First detection of Rickettsia conorii ssp. caspia in Rhipicephalus sanguineus in Zambia

Abstract

Ticks are important vectors for Rickettsia spp. of the spotted fever group all around the world. Rickettsia conorii is the etiological agent of boutonneuse fever in the Mediterranean region and Africa. Tick identification was based on morphological features and further characterized using the 16S rRNA gene. The ticks were individually tested using pan-Rickettsia real-time-PCR for screening, and 23S-5S intergenic spacer region, 16S rDNA, gltA, sca4, ompB, and ompA genes were used to analyze the Rickettsia positive samples. Rickettsia conorii ssp. caspia was detected in tick collected in Zambia for the first time, thus demonstrating the possibility of the occurrence of human disease, namely Astrakhan fever, due to this Rickettsia ssp. in this region of Africa. The prevalence of R. conorii ssp. caspia was 0.06% (one positive tick out of 1465 tested ticks) and 0.07% (one positive tick out of 1254 tested Rh. sanguineus).

Molecular Detection and Characterization of Rickettsia Species in Ixodid Ticks Collected From Cattle in Southern Zambia

“…In this study, we report for the first time the presence of R. africae and R. aeschlimannii-like species in Ixodid ticks from the southern part of Zambia. Whilst R. africae has been reported before in ticks from the eastern part of Zambia (41,42), this study reports for the first time the presence of R. aeschlimannii-like species in the country, adding to the number of SFG Rickettsiae which are reported in Zambia. The previously reported SFG Rickettsiae include R. africae, R. massiliae, R. conorii and R. felis (40)(41)(42)47).…”

“…Whilst R. africae has been reported before in ticks from the eastern part of Zambia (41,42), this study reports for the first time the presence of R. aeschlimannii-like species in the country, adding to the number of SFG Rickettsiae which are reported in Zambia. The previously reported SFG Rickettsiae include R. africae, R. massiliae, R. conorii and R. felis (40)(41)(42)47). To our knowledge, Zambia becomes the third country in southern Africa to report the presence of R. aeschlimannii-like species, with previous reports being in South Africa (48) and Zimbabwe (49).…”

“…Other countries in the region which have reports of tick surveys for Rickettsia infection include Zimbabwe (49), Botswana (52), Mozambique (53), and South Africa (54-58) with prevalence ranging from as low as 3% to as high as 77%. This study also adds to the growing data on tick-borne (41,42,(59)(60)(61) and tickassociated (62,63) zoonotic pathogens within Zambia. It further highlights the potential threat posed by tick-borne pathogens to human health and the need to strengthen surveillance of tick-borne diseases in the country.…”

“…However, information on rickettsial pathogens in ticks is very limited. Presently, to our knowledge, there are only two published reports of Rickettsia in Zambian ticks: one from a tick survey ( 41 ), and the other from a tick collected from an exported reptile ( 42 ). Considering that ticks play a significant role in the epidemiology of these pathogens, it is essential that they are surveyed to assess the presence of pathogens, which can inform on the potential risk for human infections.…”

Molecular survey of neglected bacterial pathogens reveals an abundant diversity of species and genotypes in ticks collected from animal hosts across Romania

“…was performed using a previously published real-time PCR assay targeting a part of the gltA gene [ 20 ]. For species identification of Rickettsia an assay targeting the 23S intergenic spacer region was utilized, and the amplicons were sequenced, as previously described [ 21 ]. Detection of Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp.…”