed to detect specific DNA fragments of hemoparasites from the genus Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, Babesia, Hepatozoon, and from the Anaplasmataceae family. The results showed positive detection of the Rickettsia genus (7.9%), Anaplasmataceae family (15.8%), and Hepatozoon genus (15.8%). Specific DNA from the Ehrlichia and Babesia genera were not detected in these samples. Specific DNA from members of the Anaplasmataceae family was detected in A. varium for the first time. The present Fonseca et al. Ticks in Wild Animals work showed that amphibians, reptiles, and mammals from Bahia's Atlantic Forest areparasitized by different tick species, and that these ectoparasites present pathogens in their tissues that impact both humans and animals due to their zoonotic potential.

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“…Various Babesia species have been sporadically identified in wildlife, while the existence of the chronic asymptomatic carrier state in babesial infections of domestic and wild animals has been recognized for many years [ 10 , 11 ]; as a result, babesiosis in wildlife has not received much attention. Despite ixodid ticks are implicated as the primary vector for Babesia spp., wildlife species are considered to be the reservoir, with several recent cases of fatal babesiosis were recorded in wildlife [ 12 – 14 ]. There remains a paucity in the literature for what species may be affected and what factors may be caused the clinical signs, and therefore, babesiosis in wildlife deserves further attention.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First detection and molecular identification of Babesia sp. from the giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, in China

Yue

Deng

et al. 2020

Parasites Vectors

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Background Parasitic infections are among the important causes of death of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) that hamper their survival in the wild. There are about 35 species of parasites which have been identified in giant pandas, but no information is currently available regarding the infection of Babesia in giant pandas. Babesia spp. are common intraerythrocytic parasite in wildlife, transmitted by ixodid ticks, which cause babesiosis. Clinical signs of babesiosis include fever, hemolysis, anemia, jaundice and death. Methods A species of Babesia was detected in the blood of a giant panda based on morphology and PCR amplification of the 18S rRNA gene. The phylogenetic relationship of Babesia sp. infecting giant panda was assessed by gene sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis. Results Our analysis revealed that the Babesia isolate detected was most similar to an unidentified species of Babesia identified in black bears (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) from Japan (Babesia sp. Iwate, AB586027.1) with a 99.56% sequence similarity, followed by Babesia sp. EBB (AB566229.1, 99.50%) and Babesia sp. Akita (AB566229.1, 99.07%). Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first report of Babesia detected in the giant panda. The results indicate that this Babesia sp. may be a novel species, currently named Babesia sp. strain EBP01.

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Babesia odocoilei and zoonotic pathogens identified from Ixodes scapularis ticks in southern Ontario, Canada

Cited by 24 publications

References 26 publications

Detection and Transstadial Passage of Babesia Species and Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Ticks Collected from Avian and Mammalian Hosts in Canada

Detection and Transstadial Passage of Babesia Species and Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Ticks Collected from Avian and Mammalian Hosts in Canada

Ticks and Associated Pathogens From Rescued Wild Animals in Rainforest Fragments of Northeastern Brazil

First detection and molecular identification of Babesia sp. from the giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, in China

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