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Keve G, Sándor AD, Hornok S. Hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) associated with birds in Europe: Review of literature data. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:928756. [PMID: 36090176 PMCID: PMC9453168 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.928756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are considered the most important transmitters of pathogens in the temperate zone that covers most of Europe. In the era of climate change tick-borne diseases are predicted to undergo geographical range expansion toward the north through regions that are connected to southern areas of the continent by bird migration. This alone would justify the importance of synthesized knowledge on the association of tick species with avian hosts, yet birds also represent the most taxonomically and ecologically diverse part of urban vertebrate fauna. Birds frequently occur in gardens and near animal keeping facilities, thus playing a significant role in the dispersal of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in synanthropic environments. The primary aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive reference source (baseline data) for future studies, particularly in the context of discovering new tick-host associations after comparison with already published data. The records on the ixodid tick infestations of birds were assessed from nearly 200 papers published since 1952. In this period, 37 hard tick species were reported from 16 orders of avian hosts in Europe. Here we compile a list of these tick species, followed by the English and Latin name of all reported infested bird species, as well as the tick developmental stage and country of origin whenever this information was available. These data allowed a first-hand analysis of general trends regarding how and at which developmental stage of ticks tend to infest avian hosts. Five tick species that were frequently reported from birds and show a broad geographical distribution in the Western Palearctic (Ixodes arboricola, I. frontalis, I. ricinus, Haemaphysalis concinna and Hyalomma marginatum) were also selected for statistical comparisons. Differences were demonstrated between these tick species regarding their association with bird species that typically feed from the ground and those that rarely occur at the soil level. The ecology of these five bird-infesting tick species is also illustrated here according to avian orders, taking into account the ecology (habitat type) and activity (circadian rhythm and feeding level) of most bird species that represent a certain order.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gergő Keve
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- ELKH-ÁTE Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila D. Sándor
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- ELKH-ÁTE Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- *Correspondence: Attila D. Sándor
| | - Sándor Hornok
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- ELKH-ÁTE Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
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Rataud A, Galon C, Bournez L, Henry PY, Marsot M, Moutailler S. Diversity of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Tick Larvae Feeding on Breeding Birds in France. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11080946. [PMID: 36015066 PMCID: PMC9414652 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11080946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds play a role in maintaining tick-borne diseases by contributing to the multiplication of ticks and pathogens on a local scale during the breeding season. In the present study, we describe the diversity of tick and pathogen species of medical and veterinary importance in Europe hosted by 1040 captured birds (56 species) during their breeding season in France. Of the 3114 ticks collected, Ixodes ricinus was the most prevalent species (89.5%), followed by I. frontalis (0.8%), I. arboricola (0.7%), Haemaphysalis concinna (0.5%), H. punctata (0.5%), Hyalomma spp. (0.2%), and Rhipicephalus spp. (0.06%). Because they may be representative of the bird infection status for some pathogen species, 1106 engorged tick larvae were screened for pathogens. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was the most prevalent pathogen genus in bird-feeding larvae (11.7%), followed by Rickettsia spp. (7.4%), Anaplasma spp. (5.7%), Babesia spp. (2.3%), Ehrlichia spp. (1.4%), and B. miyamotoi (1%). Turdidae birds (Turdus merula and T. philomelos), Troglodytes troglodytes, and Anthus trivialis had a significantly higher prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l.-infected larvae than other pathogen genera. This suggests that these bird species could act as reservoir hosts for B. burgdorferi s.l. during their breeding season, and thus play an important role in acarological risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amalia Rataud
- Laboratory for Animal Health, Epidemiology Unit, Université Paris Est, ANSES, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Clemence Galon
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Laure Bournez
- ANSES, Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife, 54220 Malzéville, France
| | - Pierre-Yves Henry
- Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution (MECADEV UMR 7179), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, 91800 Brunoy, France
- Centre de Recherches sur la Biologie des Populations d’Oiseaux (CRBPO), Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO UMR 7204), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Maud Marsot
- Laboratory for Animal Health, Epidemiology Unit, Université Paris Est, ANSES, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
- Correspondence: (M.M.); (S.M.)
| | - Sara Moutailler
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
- Correspondence: (M.M.); (S.M.)
