Epidemiology and Diversity of Rickettsiales Bacteria in Humans and Animals in Jiangsu and Jiangxi provinces, China

Abstract

Diseases caused by Rickettsiales bacteria are a global public health problem. To better understand the diversity and origins of Rickettsiales infection in humans and animals, we sampled 134 febrile patients, 173 rodents and 43 shrews, as well as 358 ticks, from two cities in Jiangsu and Jiangxi provinces, China. Our data revealed a relatively high prevalence of scrub typhus cases in both localities. In addition, both serological tests and genetic analysis identified three patients infected with Anaplasma bovis, Rickettsia monacensis, and Orientia tsutsugamushi bacteria. Molecular epidemiological investigation revealed the co-circulation of multiple species of Rickettsiales bacteria in small mammals and ticks in both provinces, potentially including novel bacterial species. In sum, these data demonstrate the ongoing importance of Rickettsiales infection in China and highlight the need for the regular surveillance of local arthropods, mammals and humans.

Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Rickettsia spp. from Wild Small Mammals in Public Parks and Urban Areas of Bangkok Metropolitan, Thailand

“…In the Jiangsu and Jiangxi provinces of China, the prevalence of rickettsial infections ranged from 9.23 to 13.95% in Asian house shrews ( S. murinus ), house mice ( Mus musculus ), field mice ( Apodemus agrarius ), and lesser rice field rats ( R. losea ). Several rickettsial species were also reported, including R. heilongjiangensis , R. japonica , Rickettsia parkeri -like strain, R. raoultii , Anaplama phagocytophilum , Ehrlichia sp., and Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis [ 37 ]. In wet markets in Kuala Lumpur and Palau Pinang in Malaysia, 13.7% of the captured rats ( R. rattus diardii and Rattus norvegicus ) were found to be positive for R. honei / R. conorii / R. raoultii after a DNA sequence analysis [ 38 ].…”

Role of Zoo-Housed Animals in the Ecology of Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens—A Review

“…The bacteria of the order Rickettsiales cause a variety of diseases of veterinary and medical importance, including bovine anaplasmosis, human ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and scrub typhus [ 126 ]. Within the order Rickettsiales, the genera Rickettsia , Ehrlichia and Anaplasma are dependent on tick vectors like A. americanum , R. sanguineus , D. variabilis, Ixodes spp., Haemaphysalis spp., Hyalomma spp.…”

Rickettsia japonica infections in Huanggang, China, in 2021

“…Spotted fever group rickettsiae ( SFGR ) contains more than 20 species of rickettsiae that are pathogenic to humans and distributed worldwide. In recent years, cases of spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiosis have been reported in Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Henan, Anhui, and Shandong provinces and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] . Some cases were diagnosed by routine monitoring of the target population in forested regions, while several cases were confirmed by retrospective detection of Rickettsia in the serum of patients with febrile illnesses [1] , [2] .…”

“…Some cases were diagnosed by routine monitoring of the target population in forested regions, while several cases were confirmed by retrospective detection of Rickettsia in the serum of patients with febrile illnesses [1] , [2] . Public health experts who monitored wild mammals and ticks in China found a variety of SFGR that can cause human diseases, indicating that several regions in China could be natural foci [4] , [6] . However, relatively few clinical cases of SFG rickettsiosis have been reported in hospitals in these areas.…”