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Kruppenbacher AS, Müller E, Aardema ML, Schäfer I, von Loewenich FD. Granulocytic anaplasmosis in cats from central Europe and molecular characterization of feline Anaplasma phagocytophilum strains by ankA gene, groEL gene and multilocus sequence typing. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:348. [PMID: 37803346 PMCID: PMC10557162 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05954-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium that replicates in neutrophil granulocytes. It is transmitted by ticks of the Ixodes ricinus complex and causes febrile illness called granulocytic anaplasmosis primarily in humans, horses, dogs, sheep, cattle and goats. In comparison, clinically apparent disease has been described rarely in cats especially compared to dogs and horses. It is currently unknown whether cats are less susceptible to A. phagocytophilum or whether granulocytic anaplasmosis might be underdiagnosed in cats. METHODS To address this question, we examined clinical signs and laboratory findings in seven A. phagocytophilum infected cats from Germany and Switzerland. We then genetically characterized feline A. phagocytophilum strains and compared them to those from other hosts showing clinically apparent disease. For this purpose, ankA-based, groEL-based and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were applied. Furthermore, the concordance between these typing methods was assessed. RESULTS Fever, lethargy and anorexia were the most common clinical signs in cats suffering from granulocytic anaplasmosis. The most frequent laboratory finding was thrombocytopenia. All three typing methods consistently indicated that the A. phagocytophilum strains found infecting cats are the same as those that cause disease in humans, dogs and horses. In general, the three typing methods applied exhibited high concordance. CONCLUSIONS The genetic characterization of the feline A. phagocytophilum strains indicates that strain divergence is not the explanation for the fact that granulocytic anaplasmosis is much less frequently diagnosed in cats than in dogs and horses. Otherwise, it may be possible that cats are less susceptible to the same strains than dogs and horse are. However, due to the unspecific clinical signs, it should be considered that granulocytic anaplasmosis may be under-diagnosed in cats.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Matthew L. Aardema
- Department of Biology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ USA
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY USA
| | - Ingo Schäfer
- LABOKLIN GmbH and Co. KG, Bad Kissingen, Germany
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Pelletier J, Guillot C, Rocheleau JP, Bouchard C, Baron G, Bédard C, Dibernardo A, Lindsay LR, Leighton PA, Aenishaenslin C. The added value of One Health surveillance: data from questing ticks can provide an early signal for anaplasmosis outbreaks in animals and humans. Can J Public Health 2023; 114:317-324. [PMID: 36471231 PMCID: PMC10036682 DOI: 10.17269/s41997-022-00723-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In 2021, a first outbreak of anaplasmosis occurred in animals and humans in southern Québec, with 64% of confirmed human cases located in Bromont municipality. Ixodes scapularis ticks and Peromyscus mouse ear biopsies collected in Bromont from 2019 to 2021 were analyzed for Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap) with the objective of determining whether an early environmental signal could have been detected before the outbreak. METHODS Samples were collected for a concurrent study aiming to reduce Lyme disease risk. Between 2019 and 2021, up to 14 experimental sites were sampled for ticks and capture of small mammals took place on three sites in 2021. Samples were screened for Ap using multiplex real-time PCR, and genetic strains were identified using a single-nucleotide polymorphism assay. RESULTS Analyses showed an increase of 5.7% in Ap prevalence in ticks (CI95: 1.5-9.9) between 2019 and 2020, i.e., one year before the outbreak. A majority of Ap-positive ticks were infected with the zoonotic strain (68.8%; CI95: 50.0-83.9) during the study period. In 2021, 2 of 59 captured Peromycus mice were positive for Ap, for a prevalence of 3.4% (CI95: 0.4-11.7). CONCLUSION We conclude that data collected in Bromont could have provided an early signal for an anaplasmosis risk increasing in the targeted region. This is a reminder that integrated surveillance of tick-borne diseases through structured One Health programs, i.e. systematically integrating data from humans, animals and the environment, can provide useful and timely information for better preparedness and response in public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Pelletier
- Département de pathologie et microbiologie, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada.
- Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada.
- Centre de recherche en santé publique de l'Université de Montréal et du CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
| | - Camille Guillot
- Département de pathologie et microbiologie, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
- Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
- Centre de recherche en santé publique de l'Université de Montréal et du CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | | | - Catherine Bouchard
- Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
- Public Health Risk Sciences Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
| | - Geneviève Baron
- Direction de la santé publique du CIUSS de l'Estrie, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
- Département des sciences de la santé communautaire, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - Christian Bédard
- Département de pathologie et microbiologie, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
- Centre de diagnostic vétérinaire de l'Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
| | - Antonia Dibernardo
- One Health Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - L Robbin Lindsay
- One Health Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Patrick A Leighton
- Département de pathologie et microbiologie, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
- Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
- Centre de recherche en santé publique de l'Université de Montréal et du CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Cécile Aenishaenslin
- Département de pathologie et microbiologie, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
- Groupe de recherche en épidémiologie des zoonoses et santé publique, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
- Centre de recherche en santé publique de l'Université de Montréal et du CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Dedkov VG, Simonova EG, Beshlebova OV, Safonova MV, Stukolova OA, Verigina EV, Savinov GV, Karaseva IP, Blinova EA, Granitov VM, Arsenjeva IV, Shipulin GA. The burden of tick-borne diseases in the Altai region of Russia. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2017. [PMID: 28648773 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
This article presents the results of a comprehensive survey of the burden of tick-borne infectious diseases (TBIDs) in the Altai region of Russia. Official data for TBID incidence were analyzed and 201 samples from patients with suspected TBID were studied. Furthermore, questing ticks and ticks recovered from humans were examined to estimate prevalence of TBID-causative agents. The Altai region was determined to have a heightened risk for TBIDs in Russia. The most epidemiologically significant tick-borne illness in this area is spotted fever group rickettsiosis, while nationally in Russia, the leading TBID is Lyme borreliosis. The prevalence of mixed infection was 12.4% among the studied cases. Additionally, the prevalence of poorly studied pathogens - Kemerovo virus (KEMV) and Rickettsia tarasevichiae - in ticks from the Altai region was determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- V G Dedkov
- Central Research Institute for Epidemiology (CRIE), Federal Service on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, Moscow, Russia; Research Institute of Occupational Health, Moscow, Russia.