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Ebani VV, Mancianti F. Potential Role of Avian Populations in the Epidemiology of Rickettsia spp. and Babesia spp. Vet Sci 2021; 8:vetsci8120334. [PMID: 34941861 PMCID: PMC8709085 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci8120334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds often are carriers of hard and/or soft ticks harboring pathogens of humans and veterinary concern. Migratory avian species, which cover long distance by their flight, may deeply influence the ticks’ distribution worldwide; in particular, they can introduce in a given geographic area new tick species and related tick-borne pathogens. Studies about the detection of tick-borne agents in birds are not numerous, whereas more attention has been turned to the presence of these microorganisms in ticks carried by birds. The present review focused on the role of avian populations in the epidemiology of rickettsioses and babesioses, which represent two severe problems for the health of humans and other mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Virginia Ebani
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy;
- Centre for Climate Change Impact, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Interdepartmental Research Center “Nutraceuticals and Food for Health”, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-050-221-6968
| | - Francesca Mancianti
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy;
- Interdepartmental Research Center “Nutraceuticals and Food for Health”, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
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The Potential Role of Migratory Birds in the Rapid Spread of Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in the Changing Climatic and Environmental Conditions in Europe. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17062117. [PMID: 32209990 PMCID: PMC7142536 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17062117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
This opinion piece highlights the role of migratory birds in the spread of ticks and their role in the circulation and dissemination of pathogens in Europe. Birds with different lifestyles, i.e., non-migrants residing in a specific area, or short-, medium-, and long-distance migrants, migrating within one or several distant geographical regions are carriers of a number of ticks and tick-borne pathogens. During seasonal migrations, birds that cover long distances over a short time and stay temporarily in different habitats can introduce tick and pathogen species in areas where they have never occurred. An increase in the geographical range of ticks as well as the global climate changes affecting the pathogens, vectors, and their hosts increase the incidence and the spread of emerging tick-borne diseases worldwide. Tick infestations of birds varied between regions depends on the rhythms of tick seasonal activity and the bird migration rhythms determined by for example, climatic and environmental factors. In areas north of latitude ca. 58°N, immature Ixodes ricinus ticks are collected from birds most frequently, whereas ticks from the Hyalomma marginatum group dominate in areas below 42°N. We concluded that the prognosis of hazards posed by tick-borne pathogens should take into account changes in the migration of birds, hosts of many epidemiologically important tick species.
