Regional, seasonal, biennial and landscape-associated distribution of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia spp. infections in Ixodes ticks in northern Germany and implications for risk assessment at larger spatial scales

Knoll, Steffen; Springer, Andrea; Hauck, Daniela; Schunack, Bettina; Pachnicke, Stefan; Strübe, Christina

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101657

Cited by 15 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…A large‐scale study on 250 forest patches throughout Europe identified certain habitat properties, which may impact the availability of hosts, as important drivers of Borrelia prevalence in ticks (Ehrmann et al ., 2018). However, landscape type had no significant effect in the present study on Borrelia infections, nor on Rickettsiales infections in the same ticks from these sampling sites (Knoll et al ., 2021). Likewise, no significant effect of forest type on Borrelia prevalence was observed in a Belgian study (Ruyts et al ., 2016), although the grade of urbanization was positively correlated to Borrelia prevalence in Luxembourg (Reye et al ., 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, a blood meal on deer could result in Borrelia elimination, while simultaneously leading to A. phagocytophilum infection. This was also corroborated by a significantly higher A. phagocytophilum prevalence in adult ticks than in nymphs, as nymphs are more likely to feed on larger mammals like deer than larvae (Knoll et al ., 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, when analysing annual differences for each region separately, a significant decline in prevalence from 2018 to 2019 was detected only in the region of Hanover. Interestingly, significantly less A. phagocytophilum and Rickettsia infections in 2019 than in 2018 were detected in the same tick material, with the largest prevalence difference observed in the region of Hanover (Knoll et al ., 2021). The years 2018 and 2019 were characterized by a rather hot and dry climate in Europe [German Meterological Service (http://www.dwd.de/)].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(2019). The genomic DNA was extracted from each individual tick as described elsewhere (May & Strube, 2014; Knoll et al ., 2021) and already analysed for infections with Rickettsia spp. and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in a previous study (Knoll et al ., 2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and Borrelia miyamotoi in Ixodes tick populations in Northern Germany, co‐infections with Rickettsiales and assessment of potential influencing factors

Knoll

Springer

Hauck

et al. 2021

Medical Vet Entomology

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To determine Borrelia spp. (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae) prevalence and species distribution in Northern Germany, Ixodes ticks were sampled from April to October in 2018 and 2019 by the flagging method at three locations each in five regions. Analysis by quantitative real‐time PCR of 3150 individual ticks revealed an overall prevalence of 30.6%, without significant differences between tick stages (31.7% positive adults, 28.6% positive nymphs). Significant differences were observed in seasonal infection rates, but not between regions, landscape types or sampling years. Analysis of co‐infections with Rickettsiales indicated a negative association between Borrelia and Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection. The most frequent Borrelia species differentiated by Reverse Line Blot were B. afzelii and B. garinii/B. bavariensis, followed by B. valaisiana, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. spielmanii and B. lusitaniae. Furthermore, B. miyamotoi was identified in 12.9% of differentiable samples. No effect of region nor landscape type on species composition was found, but significant variations in the distribution at the different sampling sites within a region were observed. The detected monthly fluctuations in prevalence and the differences in intra‐regional Borrelia species distribution underline the importance of long‐term and multi‐location monitoring of Borrelia spp. in ticks as an essential part of public health assessment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and Borrelia miyamotoi in Ixodes tick populations in Northern Germany, co‐infections with Rickettsiales and assessment of potential influencing factors

Knoll

Springer

Hauck

et al. 2021

Medical Vet Entomology

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“…linked to human disease. Both R. helvetica and R. monacensis are commonly detected in I. ricinus across Europe (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7), and various other rickettsiae including R. raoultii and R. slovaca, which are primarily vectored by other tick species, have also been identified in I. ricinus (3,8). Meanwhile, I. persulcatus is infected with a wider range of Rickettsia spp., with R. helvetica, R. raoultii, R. sibirica, R. heilongjiangensis, and "Candidatus R. tarasevichiae" often detected in this tick species (3,4,(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ixodes scapularis Symbiont Rickettsia buchneri Inhibits Growth of Pathogenic Rickettsiaceae in Tick Cells: Implications for Vector Competence

et al. 2022

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Ixodes scapularis is the primary vector of tick-borne pathogens in North America but notably does not transmit pathogenic Rickettsia species. This tick harbors the transovarially transmitted endosymbiont Rickettsia buchneri, which is widespread in I. scapularis populations, suggesting that it confers a selective advantage for tick survival such as providing essential nutrients. The R. buchneri genome includes genes with similarity to those involved in antibiotic synthesis. There are two gene clusters not found in other Rickettsiaceae, raising the possibility that these may be involved in excluding pathogenic bacteria from the tick. This study explored whether the R. buchneri antibiotic genes might exert antibiotic effects on pathogens associated with I. scapularis. Markedly reduced infectivity and replication of the tick-borne pathogens Anaplasma phagocytophilum, R. monacensis, and R. parkeri were observed in IRE11 tick cells hosting R. buchneri. Using a fluorescent plate reader assay to follow infection dynamics revealed that the presence of R. buchneri in tick cells, even at low infection rates, inhibited the growth of R. parkeri by 86–100% relative to R. buchneri-free cells. In contrast, presence of the low-pathogenic species R. amblyommatis or the endosymbiont R. peacockii only partially reduced the infection and replication of R. parkeri. Addition of host-cell free R. buchneri, cell lysate of R. buchneri-infected IRE11, or supernatant from R. buchneri-infected IRE11 cultures had no effect on R. parkeri infection and replication in IRE11, nor did these treatments show any antibiotic effect against non-obligate intracellular bacteria E. coli and S. aureus. However, lysate from R. buchneri-infected IRE11 challenged with R. parkeri showed some inhibitory effect on R. parkeri infection of treated IRE11, suggesting that challenge by pathogenic rickettsiae may induce the antibiotic effect of R. buchneri. This research suggests a potential role of the endosymbiont in preventing other rickettsiae from colonizing I. scapularis and/or being transmitted transovarially. The confirmation that the observed inhibition is linked to R. buchneri's antibiotic clusters requires further investigation but could have important implications for our understanding of rickettsial competition and vector competence of I. scapularis for rickettsiae.

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The influence of forest habitat type on Ixodes ricinus infections with Rickettsia spp. in south-western Poland

Dyczko,

Błażej,

Kiewra

2024

Current Research in Parasitology & Vector-Borne Diseases

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Regional, seasonal, biennial and landscape-associated distribution of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia spp. infections in Ixodes ticks in northern Germany and implications for risk assessment at larger spatial scales

Cited by 15 publications

References 71 publications

Distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and Borrelia miyamotoi in Ixodes tick populations in Northern Germany, co‐infections with Rickettsiales and assessment of potential influencing factors

Distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and Borrelia miyamotoi in Ixodes tick populations in Northern Germany, co‐infections with Rickettsiales and assessment of potential influencing factors

The Ixodes scapularis Symbiont Rickettsia buchneri Inhibits Growth of Pathogenic Rickettsiaceae in Tick Cells: Implications for Vector Competence

The influence of forest habitat type on Ixodes ricinus infections with Rickettsia spp. in south-western Poland

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