Molecular survey on tick-borne pathogens and Leishmania infantum in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from southern Italy

Sgroi, Giovanni; Iatta, Roberta; Veneziano, Vincenzo; Bezerra‐Santos, Marcos Antônio; Lesiczka, Paulina Maria; Hrazdilová, Kristýna; Annoscia, Giada; D’Alessio, Nicola; Golovchenko, Maryna; Rudenko, Nataliia; Modrý, David; Otranto, Domenico

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101669

Cited by 24 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…Although the vectorial competence of D. marginatus for C. burnetii (via faecal excretion—Körner et al., 2020) has been ascertained, the role of this tick species in the epidemiology of Q fever appears negligible compared to Hyalomma lusitanicum , in which the prevalence of this pathogen (i.e., 18%) is higher than in D. marginatus (i.e., 1.4%) around Europe (Körner et al., 2021). The finding of B. lusitaniae in I. ricinus infesting hunters and hunting dogs confirms the presence of this zoonotic genospecies in rural areas of southern Italy, as previously established in lizards (Mendoza‐Roldan et al., 2019) and foxes (Sgroi et al., 2021). Despite the pathogenic role of B. lusitaniae in humans has not been completely clarified, the occurrence of long‐lasting skin lesions in the site of tick bites in patients affected by this pathogen, underlines its clinical relevance (Collares‐Pereira et al., 2004).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…The finding of B. lusitaniae in I. ricinus infesting hunters and hunting dogs confirms the presence of this zoonotic genospecies in rural areas of southern Italy, as previously established in lizards (Mendoza-Roldan et al, 2019) and foxes (Sgroi et al, 2021). Despite the pathogenic role of B. lusitaniae in humans has not been completely clarified, the occurrence of long-lasting skin lesions in the site of tick bites in patients affected by this pathogen, underlines its clinical relevance (Collares-Pereira et al, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Globally, the occurrence of TBDs is increasing worldwide (Jaenson et al, 2009;Kuehn, 2019 ) and the most common in Europe is Lyme disease caused by bacteria belonging to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, being Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii and B. burgdorferi sensu stricto the main zoonotic genospecies (Rauter & Hartung, 2005;Rizzoli et al, 2014 ). Other relevant TBPs include Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Coxiella burnetii and Rickettsia spp., which can be transmitted to a wide range of wild and domestic mammals, as well as humans (Bowser & Anderson, 2018;Cutler et al, 2019;Estrada-Peña et al, 2017;Krause, 2019;Parola et al, 2013;Sgroi et al, 2021;Sprong et al, 2018 ). The increased urbanization of European areas contributes to a higher circulation of synanthropic wildlife, and consequently may expose people to TBPs and other zoonotic agents since these animals could harbour a plethora of tick vectors (Baneth, 2014;Rizzoli et al, 2014;Sgroi et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tick exposure and risk of tick‐borne pathogens infection in hunters and hunting dogs: a citizen science approach

Sgroi

Iatta

Lia

et al. 2021

Transbounding Emerging Dis

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Citizen science may be described as a research involving communities and individuals, other than scientists. Following this approach, along with the evidence of a high prevalence of Rickettsia spp. in Dermacentor marginatus from wild boars in hunting areas of southern Italy, this study aimed to assess the occurrence of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) in ticks collected from hunters and their hunting dogs. From October 2020 to May 2021, ticks were collected from wild boar hunters (n = 347) and their dogs (n = 422) in regions of southern Italy (i.e., Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania and Sicily). All ticks were morphologically identified, classified according to gender, feeding status, host, geographic origin, and molecularly screened for zoonotic bacteria. Adult ticks (n = 411) were collected from hunters (i.e., n = 29; 8.4%; mean of 1.6 ticks for person) and dogs (i.e., n = 200; 47.4%; mean of 1.8 ticks for animal) and identified at species level as D. marginatus (n = 240, 58.4%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (n = 135, 32.8%), Rhipicephalus turanicus (n = 27, 6.6%) and Ixodes ricinus (n = 9, 2.2%). Overall, 45 ticks (i.e., 10.9%, 95% CI: 8.3-14.3) tested positive for at least one tick-borne agent, being Rickettsia slovaca the most frequent species (n = 37, 9.0%), followed by Rickettsia raoultii, Rickettsia aeschlimannii, Rickettsia monacensis, Coxiella burnetii, Borrelia lusitaniae and Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii (n = 2, 0.5% each). Data herein presented demonstrate a relevant risk of exposure to TBPs for hunters and hunting dogs during the hunting activities. Therefore, the role of hunters to monitor the circulation of ticks in rural areas may be considered an effective example of the citizen science approach, supporting the cooperation toward private and public health stakeholders.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Tick exposure and risk of tick‐borne pathogens infection in hunters and hunting dogs: a citizen science approach

