First report of Lihan Tick virus (Phlebovirus, Phenuiviridae) in ticks, Colombia

Abstract

Background: Tick-borne phenuivirus (TBPVs) comprise human and animal viruses that can cause a variety of clinical syndromes ranging from self-limiting febrile illness to fatal haemorrhagic fevers. Objective: Detect Phlebovirus (Family Phenuiviridae) in ticks collected from domestic animals in Córdoba, Colombia. Methods: We collected 2365 ticks from domestic animals in three municipalities of the Department of Cordoba, Colombia in 2016. Ticks were identified and pooled by species for RNA extraction. A nested real-time PCR with specific primers for Phlebovirus and a specific probe for Heartland virus (HRTV) formerly a Phlebovirus, now a Banyangvirus were performed. Also, a conventional nested PCR, with the same specific primers was used to detect other Phleboviruses, with positive reactions indicated by an amplified cDNA fragment of approximately 244 bp determined by gel electrophoresis. These bands were gel-purified and sequenced by the Sanger method. Results: Using real-time RT-PCR, no positive results for HRTV were found. However, using conventional nested PCR 2.2% (5/229 pools) yielded a product of 244 bp. One positive sample was detected in a pool of Dermacentor nitens ticks collected from a horse, and the four remaining positive pools were from Rhipicephalus microplus collected from cattle. The five positive nucleotide sequences had identities of 93 to 96% compared to a section of the Lsegment of Lihan Tick virus, a Phlebovirus originally detected in R. microplus ticks in China. The strongest identity (96-99%) was with Lihan Tick virus detected in R. microplus ticks from Brazil. Conclusions: This is the first report of viral detection in ticks in Colombia. We detected a Colombian strain of Lihan Tick virus. We recommend expanding the sampling area and carrying out more eco-epidemiological studies related to epidemiological surveillance of viruses on ticks in Colombia.

Novel phlebovirus-like-AYUT and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia bacterial co-infection in a Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. tick

“…In 2015, LTPV was first found in R. microplus ticks from China and has since been found in other countries (Li et al 2015 ; López et al 2020 ). This virus is a Phlebovirus -like.…”

Virome of Rhipicephalus ticks by metagenomic analysis in Guangdong, southern China

“…LTV was first described in Chinese R. microplus ( Li et al, 2015 ) and reported in Turkish H. marginatum and R. sanguineus ticks ( Dincer et al, 2017 ; Brinkmann et al, 2018 ), and Colombian Dermacentor nitens ticks ( Lopez et al, 2020 ). LTV GD was closely related to the variants found in China ( Xu et al, 2021 ), France ( Gondard et al, 2020 ), and Brazil ( Souza et al, 2018 ).…”

Orthoflavivirus Lammi in Russia: Possible Transovarial Transmission and Trans-Stadial Survival in Aedes cinereus (Diptera, Culicidae)

“…In the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of discovered viruses that are transmitted by arthropods [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Some of them are pathogenic for humans and mammals [ 2 , 5 , 6 ], and the pathogenic potential of others is unknown [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]. Many recently discovered arthropod viruses belong to the genus Orthoflavivirus [ 1 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”

“…In the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of discovered viruses that are transmitted by arthropods [1][2][3][4]. Some of them are pathogenic for humans and mammals [2,5,6], and the pathogenic potential of others is unknown [1,3,4].…”