Detection and Identification of<i>Rickettsia</i>Species in the Northeast of Italy

Floris, Romina; Yurtman, Ayşe; Margoni, Erica Faverio; Mignozzi, Katja; Boemo, Barbara; Altobelli, Alfredo; Cinco, Marina

doi:10.1089/vbz.2008.0006

Cited by 32 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The detection of R. monacensis in I. ricinus ticks adds to findings in surrounding countries, where the presence of this species has been confirmed (30,32,49,54). However, finding this high proportion of R. raoultii (40.9% of Rickettsia species-positive ticks) and one R. slovaca-positive I. ricinus tick in our investigation was surprising, as these species are usually associated with Dermacentor ticks (55, 57).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

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Approaches for Reverse Line Blot-Based Detection of Microbial Pathogens in Ixodes ricinus Ticks Collected in Austria and Impact of the Chosen Method

Schötta

Wijnveld

Stockinger

et al. 2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Ticks transmit a large number of pathogens capable of causing human disease. In this study, the PCR-reverse line blot (RLB) method was used to screen for pathogens in a total of 554 Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from all provinces of Austria. These pathogens belong to the genera Borrelia, Rickettsiae, Anaplasma/Ehrlichia (including "Candidatus Neoehrlichia"), Babesia, and Coxiella. The pathogens with the highest detected prevalence were spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, in 142 ticks (25.6%). Borrelia afzelii (80/142) was the most frequently detected species, followed by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (38/142) and Borrelia valaisiana (36/142). Borrelia garinii/Borrelia bavariensis, Borrelia lusitaniae, and Borrelia spielmanii were found in 28 ticks, 5 ticks, and 1 tick, respectively. Rickettsia spp. were detected in 93 ticks (16.8%): R. helvetica (39/93), R. raoultii (38/93), R. monacensis (2/ 93), and R. slovaca (1/93). Thirteen Rickettsia samples remain uncharacterized. "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis," Babesia spp. (B. venatorum, B. divergens, B. microti), and Anaplasma phagocytophilum were found in 4.5%, 2.7%, and 0.7%, respectively. Coxiella burnetii was not detected. Multiple microorganisms were detected in 40 ticks (7.2%), and the cooccurrence of Babesia spp. and "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis" showed a significant positive correlation. We also compared different PCRRLBs for detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Rickettsia spp. and showed that different detection approaches provide highly diverse results, indicating that analysis of environmental samples remains challenging. IMPORTANCE This study determined the wide spectrum of tick-borne bacterial and protozoal pathogens that can be encountered in Austria. Surveillance of (putative) pathogenic microorganisms occurring in the environment is of medical importance, especially when those agents can be transmitted by ticks and cause disease. The observation of significant coinfections of certain microorganisms in field-collected ticks is an initial step to an improved understanding of microbial interactions in ticks. In addition, we show that variations in molecular detection methods, such as in primer pairs and target genes, can considerably influence the final results. For instance, detection of certain genospecies of borreliae may be better or worse by one method or the other, a fact of great importance for future screening studies.KEYWORDS Austria, Babesia, Borrelia burgdorferi, Ixodes ricinus, method comparison, reverse line blot, Rickettsia, tick screening T icks carry and transmit a variety of pathogens (bacteria, protozoa, viruses) that can lead to serious infections in humans (1). In Europe, the majority of vector-borne diseases are caused by tick-borne pathogens; thus, knowledge about such pathogens is of medical relevance.The hard tick Ixodes ricinus is the most important vector in Europe (2) and the most

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

“…The prevalence of Rickettsia spp. in questing I. ricinus ticks in the countries surrounding Austria typically does not exceed 20% (30,32,(49)(50)(51)(52)(53)(54). A previous Austrian study found a higher rate of 35.6% in ticks from the 2005 collection (15).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Approaches for Reverse Line Blot-Based Detection of Microbial Pathogens in Ixodes ricinus Ticks Collected in Austria and Impact of the Chosen Method

Schötta

Wijnveld

Stockinger

et al. 2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…strain Davousti, previously found in Amblyomma tholloni ticks in Africa, was detected in Ixodes species ticks collected from migratory birds in Sweden (323). Furthermore, a sequence with high homology to that of "Rickettsia limoniae" was detected in I. ricinus ticks from the Italian Alpine zone (324). Rickettsia sp.…”

Section: Nonvalidated Incompletely Described or Uncultivated Speciesmentioning

confidence: 70%

Update on Tick-Borne Rickettsioses around the World: a Geographic Approach

et al. 2013

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SUMMARY Tick-borne rickettsioses are caused by obligate intracellular bacteria belonging to the spotted fever group of the genus Rickettsia . These zoonoses are among the oldest known vector-borne diseases. However, in the past 25 years, the scope and importance of the recognized tick-associated rickettsial pathogens have increased dramatically, making this complex of diseases an ideal paradigm for the understanding of emerging and reemerging infections. Several species of tick-borne rickettsiae that were considered nonpathogenic for decades are now associated with human infections, and novel Rickettsia species of undetermined pathogenicity continue to be detected in or isolated from ticks around the world. This remarkable expansion of information has been driven largely by the use of molecular techniques that have facilitated the identification of novel and previously recognized rickettsiae in ticks. New approaches, such as swabbing of eschars to obtain material to be tested by PCR, have emerged in recent years and have played a role in describing emerging tick-borne rickettsioses. Here, we present the current knowledge on tick-borne rickettsiae and rickettsioses using a geographic approach toward the epidemiology of these diseases.

