Detection of Rickettsia monacensis and Rickettsia amblyommatis in ticks collected from dogs in Costa Rica and Nicaragua

Springer, Andrea; Mon­te­n­e­gro, Víc­tor M.; Schicht, Sabine; Wölfel, Silke; Schaper, Sabine; Chiţimia-Dobler, Lidia; Siebert, Susanne; Strübe, Christina

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.08.002

Cited by 23 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…was shown. This may be due to the fact that E. canis and A. platys as well as B. vogeli and B. gibsoni share a common vector, namely the brown dog tick, R. sanguineus s.l., which is the most common tick species parasitizing dogs in Central America (5–7). Furthermore, experimental infections have shown that concurrent Ehrlichia -infection intensifies the humoral immune response to A. platys in dogs, resulting in a more persistent A. platys infection (35).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seroprevalence and Current Infections of Canine Vector-Borne Diseases in Costa Rica

et al. 2019

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Domestic dogs may carry several vector-borne pathogens, including zoonotic agents, especially in tropical regions like Central America. The epidemiology of these pathogens is prone to change due to urbanization, trade and travel as well as climate change, necessitating repeated monitoring. This study aims to present a comprehensive picture of canine vector-borne diseases in Costa Rica, combining data on seroprevalence with molecular species identification of the causative pathogens. In this survey, 294 dogs from all seven provinces of Costa Rica were included. After a clinical examination, diagnostic blood samples were analyzed with regard to packed cell volume (PCV) and presence of microfilaria. Serum samples were tested for antibodies against Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) as well as antigen of Dirofilaria immitis . Seropositive and microfilaremic blood samples were analyzed by PCR to detect current infections and identify the pathogen species. Overall, 45.24% (133/294, 95% CI: 39.45–51.11%) of dogs were seropositive for at least one of the tested pathogens. Seroprevalence was highest for Ehrlichia spp. (39.46%, 116/294, 95% CI: 33.83–45.29%), followed by Babesia spp. (23.13%, 68/294, 95% CI: 18.43–28.38%), Anaplasma spp. (13.27%, 39/294, 95% CI: 9.61–17.69%), and B. burgdorferi s.l. (0.34%, 1/294, 95% CI: 0.01–1.88%). Generalized linear mixed models indicated a significant association of Ehrlichia -, Anaplasma - and Babesia -seropositivity, as well as a significant effect of age and breed on Ehrlichia -seropositivity. Furthermore, a statistically significant negative effect of Ehrlichia -, Anaplasma -, and Babesia -seropositivity on PCV was found. Regarding current infections, Ehrlichia canis DNA was detected in 51.72% (60/116, 95% CI: 42.26–61.10%) of Ehrlichia -seropositive dogs, while Ehrlichia ewingii and Ehrlichia chaffeensis were not detected. Furthermore, 10.26% (4/39, 95% CI: 2.87–24.22%) of Anaplasma -seropositive dogs were coinfected with Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Anaplasma platys , while one animal (2.56%, 95% CI: 0.65–13.48%) was infected with A. phagocytophilum only. Among Babesia -seropositive dogs, Babesia vogeli and Hepatozoon canis were detected in one animal each (1.47%, 1/68, 95% CI: 0.04–7.92%). Dirofilaria immitis antigen was detected in 4.42% (13/294, 95% CI: 2.38–7.44%) of dogs. In microfilare...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tick infestation of dogs is common in this region and mainly involves the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (s.l.) (5–7), which is a competent vector for Ehrlichia canis, Hepatozoon canis, Babesia vogeli , and different Rickettsia species, among others (8). Although different clades of R. sanguineus s.l.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence and Current Infections of Canine Vector-Borne Diseases in Costa Rica

et al. 2019

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“…l .) are ticks of the genus Ixodes , which seem to be rather rare as parasites of domestic animals in Nicaragua [ 30 , 31 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence and current infections of canine vector-borne diseases in Nicaragua

