Tick-borne pathogens and their reservoir hosts in northern Italy

Barakova, I.; Derdáková, Markéta; Selyemová, Diana; Chvostáč, Michal; Špitalská, Eva; Rosso, Fausta; Collini, M.; Rosà, Roberto; Tagliapietra, Valentina; Girardi, Matteo; Ramponi, Claudio; Hauffe, Heidi C.; Rizzoli, Annapaola

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.08.012

Cited by 38 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Sporadic infections with R. helvetica, previously reported from roe deer from Slovakia [57] or roe deer and wild boar from the Netherlands [59], were not confirmed for the study area. However, our results are consistent with other studies reporting the presence of SFG rickettsiae in I. ricinus feeding on free-living ungulates [38, 128, 129, 142]. Moreover, rickettsial infection in tick larvae feeding on uninfected hosts as well as a comparable prevalence of SFG rickettsiae in the examined engorged I. ricinus and in questing ticks from the study area [143] suggest that large ungulates play a role in the dispersion of infected ticks, but are not involved in the natural circulation of SFG rickettsiae in the Small Carpathian forests.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Infestation of cervids with ticks that carry potentially zoonotic strains of Babesia spp. is common [38, 58, 129, 135–137]. In the study area, infection with babesiae has previously been confirmed in questing I. ricinus ( B. venatorum , B. capreoli and B. odocoilei ), for which vector competence was confirmed for B. venatorum [138], and H. concinna , infected with Babesia spp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…For engorged ticks from cervids in Italy, a 31.2% prevalence [113] or 29.9% positive pools [128] were found, but no information on the tick developmental stage was given. In another study from Italy, a prevalence of 11% and 5.4% was detected for nymphs/adults and larvae, respectively [129]. The prevalence in adult ticks feeding on cervids in Italy (7.3%) [116] and Poland (22.7%) [108] was lower than in our study, whereas it was comparable with the 86.1% prevalence reported from a site in Germany, where the infection rate of roe deer was as high as 98.7% [38].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diverse tick-borne microorganisms identified in free-living ungulates in Slovakia

et al. 2018

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BackgroundFree-living ungulates are hosts of ixodid ticks and reservoirs of tick-borne microorganisms in central Europe and many regions around the world. Tissue samples and engorged ticks were obtained from roe deer, red deer, fallow deer, mouflon, and wild boar hunted in deciduous forests of south-western Slovakia. DNA isolated from these samples was screened for the presence of tick-borne microorganisms by PCR-based methods.ResultsTicks were found to infest all examined ungulate species. The principal infesting tick was Ixodes ricinus, identified on 90.4% of wildlife, and included all developmental stages. Larvae and nymphs of Haemaphysalis concinna were feeding on 9.6% of wildlife. Two specimens of Dermacentor reticulatus were also identified. Ungulates were positive for A. phagocytophilum and Theileria spp. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was found to infect 96.1% of cervids, 88.9% of mouflon, and 28.2% of wild boar, whereas Theileria spp. was detected only in cervids (94.6%). Importantly, a high rate of cervids (89%) showed mixed infections with both these microorganisms. In addition to A. phagocytophilum and Theileria spp., Rickettsia helvetica, R. monacensis, unidentified Rickettsia sp., Coxiella burnetii, “Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis”, Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.) and Babesia venatorum were identified in engorged I. ricinus. Furthermore, A. phagocytophilum, Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. were detected in engorged H. concinna. Analysis of 16S rRNA and groEL gene sequences revealed the presence of five and two A. phagocytophilum variants, respectively, among which sequences identified in wild boar showed identity to the sequence of the causative agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA). Phylogenetic analysis of Theileria 18S rRNA gene sequences amplified from cervids and engorged I. ricinus ticks segregated jointly with sequences of T. capreoli isolates into a moderately supported monophyletic clade.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that free-living ungulates are reservoirs for A. phagocytophilum and Theileria spp. and engorged ixodid ticks attached to ungulates are good sentinels for the presence of agents of public and veterinary concern. Further analyses of the A. phagocytophilum genetic variants and Theileria species and their associations with vector ticks and free-living ungulates are required.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-3068-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diverse tick-borne microorganisms identified in free-living ungulates in Slovakia

et al. 2018

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“…[45]. Previous studies report A. phagocytophilum in ticks of domestic dogs and wild carnivores from Italy, with a prevalence ranging from 0% to 16.6% [22,[46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54]. A. platys and E. canis were reported in tick pools from both northern and southern provinces (p>0.05), in contrast with previous reports of higher seroprevalence levels in dogs from southern Italy [54,55] and Sardinia [56].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Tick-borne pathogens in Ixodidae ticks collected from privately-owned dogs in Italy: a country-wide molecular survey

