Molecular detection of pathogens in ticks infesting cattle in Nampula province, Mozambique

Abstract

Ticks are ectoparasites that can act as vectors of a large number of pathogens in wild and domestic animals, pets, and occasionally humans. The global threat of emerging or re-emerging tick-borne diseases supports the need for research focused in the zoonotic transmission, especially in countries like Mozambique where rural populations are in close contact with domestic animals. The present study aims to: (1) identify tick species infesting cattle from Monapo and Nacala Porto, districts of Nampula province, Mozambique; and (2) investigate the presence of pathogens in the collected ticks. A total of 646 ticks were collected from cattle and morphologically identified as Amblyomma variegatum, Rhipicephalus microplus, and R. evertsi evertsi. For convenience, 72 A. variegatum and 15 R. microplus from Monapo, and 30 A. variegatum from Nacala Porto were screened for the presence of the selected pathogens: Rickettsia spp. (A. variegatum), and Babesia/Theileria spp. and Anaplasma/Ehrlichia spp. (R. microplus). Rickettsia africae was detected in four of the 72 A. variegatum collected in Monapo (5.6%). Additionally, one R. microplus tick (6.7%) was positive for Theileria velifera, one positive for Colpodella spp., one positive for Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii, and another one positive for Anaplasma ovis. Using the present approach, no microorganisms were detected in tick samples from Nacala Porto. These findings expand our knowledge about the repertoire of tick-borne microorganisms in ticks in Nampula province, Mozambique.

Molecular Detection and Characterization of Rickettsia Species in Ixodid Ticks Collected From Cattle in Southern Zambia

“…Our findings add to available data on the prevalence of rickettsial pathogens in ticks within the southern African region. Other countries in the region which have reports of tick surveys for Rickettsia infection include Zimbabwe ( 49 ), Botswana ( 52 ), Mozambique ( 53 ), and South Africa ( 54 – 58 ) with prevalence ranging from as low as 3% to as high as 77%. This study also adds to the growing data on tick-borne ( 41 , 42 , 59 – 61 ) and tick-associated ( 62 , 63 ) zoonotic pathogens within Zambia.…”

Cross-genera amplification and identification of Colpodella sp. with Cryptosporidium primers in fecal samples of zoo felids from northeast China

“…Previously, Copodella have been identified from blood, ticks and soil samples (Han et al, 2018;Jiang et al, 2018;Matsimbe et al, 2017;Olmo et al, 2011;Yuan et al, 2012) but as per our best knowledge, this is the first study in which Colpodella have been identified from the fecal samples of zoo felines of Northeast China. Researchers have realized the pathogenic importance of Colpodella after two case reports from China (Jiang et al, 2018;Yuan et al, 2012) where Colpodella has been found to associate with neurological symptoms and Babesia sp.…”

Upscaling the Surveillance of Tick-Borne Pathogens in the French Caribbean Islands

“…The unusual presence of R. africae in R. microplus ticks may have been due to the co-occurrence of the two tick species, R. microplus and A. variegatum, on cattle. As the ticks here were collected partially engorged, the presence of R. africae in R. microplus may have been due to bacteria circulating in cattle blood picked up by engorging ticks, or to cross-contamination with R. microplus ticks co-feeding next to infected A. variegatum [33,34].…”