Identification and distribution of nine tick-borne spotted fever group Rickettsiae in the Country of Georgia

Sukhiashvili, Roena; Zhgenti, Ekaterine; Khmaladze, Ekaterine; Burjanadze, Irma; Imnadze, Paata; Jiang, Ju; John, Heidi St.; Farris, Christina M.; Gallagher, Theresa; Obiso, Richard J.; Richards, Allen L.

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101470

Cited by 13 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación Territorial) and the fragment length used in data base comparison may not be long enough to discriminate among closely related species. Furthermore, R. hoogstraalii, the rickettsial species identified in these ticks, has been reported in soft ticks belonging to the genus Carios and Argas (Kawabata et al 2006, Reeves et al 2020) and the hard ticks Ixodes , Dermacentor, and Haemaphysalis (Tomassone et al 2017, Orkun et al 2014, Sukhiashvili et al 2020), including Haemaphysalis parva , Ha. punctata, and Ha.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Study of tick-borne zoonotic pathogens in questing and feeding ticks in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Abreu-Yanes

Abreu-Acosta²,

Foronda

2023

Journal of Vector Ecology

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Ticks are vectors of many zoonotic pathogens of clinical relevance, including Anaplasma and Rickettsia species. Since few data about these tick-borne pathogens are available in the Canary Islands, the aim of the present study was to screen their presence in questing and feeding ticks on the island of Tenerife. A total of 81 ticks was removed from six hedgehogs, and eight ticks were collected from the grass. PCR assays for tick species identification based on the LSU rRNA gene, and detection of Anaplasma spp. and Rickettsia spp. by targeting the 16s rRNA and gltA gene, respectively, were carried out. Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Haemaphysalis formosensis tick species were identified, with Rickettsia hoogstraalii detected in H. formosensis. In addition, Rickettsia helvetica and one unidentified Rickettsia species were detected. The overall prevalence of Rickettsia in ticks was 12.2%, and none harbored Anaplasma sp. This work constitutes the first identification in the Canary Islands of pathogenic R. helvetica and the species of unknown pathogenicity R. hoogstraalii in questing ticks. The clinical relevance of the pathogens identified highlights the need for studies with increased sample size and locations, including potential hosts, as well as warning the population about the relevance of ticks as vectors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Prevalence of pathogens in questing and feeding ticks on Tenerife Island. Carios and Argas(Kawabata et al 2006, Reeves et al 2020) and the hard ticks Ixodes, Dermacentor, and Haemaphysalis(Tomassone et al 2017, Orkun et al 2014, Sukhiashvili et al 2020, including Haemaphysalis parva,…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of tick-borne zoonotic pathogens in questing and feeding ticks in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Abreu-Yanes

Abreu-Acosta²,

Foronda

2023

Journal of Vector Ecology

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“…parva ), and Georgia ( Hae. sulcata and D. marginatus ) [ 57 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 ]. It has been also detected in other tick species, mainly Argasidae, in different parts of the world, including Japan [ 87 ], Ethiopia [ 88 ] the western Indian Ocean islands [ 89 ], Iran [ 90 ], Namibia [ 91 ], Zambia [ 92 ], China [ 93 ], and the UAE [ 94 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia spp. Diversity in Ticks and the First Report of Rickettsia hoogstraalii in Romania

Ivan

Matei

Novac

et al. 2022

Veterinary Sciences

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Tickborne bacterial pathogens have been described worldwide as risk factors for both animal and human health. Spotted fevers caused by Rickettsiae may cause non-specific symptoms, which make clinical diagnosis difficult. The aim of the current study was to evaluate and review the diversity of SFG Rickettsiae in ticks collected in 41 counties in Romania. A total of 2028 questing and engorged ticks collected in Romania belonging to five species were tested by PCR amplification of Rickettsia spp. gltA and 17-D gene fragments: Ixodes ricinus (n = 1128), Dermacentor marginatus (n = 507), D. reticulatus (n = 165), Rhipicephalus rossicus (n = 128) and Haemaphysalis punctata (n = 100). Five Rickettsia species were identified following DNA sequence analysis: R. helvetica, R. monacensis, R. slovaca, R. raoultii, and R. hoogstraalii. The most common species detected was R. monacensis. Moreover, R. hoogstraalii was detected for the first time in Romania and in R. rossicus ticks. The detection of R. raoultii and R. monacensis in questing larvae of Hae. punctata suggests the possible transovarial transmission of these Rickettsia species in ticks. The detection of R. hoogstraalii for the first time in Romania increases the reported SFG Rickettsia diversity in the country.