Sgroi

Iatta

Lia

et al. 2021

Transbounding Emerging Dis

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“…Detection of B. lusitaniae in persons frequenting rural environments of southern Italy confirms the circulation of this zoonotic genospecies, which previously was reported in different hosts, such as the Italian wall lizard ( Podarcis siculus ) ( 41 ) and red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ) ( 42 ), and in I. ricinus ticks collected on humans from the same study area ( 8 ). The human pathogenic role of B. lusitaniae has not been completely clarified, but the finding of erythematous macules from positive patients examined in this study is of clinical relevance because these skin lesions could cause chronic or long-lasting injuries associated with infiltration of the local subcutaneous tissues ( 43 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Detection of Endosymbiont Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii and Tickborne Pathogens in Humans Exposed to Tick Bites, Italy

Sgroi¹,

Iatta²,

Lovreglio³

et al. 2022

Emerg. Infect. Dis.

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During 2021, we collected blood and serum samples from 135 persons exposed to tick bites in southern Italy. We serologically and molecularly screened for zoonotic tickborne pathogens and only molecularly screened for Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii. Overall, 62 (45.9%) persons tested positive for tickborne pathogens. Coxiella burnetii was detected most frequently (27.4%), along with Rickettsia spp. (21.5%) and Borrelia spp. (10.4%). We detected Candidatus M. mitochondrii DNA in 46 (34.1%) participants who had statistically significant associations to tickborne pathogens (p<0.0001). Phylogenetic analysis of Candidatus M. mitochondrii sequences revealed 5 clades and 8 human sequence types that correlated with vertebrates, Ixodes spp. ticks, and countries in Europe. These data demonstrated a high circulation of tickborne pathogens and Candidatus M. mitochondrii DNA in persons participating in outdoor activities in southern Italy. Our study shows how coordinated surveillance among patients, clinicians, and veterinarians could inform a One Health approach for monitoring and controlling the circulation of tickborne pathogens.

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“…For detection of B. canis in isolated DNA, part of the small subunit of the 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene was targeted using nested PCR. The 376-bp fragment of 18S rDNA was amplified using primers Bc_F1, GR2 and Bc_F2, Bc_R1 [ 32 , 33 ]. The first round of PCR was prepared in a total volume of 15 µl, which included 7.5 µl of 2× PCRBIO Taq Mix Red (PCR Biosystems, London, UK), 7.5 pmol of each primer (Bc_F1 and GR2) and 2 µl of template DNA.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The distribution of Dermacentor reticulatus in the Czech Republic re-assessed: citizen science approach to understanding the current distribution of the Babesia canis vector

et al. 2022

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Background The range of the ornate dog tick Dermacentorreticulatus is rapidly expanding in Europe. This tick species is the vector of canine babesiosis, caused by Babesiacanis, and also plays a role in the transmission of Theileriaequi and Babesiacaballi in equids. Methods The geographic range of D.reticulatus in the Czech Republic was re-assessed, and an up-to-date distribution map is presented based on material and data obtained during a nationwide citizen science campaign. Received and flagged individuals of D.reticulatus were also analysed for the presence of B.canis DNA. Results In striking contrast to historical records, D.reticulatus was found in all regions of the Czech Republic, with most reports coming from the southeast and northwest of the country. Between February 2018 and June 2021, the project team received 558 photo reports of ticks and 250 packages containing ticks. Of the former, 71.1% were identified as Dermacentor sp. with the remainder identified as Ixodes sp., Haemaphysalis sp., Argas sp. or Hyalomma sp. The majority of specimens in the subset of ticks that were received (N = 610) were D.reticulatus (N = 568, 93.7%), followed by Ixodesricinus and Hyalomma spp. A total of 783 adult D.reticulatus, either received (568) or collected by flagging (215), were tested for the presence of B.canis DNA using species-specific nested PCR targeting part of the 18S rRNA gene; B.canis DNA was demonstrated in 22 samples (2.81%). Conclusions The continuous spread of D.reticulatus in the Czech Republic was documented in this study. In addition, DNA of B.canis was also detected in a number of ticks, suggesting the establishment of B.canis in the Czech Republic. These results suggest that veterinarians need to consider the possibility of canine babesiosis even in dogs without a history of travel. Graphical Abstract

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Molecular survey on tick-borne pathogens and Leishmania infantum in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from southern Italy

Cited by 24 publications

References 81 publications

Tick exposure and risk of tick‐borne pathogens infection in hunters and hunting dogs: a citizen science approach

Tick exposure and risk of tick‐borne pathogens infection in hunters and hunting dogs: a citizen science approach

Detection of Endosymbiont Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii and Tickborne Pathogens in Humans Exposed to Tick Bites, Italy

The distribution of Dermacentor reticulatus in the Czech Republic re-assessed: citizen science approach to understanding the current distribution of the Babesia canis vector

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