Dermacentor reticulatus, a putative vector of Babesia cf. microti (syn. Theileria annae) piroplasm

Hodžić, Adnan; Zörer, Johanna; Duscher, Georg Gerhard

doi:10.1007/s00436-017-5379-0

Cited by 28 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(26 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Nevertheless, the piroplasmid DNA has recently been found in questing Dermacentor reticulatus in Austria, suggesting the possible implication of this tick in the life cycle and transmission of Babesia cf. microti (Hodžić et al 2017). Although the vector competence has not yet been proven for this tick, the existence of the same nucleotide haplotype circulating between foxes and ticks, not only in Austria but all over the Europe, supports this hypothesis.…”

Section: Haematozoan Parasitesmentioning

confidence: 69%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Occurrence and diversity of arthropod-transmitted pathogens in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in western Austria, and possible vertical (transplacental) transmission ofHepatozoon canis

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most abundant wild canid species in Austria, and it is a well-known carrier of many pathogens of medical and veterinary concern. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence and diversity of protozoan, bacterial and filarial parasites transmitted by blood-feeding arthropods in a red fox population in western Austria. Blood (n = 351) and spleen (n = 506) samples from foxes were examined by PCR and sequencing and the following pathogens were identified: Babesia canis, Babesia cf. microti (syn. Theileria annae), Hepatozoon canis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Candidatus Neoehrlichia sp. and Bartonella rochalimae. Blood was shown to be more suitable for detection of Babesia cf. microti, whilst the spleen tissue was better for detection of H. canis than blood. Moreover, extremely low genetic variability of H. canis and its relatively low prevalence rate observed in this study may suggest that the parasite has only recently been introduced in the sampled area. Furthermore, the data presented here demonstrates, for the first time, the possible vertical transmission of H. canis from an infected vixen to the offspring, and this could explain the very high prevalence in areas considered free of its main tick vector(s).

show abstract

Section: Haematozoan Parasitesmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…microti (Hodžić et al . 2017). Although the vector competence has not yet been proven for this tick, the existence of the same nucleotide haplotype circulating between foxes and ticks, not only in Austria but all over the Europe, supports this hypothesis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence and diversity of arthropod-transmitted pathogens in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in western Austria, and possible vertical (transplacental) transmission ofHepatozoon canis

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…microti -like has been detected in all of the most common ticks infesting foxes in continental Europe [ 28 ], i.e. I. hexagonus , I. ricinus [ 48 , 49 ], I. canisuga [ 48 ] and Dermacentor reticulatus [ 50 ]. The presence of nucleic acids of pathogens in hematophagous arthropods is, however, a common finding and may not be related to their vectorial status.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ticks are more suitable than red foxes for monitoring zoonotic tick-borne pathogens in northeastern Italy

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundNortheastern Italy is a hotspot for several tick-borne pathogens, transmitted to animals and humans mainly by Ixodes ricinus. Here we compare the results of molecular monitoring of ticks and zoonotic TBPs over a six-year period, with the monitoring of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in an endemic area.ResultsIn the period 2011–2016, 2,578 ticks were collected in 38 sites of 20 municipalities of Belluno Province. Individual adults (264), pooled larvae (n = 330) and nymphs (n = 1984) were screened for tick-borne encephalitis virus, Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.), Rickettsia spp., Babesia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum and “Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis” by specific SYBR green real-time PCR assays and sequencing. The spleens of 97 foxes, culled in the period 2015–2017 during sport hunting or population control programs, were also screened. Overall, nine different pathogens were found in I. ricinus nymph and adult ticks: Rickettsia helvetica (3.69%); R. monacensis (0.49%); four species of the B. burgdorferi (s.l.) complex [B. afzelii (1.51%); B. burgdorferi (s.s.) (1.25%); B. garinii (0.18%); and B. valaisiana (0.18%)]; A. phagocytophilum (3.29%); “Candidatus N. mikurensis” (1.73%); and Babesia venatorum (0.04%). Larvae were collected and screened in the first year only and two pools (0.6%) were positive for R. helvetica. Tick-borne encephalitis virus was not found in ticks although human cases do occur in the area. The rate of infection in ticks varied widely according to tick developmental stage, site and year of collection. As expected, adults were the most infected, with 27.6% harboring at least one pathogen compared to 7.3% of nymphs. Pathogens with a minimum infection rate above 1% were recorded every year. None of the pathogens found in ticks were detectable in the foxes, 52 (54%) of which were instead positive for Babesia cf. microti (also referred to as Babesia microti-like, “Theileria annae”, “Babesia annae” and “Babesia vulpes”).ConclusionsThe results show that foxes cannot be used as sentinel animals to monitor tick-borne pathogens in the specific epidemiological context of northeastern Italy. The high prevalence of Babesia cf. microti in foxes and its absence in ticks strongly suggests that I. ricinus is not the vector of this pathogen.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-2726-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

“… Country References 10 m Austria Hodžić et al. ( 2017b ) 1 l Bosnia Krčmar et al. ( 2014 ) 1 h Bosnia Hodžić et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vectors of disease at the northern distribution limit of the genus Dermacentor in Eurasia: D. reticulatus and D. silvarum

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The two ixodid tick species Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius) and Dermacentor silvarum Olenev occur at the northern distribution limit of the genus Dermacentor in Eurasia, within the belt of 34−60 • N latitude. Whilst the distribution area of D. reticulatus extends from the Atlantic coast of Portugal to Western Siberia, that of D. silvarum extends from Western Siberia to the Pacific coast. In Western Siberia, the distribution areas of the two Dermacentor species overlap. Although the two tick species are important vectors of disease, detailed information concerning the entire distribution area, climate adaptation, and proven vector competence is still missing. A dataset was compiled, resulting in 2188 georeferenced D. reticulatus and 522 D. silvarum locations. Up-to-date maps depicting the geographical distribution and climate adaptation of the two Dermacentor species are presented. To investigate the climate adaptation of the two tick species, the georeferenced locations were superimposed on a high-resolution map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. The frequency distribution of D. reticulatus under different climates shows two major peaks related to the following climates: warm temperate with precipitation all year round (57%) and boreal with precipitation all year round (40%). The frequency distribution of D. silvarum shows also two major peaks related to boreal climates with precipitation all year round (30%) and boreal winter dry climates (60%). Dermacentor silvarum seems to be rather flexible concerning summer temperatures, which can range from cool to hot. In climates with cool summers D. reticulatus does not occur, it prefers warm and to a lesser extent hot summers. Lists are given in this paper for cases of proven vector competence for various agents of both Dermacentor species. For the first time, the entire distribution areas of D. reticulatus and D. silvarum were mapped using georeferenced data. Their climate adaptations were quantified by Köppen profiles.

show abstract

Dermacentor reticulatus, a putative vector of Babesia cf. microti (syn. Theileria annae) piroplasm

Cited by 28 publications

References 21 publications

Occurrence and diversity of arthropod-transmitted pathogens in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in western Austria, and possible vertical (transplacental) transmission ofHepatozoon canis

Occurrence and diversity of arthropod-transmitted pathogens in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in western Austria, and possible vertical (transplacental) transmission ofHepatozoon canis

Ticks are more suitable than red foxes for monitoring zoonotic tick-borne pathogens in northeastern Italy

Vectors of disease at the northern distribution limit of the genus Dermacentor in Eurasia: D. reticulatus and D. silvarum

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About