et al. 2018

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BackgroundVector-borne diseases constitute a major problem for veterinary and public health, especially in tropical regions like Central America. Domestic dogs may be infected with several vector-borne pathogens of zoonotic relevance, which may also severely compromise canine health.MethodsTo assess the prevalence of canine vector-borne diseases in Nicaragua, 329 dogs from seven cities, which were presented to the veterinarian for various reasons, were included in this study. Dogs were examined clinically and diagnostic blood samples were taken for analysis of packed cell volume (PCV) and presence of microfilariae as well as antigen of Dirofilaria immitis and antibodies to Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) by use of a commercially available rapid ELISA. To detect current infections, specific PCRs for the detection of E. canis, A. platys and A. phagocytophilum were carried out on blood samples of the respective seropositive dogs. Microfilaremic blood samples, as well as D. immitis antigen positive samples were further subjected to PCR and subsequent sequencing for filarial species identification.ResultsAntibodies against Ehrlichia spp. were present in 62.9% of dogs, while Anaplasma spp. seroprevalence was 28.6%. Antibodies against species of both genera were detected in 24.9% of dogs. Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.) antibodies were not detected. Dirofilaria immitis antigen was present in six animals (1.8%), two of which also showed D. immitis microfilariae in buffy coat. In addition to D. immitis, Acanthocheilonema reconditum was identified by PCR and sequencing in two of four additional microfilaremic blood samples, which were tested negative for D. immitis antigen. Current E. canis infections as defined by DNA detection were present in 58.5% of Ehrlichia-seropositive dogs, while 5.3% of Anaplasma-seropositive dogs were PCR-positive for A. platys, 2.2% for A. phagocytophilum and 16.0% for both Anaplasma species. Current E. canis infection had a statistically significant negative impact on PCV, whereas no relationship between infection status and clinical signs of disease could be observed.ConclusionsThese results indicate that canine vector-borne diseases are widespread in Nicaragua and that dogs may constitute a reservoir for human infection with E. canis, A. phagocytophilum and D. immitis. Thus, the use of repellents or acaricides to protect dogs from vector-borne diseases is strongly recommended.

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“…In South and Central America, I. boliviensis and Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato were tested positive for 'R. monacensis' in Nicaragua and Costa Rica (Springer et al, 2018;Troyo et al, 2014). The global distribution of 'R.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…monacensis'. For example, the Rickettsia species detected in Amblyomma ovale (Springer et al, 2018).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolation and characterization of a Rickettsia from the ovary of a Western black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus

Alowaysi

Jun-yan

Stark

et al. 2019

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases

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A rickettsial isolate was obtained from a partially engorged Ixodes pacificus female, which was collected from Humboldt County, California. The isolate was provisionally named Rickettsia endosymbiont Ixodes pacificus (REIP). The REIP isolate displayed the highest nucleotide sequence identity to Rickettsia species phylotype G021 in I. pacificus (99%, 99%, and 100% for ompA, 16S rRNA, and gltA, respectively), a bacterium that was previously identified in I. pacifiucs by PCR. Analysis of sequences from complete opening frames of five genes, 16S rRNA, gltA, ompA, ompB, and sca4, provided inference to the bacteria's classification among other Rickettsia species. The REIP isolate displayed 99.8%, 99.4%, 99.2%, 99.5%, and 99.6% nucleotide sequence identity for 16S rRNA, gltA, ompA, ompB, and sca4 gene, respectively, with genes of 'R. monacensis' str. IrR/Munich, indicating the REIP isolate is closely related to 'R. monacensis'. Our suggestion was further supported by phylogenetic analysis using concatenated sequences of 16S rRNA, gltA, ompA, ompB, and sca4 genes, concatenated sequences of dksA-xerC, mppA-purC, and rpmE-tRNA fMet intergenic spacer regions. Both phylogenetic trees implied that the REIP isolate is most closely related to 'R. monacensis' str. IrR/Munich. We propose the bacterium be considered as 'Rickettsia monacensis' str. Humboldt for its closest phylogenetic relative (=DSM 103975T =ATCC TSD-94T).

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Detection of Rickettsia monacensis and Rickettsia amblyommatis in ticks collected from dogs in Costa Rica and Nicaragua

Cited by 23 publications

References 61 publications

Seroprevalence and Current Infections of Canine Vector-Borne Diseases in Costa Rica

Seroprevalence and Current Infections of Canine Vector-Borne Diseases in Costa Rica

Seroprevalence and current infections of canine vector-borne diseases in Nicaragua

Isolation and characterization of a Rickettsia from the ovary of a Western black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus

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