Combination of microbiome analysis and serodiagnostics to assess the risk of pathogen transmission by ticks to humans and animals in central Germany

Abstract

BackgroundArthropod-borne diseases remain a major health-threat for humans and animals worldwide. To estimate the distribution of pathogenic agents and especially Bartonella spp., we conducted tick microbiome analysis and determination of the infection status of wild animals, pets and pet owners in the state of Hesse, Germany.ResultsIn total, 189 engorged ticks collected from 163 animals were tested. Selected ticks were analyzed by next generation sequencing (NGS) and confirmatory PCRs, blood specimens of 48 wild animals were analyzed by PCR to confirm pathogen presence and sera of 54 dogs, one cat and 11 dog owners were analyzed by serology. Bartonella spp. were detected in 9.5% of all ticks and in the blood of 17 roe deer. Further data reveal the presence of the human and animal pathogenic species of genera in the family Spirochaetaceae (including Borrelia miyamotoi and Borrelia garinii), Bartonella spp. (mainly Bartonella schoenbuchensis), Rickettsia helvetica, Francisella tularensis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in ticks. Co-infections with species of several genera were detected in nine ticks. One dog and five dog owners were seropositive for anti-Bartonella henselae-antibodies and one dog had antibodies against Rickettsia conorii.ConclusionsThis study provides a snapshot of pathogens circulating in ticks in central Germany. A broad range of tick-borne pathogens are present in ticks, and especially in wild animals, with possible implications for animal and human health. However, a low incidence of Bartonella spp., especially Bartonella henselae, was detected. The high number of various detected pathogens suggests that ticks might serve as an excellent sentinel to detect and monitor zoonotic human pathogens.

Bartonella spp. Prevalence (Serology, Culture, and PCR) in Sanitary Workers in La Rioja Spain

“…Subsequently the BAPGM platform has been used diagnostically to assess bloodstream infection in dogs, other animal species, [37,38] and in humans [19,20,[39][40][41]. It is clear that the developmental and microbiological utilization of more sensitive or robust microbiological techniques such as MALDI TOF, Next Generation Sequencing and specialized enrichment/PCR techniques enhance the detection of microorganisms in various patient samples [42][43][44].…”

Francisella tularensis Subspecies holarctica and Tularemia in Germany

“…holarctica or as sentinels for tularemia [ 36 , 38 , 41 , 43 , 44 , 47 , 54 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 ]. The role of ticks and mosquitoes for the transmission of tularemia in Europe likely differs between countries and is still under investigation [ 22 , 26 , 37 , 39 , 41 , 55 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ].…”

Microbiome Analysis Reveals the Presence of Bartonella spp. and Acinetobacter spp. in Deer Keds (Lipoptena cervi)

“…The 16S rRNA gene of each deer ked DNA sample was amplified with primers for the V4 region (Caporaso et al, 2011) and analyzed as previously described (Regier et al, 2018). In brief, the V4 region amplification was done using Platinum SuperFi PCR Master Mix (Thermo Fisher Scientifc, Carlsbad, U.S.A.).…”

“…In brief, the V4 region amplification was done using Platinum SuperFi PCR Master Mix (Thermo Fisher Scientifc, Carlsbad, U.S.A.). Thermocycler conditions were used as described previously (Regier et al, 2018). PCR products were purified using AMPure XP DNA beads (Beckman Coulter, Brea, U.S.A.) before running the index and adapter ligation PCR with the Nextera XT Index Kit v2 Set A and B (Illumina, San Diego, U.S.A.) as described by the manufacturer.…”

“…The bioinformatics analysis was performed as previously mentioned (Regier et al, 2018). Briefly, the paired end reads were joined and the primer sequences were removed.…”