Low-virulent Babesia venatorum infection masquerading as hemophagocytic syndrome

Bläckberg, Jonas; Lazarevic, Vladimir; Hunfeld, Klaus Peter; Persson, Kristina

doi:10.1007/s00277-017-3220-6

Cited by 25 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…have so far been reported in Sweden [18,53]. Thus, the risk of developing severe babesiosis after an I. ricinus tick bite among healthy individuals in Sweden appears to be low [29].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Three Babesia species in Ixodes ricinus ticks from migratory birds in Sweden

et al. 2021

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Background Migratory birds can cross geographical and environmental barriers and are thereby able to facilitate transmission of tick-borne pathogens both as carriers of infected ticks and as reservoirs of pathogenic microorganisms. Ixodes ricinus is one of the most abundant tick species in the Northern Hemisphere and a main vector of several Babesia species, some which pose a potential threat to human and animal health. At present only two cases of overt babesiosis in humans have so far been reported in Sweden. To better understand the potential role of birds as disseminators of zoonotic Babesia protozoan parasites, we investigated the presence of Babesia species in ticks removed from migratory birds. Methods Ticks were collected from birds captured at Ottenby Bird Observatory, south-eastern Sweden, from March to November 2009. Ticks were molecularly identified to species, and morphologically to developmental stage, and the presence of Babesia protozoan parasites was determined by real-time PCR. Results In total, 4601 migratory birds of 65 species were examined for tick infestation. Ticks removed from these birds have previously been investigated for the presence of Borrelia bacteria and the tick-borne encephalitis virus. In the present study, a total of 1102 ticks were available for molecular analysis of Babesia protozoan parasites. We found that 2.4% of the ticks examined, all I. ricinus, were positive for mammal-associated Babesia species. Out of all Babesia-positive samples, Babesia venatorum was the most prevalent (58%) species, followed by Babesia microti (38%) and Babesia capreoli (4.0%). B. venatorum and B. capreoli were detected in I. ricinus larvae, whereas B. microti was only present in I. ricinus nymphs. This supports the view that the two first-mentioned species are vertically (transovarially) transmitted in the tick population, in contrast to B. microti. The largest number of Babesia-infected ticks was removed from the common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) and European robin (Erithacus rubecula). Conclusions This study reveals that Babesia protozoan parasites are present in ticks infesting migratory birds in south-eastern Sweden, which could potentially lead to the dissemination of these tick-borne microorganisms into new areas, thus posing a threat to humans and other mammals.

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“…have so far been reported in Sweden [18,53]. Thus, the risk of developing severe babesiosis after an I. ricinus tick bite among healthy individuals in Sweden appears to be low [29].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Human disease caused by B. divergens has also been reported in immunocompetent patients [52]. A few cases of B. microti and B. venatorum infection have also been reported in Europe [21,22,24,53]. In contrast to B. divergens, B. venatorum, and B. microti, B. capreoli is considered not to be human-pathogenic [32].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three Babesia species in Ixodes ricinus ticks from migratory birds in Sweden

et al. 2021

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“…According to phylogenetic analysis, B. venatorum of D. nuttalli was mostly related to B. venatorum strains YZ-2012 (JQ993426.2) and HLJ371 (KU204792.1) detected in I. persulcatus in Heilongjiang Province of China. B. venatorum can cause human infection masquerading as hemophagocytic syndrome [ 56 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of tick-borne pathogens by metagenomic next-generation sequencing in Dermacentor nuttalli and Ixodes persulcatus in Inner Mongolia, China

Jiao

et al. 2021

Parasites Vectors

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Background Hard ticks act as arthropod vectors in the transmission of human and animal pathogens and are widely distributed in northern China. The aim of this study is to screen the important tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) carried by hard ticks in Inner Mongolia using metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and to estimate the risk of human infection imposed by tick bites. Methods The adult Dermacentor nuttalli (n = 203) and Ixodes persulcatus (n = 36) ticks feeding on cattle were collected. The pooled DNA samples prepared from these ticks were sequenced as the templates for mNGS to survey the presence of TBPs at the genus level. Individual tick DNA samples were detected by genus--specific or group-specific nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of these TBPs and combined with DNA sequencing assay to confirm the results of mNGS. Results R. raoultii (45.32%, 92/203), Candidatus R. tarasevichiae (5.42%, 11/203), Anaplasma sp. Mongolia (26.60%, 54/203), Coxiella-like endosymbiont (CLE) (53.69%, 109/203), and Babesia venatorum (7.88%, 16/203) were detected in D. nuttalli, while R. raoultii (30.56%, 11/36), Anaplasma sp. Mongolia (27.80%, 10/36), and CLE (27.80%, 10/36) were detected in I. persulcatus. The double- and triple-pathogen/endosymbiont co-infections were detected in 40.39% of D. nuttalli and 13.89% of I. persulcatus, respectively. The dual co-infection with R. raoultii and CLE (14.29%, 29/203) and triple co-infection with R. raoultii, Anaplasma sp. Mongolia, and CLE (13.79%, 28/203) were most frequent in D. nuttalli. Conclusions This study provides insight into the microbial diversity of D. nuttalli and I. persulcatus in Inner Mongolia, China, reporting for the first time that Candidatus R. tarasevichiae had been found in D. nuttalli in China, and for the first time in the world that Anaplasma sp. Mongolia has been detected in I. persulcatus. This study proves that various vertically transmitted pathogens co-inhabit D. nuttalli and I. persulcatus, and indicates that cattle in Inner Mongolia are exposed to several TBPs. Graphic Abstract

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“…However, in the original case, species identification relied on the morphology of intraerythrocytic parasites and serology, and was prior to the development of DNA sequencing, the dominant means of assigning Babesia to species. For the other Babesia associated with human infection, B. venatorum , no human cases have been detected in the UK [ 26 , 27 ] and cases are rare in Europe [ 49 ]. Further studies in all deer species from a wider geographical range are needed to fully understand the Babesia species diversity present within the UK and the role deer play in their maintenance within the tick population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), United Kingdom

2021

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Deer represent a major vertebrate host for all feeding stages of the hard tick Ixodes ricinus in the United Kingdom (UK), and could play a role in the persistence of tick-borne pathogens. However, there have been few studies reporting the presence of Babesia spp. and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in deer in the UK, and those that detected Babesia were unable to confirm the species. To address this, we have investigated blood samples from red deer (Cervus elaphus) for the presence of tick-borne pathogens. Total DNA was extracted from haemolysed blood that was removed from clotted blood sampled from culled, captive red deer. Babesia spp. were detected with a pan-piroplasm PCR that amplifies a fragment of the 18S rRNA gene. Species were identified based on identity with published sequences. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was detected with a probe-based PCR targeting the msp2 gene. In addition, residual serum samples from a subset of animals were tested for the presence of anti-flavivirus antibodies. Of 105 red deer samples tested from three locations in the United Kingdom, 5 were positive for piroplasm and 5 were positive for A. phagocytophilum. Co-infection with both pathogens was detected in two samples from one location. No evidence for antibodies against West Nile virus were detected. However, 12% of sera tested were positive for tick-borne encephalitis virus antibodies.

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Low-virulent Babesia venatorum infection masquerading as hemophagocytic syndrome

Cited by 25 publications

References 9 publications

Three Babesia species in Ixodes ricinus ticks from migratory birds in Sweden

Three Babesia species in Ixodes ricinus ticks from migratory birds in Sweden

Identification of tick-borne pathogens by metagenomic next-generation sequencing in Dermacentor nuttalli and Ixodes persulcatus in Inner Mongolia, China

Detection of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), United Kingdom

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