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“…A positive pool with 5 individuals in it is not counted the same as a pool with 50 individuals; i.e., the prevalence of each pool would be considered 100%, whereas the MIR would be considered to be 20 and 5%, respectively. If a pool has more than one Rickettsia species in it, then it will be assumed that only one agent of each species is among the pool sample (78). For example, if a pool of 10 A. maculatum individuals had both qPCR assays for R. parkeri and R. andeanae as positive, then the MIR for both agents would be 10%.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the most accurate way, though more time-consuming and costly, is to determine the prevalence of rickettsiae and the agents' identity within their arthropod hosts based on individual arthropods, not pools. Lastly, if you have both individual and pooled samples, you will have to determine both prevalence and MIR for the respective sample types (78). By definition, a pool sample cannot contain a single arthropod.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

International Rickettsia Disease Surveillance: An Example of Cooperative Research to Increase Laboratory Capability and Capacity for Risk Assessment of Rickettsial Outbreaks Worldwide

et al. 2021

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Cooperative research that addresses infectious disease surveillance and outbreak investigations relies heavily on availability and effective use of appropriate diagnostic tools, including serological and molecular assays, as exemplified by the current COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we stress the importance of using these assays to support collaborative epidemiological studies to assess risk of rickettsial disease outbreaks among international partner countries. Workforce development, mentorship, and training are important components in building laboratory capability and capacity to assess risk of and mitigate emerging disease outbreaks. International partnerships that fund cooperative research through mentoring and on-the-job training are successful examples for enhancing infectious disease surveillance. Cooperative research studies between the Naval Medical Research Center's Rickettsial Diseases Research Program (RDRP) and 17 institutes from nine countries among five continents were conducted to address the presence of and the risk for endemic rickettsial diseases. To establish serological and molecular assays in the collaborative institutes, initial training and continued material, and technical support were provided by RDRP. The laboratory methods used in the research studies to detect and identify the rickettsial infections included (1) group-specific IgM and IgG serological assays and (2) molecular assays. Twenty-six cooperative research projects performed between 2008 and 2020 enhanced the capability and capacity of 17 research institutes to estimate risk of rickettsial diseases. These international collaborative studies have led to the recognition and/or confirmation of rickettsial diseases within each of the partner countries. In addition, with the identification of specific pathogen and non-pathogen Rickettsia species, a more accurate risk assessment could be made in surveillance studies using environmental samples. The discoveries from these projects reinforced international cooperation benefiting not only the partner countries but also the scientific community at large through presentations (n = 40) at international scientific meetings and peer-reviewed publications (n = 18). The cooperative research studies conducted in multiple international institutes led to the incorporation of new SOPs and trainings for laboratory procedures; biosafety, biosurety, and biosecurity methods; performance of rickettsia-specific assays; and the identification of known and unknown rickettsial agents through the introduction of new serologic and molecular assays that complemented traditional microbiology methods.

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Identification and distribution of nine tick-borne spotted fever group Rickettsiae in the Country of Georgia

Cited by 13 publications

References 34 publications

Study of tick-borne zoonotic pathogens in questing and feeding ticks in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Study of tick-borne zoonotic pathogens in questing and feeding ticks in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia spp. Diversity in Ticks and the First Report of Rickettsia hoogstraalii in Romania

International Rickettsia Disease Surveillance: An Example of Cooperative Research to Increase Laboratory Capability and Capacity for Risk Assessment of Rickettsial Outbreaks Worldwide

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