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“…Furthermore, the incidence of TBE in these regions has increased from 0.06 to 0.88 cases per 100 000 inhabitants in the same time frame (Rizzoli et al, 2009). Importantly, TBEV has been isolated and identified in most of the regions where human cases have been reported (Hudson et al, 2001;Beltrame et al, 2006;Cruciatti et al, 2006;Floris et al, 2006;D'Agaro et al, 2009). However, previous studies undertaken primarily in the Veneto and Trentino regions have shown a lower prevalence of TBEV in Italian tick populations compared with other European sites where TBEV is endemic (Hudson et al, 2001), whilst phylogenetic analyses indicate that only strains of the European subtype very similar to the Austrian Neudoerfl strain have been found in Italian TBEV populations (Hudson et al, 2001;Floris et al, 2006;D'Agaro et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and genetic variability of tick-borne encephalitis virus in host-seeking Ixodes ricinus in northern Italy

Carpi

Bertolotti

Rosati

et al. 2009

Journal of General Virology

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Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a severe disease that has been endemic in north-east Italy since 1992. Over the past two decades, there has been an increase in the number of human cases reported in many European countries, including Italy. To assess the current TBE infection risk, questing ticks were collected from known TBE foci, as well as from a site in northern Italy where no human infections have been reported previously. A total of 1739 Ixodes ricinus (1485 nymphs and 254 adults) was collected and analysed for TBEV prevalence by a real-time RT-PCR targeting the 39 untranslated region. Phylogenetic analyses of the partial envelope gene were conducted on two newly sequenced TBE virus (TBEV) strains and 28 previously published sequences to investigate the genealogical relationships of the circulating TBEV strains. These phylogenetic analyses confirmed a previous report that the European TBEV subtype is the only subtype circulating within the TBE foci in north-east Italy. Interestingly, nucleotide sequence analysis revealed a high degree of divergence (mean 2.54 %) between the TBEV strains recovered in the Italian province of Trento, despite the circulation of a single TBEV subtype. This elevated genetic variability within a single TBE focus may reflect local differences in the longstanding evolutionary dynamics of TBEV at this site relative to previously characterized sites, or more recent and continuous reintroduction of various TBEV strains. INTRODUCTIONTick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a zoonotic arbovirus of significant medical importance in both Europe and Asia, causing 4500 and 11 000 cases, respectively, of human encephalitis annually (Randolph, 2006). The ecology of TBEV involves a rodent-tick transmission cycle where uninfected ticks acquire TBEV from infected ticks while co-feeding on the same competent reservoir host, mostly small mammals of the genus Apodemus (Labuda et al., 1993(Labuda et al., , 1997. The non-viraemic transmission among co-feeding ticks represents the major amplification route for TBEV, which contributes to the local specificity of infection risk and the heterogeneity of the spatial distribution of endemic sites (Randolph et al., 1999). Additionally, systemic viraemia in rodents is not sufficient to ensure TBEV transmission to ticks, as the virus itself causes a high mortality rate in the host before ticks are presented the opportunity to complete a blood meal (Randolph et al., 1996). Furthermore, the distribution of endemic tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) sites can also be influenced by multiple abiotic and biotic factors, which affect tick abundance, tick phenology, tick infestation prevalence and tick human contact rate, as well as differences in surveillance efforts (Randolph et al., 2008).TBEV belongs to the genus Flavivirus and its genome consists of a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA of approximately 11 kb, which encodes a polyprotein that is cleaved by cellular and viral proteases into three structural -the capsid, membrane and envelope proteins -and seven non-st...

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Detection and Identification ofRickettsiaSpecies in the Northeast of Italy

Cited by 32 publications

References 22 publications

Approaches for Reverse Line Blot-Based Detection of Microbial Pathogens in Ixodes ricinus Ticks Collected in Austria and Impact of the Chosen Method

Approaches for Reverse Line Blot-Based Detection of Microbial Pathogens in Ixodes ricinus Ticks Collected in Austria and Impact of the Chosen Method

Update on Tick-Borne Rickettsioses around the World: a Geographic Approach

Prevalence and genetic variability of tick-borne encephalitis virus in host-seeking Ixodes ricinus in northern Italy

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