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Ticks and their epidemiological role in Slovakia: from the past till present. Biologia (Bratisl) 2021; 77:1575-1610. [PMID: 34548672 PMCID: PMC8446484 DOI: 10.1007/s11756-021-00845-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In Slovakia, 22 tick species have been found to occur to date. Among them, Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus, D. marginatus and marginally Haemaphysalis concinna, H. inermis and H. punctata have been identified as the species of public health relevance. Ticks in Slovakia were found to harbour and transmit zoonotic and/or potentially zoonotic agents such as tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), spirochaetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) complex, the relapsing fever sprirochaete Borrelia miyamotoi, bacteria belonging to the orders Rickettsiales (Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Neoehrlichia mikurensis), Legionellales (Coxiella burnetii), and Thiotrichales (Francisella tularensis), and Babesia spp. parasites (order Piroplasmida). Ixodes ricinus is the principal vector of the largest variety of microorganisms including viruses, bacteria and piroplasms. TBEV, B. burgdorferi s.l., rickettsiae of the spotted fever group, C. burnetii and F. tularensis have been found to cause serious diseases in humans, whereas B. miyamotoi, A. phagocytophilum, N. mikurensis, Babesia microti, and B. venatorum pose lower or potential risk to humans. Distribution of TBEV has a focal character. During the last few decades, new tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) foci and their spread to new areas have been registered and TBE incidence rates have increased. Moreover, Slovakia reports the highest rates of alimentary TBE infections among the European countries. Lyme borreliosis (LB) spirochaetes are spread throughout the distribution range of I. ricinus. Incidence rates of LB have shown a slightly increasing trend since 2010. Only a few sporadic cases of human rickettsiosis, anaplasmosis and babesiosis have been confirmed thus far in Slovakia. The latest large outbreaks of Q fever and tularaemia were recorded in 1993 and 1967, respectively. Since then, a few human cases of Q fever have been reported almost each year. Changes in the epidemiological characteristics and clinical forms of tularaemia have been observed during the last few decades. Global changes and development of modern molecular tools led to the discovery and identification of emerging or new tick-borne microorganisms and symbionts with unknown zoonotic potential. In this review, we provide a historical overview of research on ticks and tick-borne pathogens in Slovakia with the most important milestones and recent findings, and outline future directions in the investigation of ticks as ectoparasites and vectors of zoonotic agents and in the study of tick-borne diseases.
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Ciloglu A, Ibis O, Yildirim A, Aktas M, Duzlu O, Onder Z, Simsek E, Yetismis G, Ellis VA, Inci A. Complete mitochondrial genome characterization and phylogenetic analyses of the main vector of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus: Hyalomma marginatum Koch, 1844. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2021; 12:101736. [PMID: 33992910 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The Mediterranean tick, Hyalomma marginatum, is the most important vector of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus and several pathogens that cause animal and human diseases and economic losses to livestock production. Given the medical and veterinary importance of this tick species, we sequenced and characterized its mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) for the first time. We designed two new primer sets and combined long-range PCR with next generation sequencing to generate complete mitogenomes with deep coverage from 10 H. marginatum adults. The mitogenomes contained 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), two ribosomal subunits, two control regions, and three tick-box motifs. The nucleotide composition of the H. marginatum mitogenomes were A+T biased (79.76%) and exhibited negative AT- and GC- skews across most PCGs. All PCGs were initiated by ATK codons and two truncated termination codons were seen in the COX2 and COX3 genes. All tRNAs exhibited typical cloverleaf structures, except for tRNACys and tRNASer1. A total of 62 polymorphic sites defined ten unique haplotypes. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 13 PCGs of 56 tick species revealed that four Hyalomma species (H. marginatum, H. asiaticum, H. rufipes, and H. truncatum) formed a monophyletic clade with strong support. The results of this study provide a comprehensive resource for further studies on the systematics, population genetics, molecular epidemiology, and evolution of ticks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arif Ciloglu
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey; Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases Implementation and Research Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey; Genome and Stem Cell Center (GENKOK), Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey.
| | - Osman Ibis
- Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases Implementation and Research Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey; Genome and Stem Cell Center (GENKOK), Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey; Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey
| | - Alparslan Yildirim
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey; Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases Implementation and Research Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey
| | - Munir Aktas
- Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases Implementation and Research Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey; Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Firat University, Elazig 23119, Turkey
| | - Onder Duzlu
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey; Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases Implementation and Research Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey
| | - Zuhal Onder
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey; Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases Implementation and Research Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey
| | - Emrah Simsek
- Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases Implementation and Research Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey; Preclinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey
| | - Gamze Yetismis
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey; Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases Implementation and Research Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey
| | - Vincenzo A Ellis
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Abdullah Inci
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey; Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases Implementation and Research Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey
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Lotfi D, Karima K. Identification and incidence of hard tick species during summer season 2019 in Jijel Province (northeastern Algeria). J Parasit Dis 2020; 45:211-217. [PMID: 33746406 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-020-01296-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks are haematophagous arthropodsand tick-borne diseases causes billions of dollars in losses in the cattle industry because of the ability of ticks to be vector for many pathogens. This paper identifies and compares the infestation rate (prevalence and intensity) of females of hard tick species compared to males with respect to sex, age and breed of cattle in the region of Jijel, northeastern Algeria. A total of infested 53 cattle were screened and 1214 ticks were collected manually during summer 2019 (June, July and August) and identified based on their morphology. Seven tick species were identified as infesting the cattle: viz. Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus, Rhipicephalus bursa, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Hyalomma marginatum, Hyalomma lusitanicum, Hyalomma scupense, and Hyalomma anatolicum. The predominant tick species recorded is Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus. The maximum intensity of tick infestation as a function of age is between 3 and 4 years and 5 and 6 years (39 ticks/cow). The study shows that the comparison between the prevalence of infestation in females and males is significant as a function of sex and breed of cattle. In addition, only the intensity of infestation as a function of the age of the cattle, when comparing the sexes of the ticks, is significant (p < 0.05). This study also provides data for the development of an active control plan based on tick mating strategies for the management of ticks in cattle in Jijel, Algeria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derradj Lotfi
- Arthropods Biosystematics and Ecology Laboratory, Department of Animal Biology, Frères Mentouri - Constantine 1 University, Constantine, Algeria
| | - Kohil Karima
- Arthropods Biosystematics and Ecology Laboratory, Department of Animal Biology, Frères Mentouri - Constantine 1 University, Constantine, Algeria
- Institute of Veterinary Science, Frères Mentouri - Constantine 1 University, Constantine, Algeria
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