Zanet

Battisti

Pepe

et al. 2020

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Background Ticks and tick-borne diseases are increasingly recognized as a cause of disease in dogs worldwide. The epidemiology of ticks and tick-transmitted protozoa and bacteria has changed due to the spread of ticks to urban and peri-urban areas and the movement of infected animals, posing new risks for animals and humans. This countrywide study reports information on distribution and prevalence of pathogens in ticks collected from privately-owned dogs in Italy. We analyzed 2681 Ixodidae ticks, collected from 1454 pet dogs from Italy. Specific PCR protocols were used to detect i) Piroplasms of the genera Babesia and Theileria , ii) Gram-negative cocci of the family Anaplasmataceae and iii) Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Sequencing of positive amplicons allowed for species identification. Results Babesia / Theileria spp. DNA was detected in 435 homogeneous tick-pools (Minimum Infection Rate (MIR) = 27.6%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 25.4-29.8%) with higher prevalence in Ixodes ricinus and Rhipicephalus sanguneus group. The zoonotic B. venatorum was the most prevalent species (MIR = 7.5%; 95% CI = 6.3-9.0%). Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species were detected in 165 tick-pools (MIR = 10.5%; 95% CI = 9.3-11.8%) and specifically, A. phagocytophilum was identified with MIR = 5.1% (95% CI = 4.1-6.3%). Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and B. afzelii were detected with MIR = 0.4% (95% CI = 0.2-0.8%) and MIR = 0.3% (95% CI 0.1-0.7%) respectively. Conclusions Zoonotic pathogens B. venatorum and A. phagocytophilum were the most frequently detected in ticks collected from privately-owned dogs which might be used as markers of pathogens presence and distribution.

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“…phagocytophilum in ticks of domestic dogs and wild carnivores from Italy, with a prevalence ranging from 0% to 16.6% [22,[43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51]. A. platys and E. canis were reported homogeneously in tick pools from both northern and southern provinces, in contrast with previous reports of higher seroprevalence levels in dogs from southern Italy [51,52] and Sardinia [53].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Tick-borne pathogens in Ixodidae ticks collected from privately-owned dogs in Italy: a country-wide molecular survey

Zanet

Battisti

Pepe

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background Ticks and tick-borne diseases are increasingly recognized as a cause of disease in dogs worldwide. The epidemiology of ticks and tick-transmitted protozoa and bacteria has changed due to the spread of ticks to urban and peri-urban areas and the movement of infected animals, posing new risks for animals and humans. This countrywide study reports information on distribution and prevalence of pathogens in ticks collected from privately-owned dogs in Italy. We analyzed 2681 Ixodidae ticks, collected from 1454 pet dogs from Italy. Specific PCR protocols were used to detect i) Piroplasms of the genera Babesia and Theileria , ii) Gram-negative cocci of the family Anaplasmataceae and iii) Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. Sequencing of positive amplicons allowed for species identification.Results Babesia / Theileria spp. DNA was detected in 435 tick-pools (Minimum Infection Rate (MIR) = 27.57%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 25.42-29.82%) with higher prevalence in Ixodes ricinus and Rhipicephalus sanguneus group. The zoonotic B. venatorum was the most prevalent species (MIR = 7.54%; 95% CI = 6.34-8.95%). Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species were detected in 165 tick-pools (MIR = 10.46%; 95% CI = 9.26-11.79%) and specifically, A. phagocytophilum was identified with MIR = 5.07% (95% CI = 4.09-6.27%). Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and B. afzelii were detected with MIR = 0.38% (95% CI = 0.17-0.83%) and MIR = 0.25% (95% CI 0.1-0.65%) respectively.Conclusions Zoonotic pathogens were the most frequently detected in ticks collected from privately-owned dogs which might be used as markers of pathogens presence and distribution.

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Tick-borne pathogens and their reservoir hosts in northern Italy

Cited by 38 publications

References 67 publications

Diverse tick-borne microorganisms identified in free-living ungulates in Slovakia

Diverse tick-borne microorganisms identified in free-living ungulates in Slovakia

Tick-borne pathogens in Ixodidae ticks collected from privately-owned dogs in Italy: a country-wide molecular survey

Tick-borne pathogens in Ixodidae ticks collected from privately-owned dogs in Italy: a country-wide molecular survey

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