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Hansford KM, Pietzsch ME, Cull B, Gillingham EL, Medlock JM. Potential risk posed by the importation of ticks into the UK on animals: records from the Tick Surveillance Scheme. Vet Rec 2017; 182:107. [PMID: 29217768 DOI: 10.1136/vr.104263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In order to monitor important tick vectors in the UK, Public Health England's Tick Surveillance Scheme (TSS) receives specimens from across the country for identification. In recent years, an increasing number of these specimens have been removed from animals with a recent history of travel outside the UK. This paper presents all data collated by the TSS on ticks entering the country on recently travelled or imported animals since surveillance commenced in 2005. Ten different tick species representing six different genera were identified, entering the UK from 15 different countries. Key themes appear to be emerging from the last 10 years of data, including canine travel from Cyprus and Spain being associated with Rhipicephalus sanguineus importation, and canine travel from France being associated with the importation of multiple tick species and canine illness. In addition, more unusual importation routes have been uncovered, such as the importation of Hyalomma lusitanicum on a dog. Some companion animal owners may not be fully aware of the risks associated with ticks, and may not seek advice from a veterinarian before travel or importing a pet. Promoting awareness of ticks and tickborne disease risk during and after travel or animal importation is needed and veterinarians play an importation role in disseminating this information to their clients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayleigh M Hansford
- Department of Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department - Science & Technology, Public Health England, Porton Down, UK.,NIHR Health Protection Research Unit, Environmental Change & Health, UK
| | - Maaike E Pietzsch
- Department of Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department - Science & Technology, Public Health England, Porton Down, UK
| | - Benjamin Cull
- Department of Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department - Science & Technology, Public Health England, Porton Down, UK
| | - Emma L Gillingham
- Department of Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department - Science & Technology, Public Health England, Porton Down, UK
| | - Jolyon M Medlock
- Department of Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department - Science & Technology, Public Health England, Porton Down, UK.,NIHR Health Protection Research Unit, Environmental Change & Health, UK.,NIHR Health Protection Research Unit, Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, UK
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Heylen D, Fonville M, Docters van Leeuwen A, Stroo A, Duisterwinkel M, van Wieren S, Diuk-Wasser M, de Bruin A, Sprong H. Pathogen communities of songbird-derived ticks in Europe's low countries. Parasit Vectors 2017; 10:497. [PMID: 29047399 PMCID: PMC5648423 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2423-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Birds play a major role in the maintenance of enzootic cycles of pathogens transmitted by ticks. Due to their mobility, they affect the spatial distribution and abundance of both ticks and pathogens. In the present study, we aim to identify members of a pathogen community [Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.), B. miyamotoi, 'Ca. Neoehrlichia mikurensis', Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia helvetica] in songbird-derived ticks from 11 locations in the Netherlands and Belgium (2012-2014). RESULTS Overall, 375 infested songbird individuals were captured, belonging to 35 species. Thrushes (Turdus iliacus, T. merula and T. philomelos) were trapped most often and had the highest mean infestation intensity for both Ixodes ricinus and I. frontalis. Of the 671 bird-derived ticks, 51% contained DNA of at least one pathogenic agent and 13% showed co-infections with two or more pathogens. Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.) DNA was found in 34% of the ticks of which majority belong to so-called avian Borrelia species (distribution in Borrelia-infected ticks: 47% B. garinii, 34% B. valaisiana, 3% B. turdi), but also the mammal-associated B. afzelii (16%) was detected. The occurrence of B. miyamotoi was low (1%). Prevalence of R. helvetica in ticks was high (22%), while A. phagocytophilum and 'Ca. N. mikurensis' prevalences were 5% and 4%, respectively. The occurrence of B. burgdorferi (s.l.) was positively correlated with the occurrence of 'Ca. N. mikurensis', reflecting variation in susceptibility among birds and/or suggesting transmission facilitation due to interactions between pathogens. CONCLUSIONS Our findings highlight the contribution of European songbirds to co-infections in tick individuals and consequently to the exposure of humans to multiple pathogens during a tick bite. Although poorly studied, exposure to and possibly also infection with multiple tick-borne pathogens in humans seems to be the rule rather than the exception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieter Heylen
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Manoj Fonville
- Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Arieke Docters van Leeuwen
- Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Arjan Stroo
- Centre for Monitoring of Vectors, Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Sip van Wieren
- Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Arnout de Bruin
- Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Hein Sprong
- Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
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Hornok S, Flaisz B, Takács N, Kontschán J, Csörgő T, Csipak Á, Jaksa BR, Kováts D. Bird ticks in Hungary reflect western, southern, eastern flyway connections and two genetic lineages of Ixodes frontalis and Haemaphysalis concinna. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9:101. [PMID: 26912331 PMCID: PMC4765043 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1365-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2015] [Accepted: 02/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Birds play an important role in short- and long-distance transportation of ticks and tick-borne pathogens. The aim of the present study was to provide comprehensive information on the species and genetic diversity of ixodid ticks transported by migratory and non-migratory bird species in Central Europe, and to evaluate relevant data in a geographical, as well as in an ecological context. METHODS During a three year period (2012-2014), altogether 3339 ixodid ticks were collected from 1167 passerine birds (representatives of 47 species) at ringing stations in Hungary. These ticks were identified, and the tick-infestations of bird species were compared according to various traits. In addition, PCR and sequencing of part of the cytochrome oxidase subunit-I (COI) and 16S rDNA genes were performed from representatives of five tick species. RESULTS The most abundant tick species found were Ixodes ricinus and Haemaphysalis concinna (with 2296 and 989 immature stages, respectively). In addition, 48 I. frontalis (all stages), three Hyalomma rufipes nymphs, one I. lividus and two I. festai females were collected. The majority of I. ricinus and I. frontalis specimens occurred on ground-feeding bird species, as contrasted to Ha. concinna. Hy. rufipes showed the highest degree of sequence identity to an Ethiopian hybrid of the same tick species. Based on both COI and 16S rDNA gene analyses, two genetic lineages of I. frontalis were recognized (with only 91.4 % identity in their partial COI gene). These were highly similar to South-Western European isolates of the same tick species. Phylogenetic analysis of Ha. concinna specimens collected from birds in Hungary also revealed two genetic lineages, one of which showed high (≥99 %) degree of 16S rDNA sequence identity to conspecific East Asian isolates. CONCLUSIONS Two genetic lineages of I. frontalis and Ha. concinna are transported by birds in Central Europe, which reflect a high degree of sequence identity to South-Western European and East Asian isolates of the same tick species, respectively. In addition, I. festai was collected for the first time in Hungary. These findings highlight the importance of western and eastern migratory connections by birds (in addition to the southern direction), which are also relevant to the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Hornok
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - B Flaisz
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - N Takács
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - J Kontschán
- Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - T Csörgő
- Department of Anatomy, Cell- and Developmental Biology, Eötvös Loránt University, Budapest, Hungary. .,Ócsa Bird Ringing Station, Ócsa, Hungary.
| | - Á Csipak
- Ócsa Bird Ringing Station, Ócsa, Hungary.
| | - B R Jaksa
- Ócsa Bird Ringing Station, Ócsa, Hungary.
| | - D Kováts
- Ócsa Bird Ringing Station, Ócsa, Hungary. .,Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.
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Cheng D, Vigil K, Schanes P, Brown RN, Zhong J. Prevalence and burden of two rickettsial phylotypes (G021 and G022) in Ixodes pacificus from California by real-time quantitative PCR. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2013; 4:280-7. [PMID: 23522936 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2012.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2012] [Revised: 12/23/2012] [Accepted: 12/24/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The western black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus Cooley and Kohls, commonly bites humans in the far western U.S. In addition to transmitting Lyme borreliosis and anaplasmosis, it is a host of nonpathogenic bacteria as well as some of unknown pathogenicity. In this study, we report the detection, prevalence, and burden of 2 rickettsial phylotypes with unknown pathogenicity in I. pacificus ticks from 6 California counties using real-time quantitative PCR with phylotype-specific primers and probes. Prevalence of rickettsial phylotypes G021 and G022 from 247 I. pacificus ticks was 100% and 2.0%, respectively. The median burden of phylotype G021 was 7.3 per tick cell, whereas the burden of phylotype G022 was 0.8 per tick cell. The burden of phylotype G021 significantly differed between collection sites and between vegetation habitats. Ticks collected from the coastal sage scrub habitat of southern California had a lower burden of phylotype G021 when compared to central California oak woodland, northern California oak woodland, and mixed evergreen and ponderosa pine-oak habitats of northern California. No significant correlation was found between the burden of the phylotype G021 in the presence and absence of the phylotype G022 in I. pacificus, suggesting that the presence of these Rickettsia species do not interfere with each other in I. pacificus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Du Cheng
- Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA 95521, USA
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