| | - E G Simonova
- Central Research Institute for Epidemiology (CRIE), Federal Service on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, Moscow, Russia; I.M. Sechenov First Moscow Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - M V Safonova
- Central Research Institute for Epidemiology (CRIE), Federal Service on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, Moscow, Russia
| | - O A Stukolova
- Central Research Institute for Epidemiology (CRIE), Federal Service on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, Moscow, Russia
| | - E V Verigina
- I.M. Sechenov First Moscow Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - G V Savinov
- Central Research Institute for Epidemiology (CRIE), Federal Service on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, Moscow, Russia
| | - I P Karaseva
- Central Research Institute for Epidemiology (CRIE), Federal Service on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, Moscow, Russia
| | - E A Blinova
- Central Research Institute for Epidemiology (CRIE), Federal Service on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, Moscow, Russia
| | | | | | - G A Shipulin
- Central Research Institute for Epidemiology (CRIE), Federal Service on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, Moscow, Russia
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Tsiodras S, Spanakis N, Spanakos G, Pervanidou D, Georgakopoulou T, Campos E, Petra T, Kanellopoulos P, Georgiadis G, Antalis E, Kontos V, Giannopoulos LA, Tselentis Y, Papa A, Tsakris A, Saroglou G. Fatal human anaplasmosis associated with macrophage activation syndrome in Greece and the Public Health response. J Infect Public Health 2017; 10:819-823. [PMID: 28189511 DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2017.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) is a tick-borne disease caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum that has the potential to spread in new geographical areas. The first fatal case of HGA in Greece is presented. Fever of unknown origin, renal and respiratory insufficiency and development of macrophage activation syndrome characterized the clinical presentation. Amplification and sequencing of a fragment of the groEL gene revealed the presence of A. phagocytophilum. The epidemiological and clinical features were collected during an epidemiological investigation. Public health measures were instituted by the Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. The Public Health intervention required the collaboration of epidemiologists, veterinarians and microbiologists. Emphasis was given to communication activities and misconceptions concerning canines and their role in the disease. The emergence of human anaplasmosis in a new geographical area highlights the importance of disease awareness and of the need for continued support for tick and tick-borne disease surveillance networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sotirios Tsiodras
- 4th Department of Internal Medicine, University General Hospital "Attikon", National & Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece; The Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Athens, Greece.
| | - Nikos Spanakis
- Department of Microbiology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
| | - Gregory Spanakos
- The Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Athens, Greece
| | - Danai Pervanidou
- The Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Athens, Greece
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Emmanouil Antalis
- 4th Department of Internal Medicine, University General Hospital "Attikon", National & Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
| | - Vassileios Kontos
- Department of Parasitology, Entomology and Tropical Diseases, National School of Public Health, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Yiannis Tselentis
- Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographic Medicine, WHO Collaborating Center for Mediterranean Zoonoses, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Anna Papa
- Department of Microbiology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Athanassios Tsakris
- Department of Microbiology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
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Dingler RJ, Wright SA, Donohue AM, Macedo PA, Foley JE. Surveillance for Ixodes pacificus and the tick-borne pathogens Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi in birds from California's Inner Coast Range. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2014; 5:436-45. [PMID: 24690191 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2014.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2013] [Revised: 02/02/2014] [Accepted: 02/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the involvement of birds in the ecology of the western black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus, and its associated zoonotic bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, at two interior coast-range study sites in northern California. Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the agent of granulocytic anaplasmosis (GA), and B. burgdorferi s.s., the agent of Lyme disease (LD), are tick-borne pathogens that are well established in California. We screened blood and ticks from 349 individual birds in 48 species collected in 2011 and 2012 using pathogen-specific PCR. A total of 617 immature I. pacificus was collected with almost three times as many larvae than nymphs. There were 7.5 times more I. pacificus at the Napa County site compared to the Yolo County site. Two of 74 (3%) nymphal pools from an Oregon junco (Junco hyemalis) and a hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus) and 4 individual larvae (all from Oregon juncos) were PCR-positive for B. burgdorferi. Blood samples from a golden-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) and a European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) were positive for A. phagocytophilum DNA at very low levels. Birds that forage on ground or bark and nest on the ground, as well as some migratory species, are at an increased risk for acquiring I. pacificus. Our findings show that birds contribute to the ecologies of LD and GA in California by serving as a blood-meal source, feeding and transporting immature I. pacificus, and sometimes as a source of Borrelia infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina J Dingler
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, 1320 Tupper Hall, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, USA
| | - Stan A Wright
- Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District, 8631 Bond Road, Elk Grove, CA 95624, USA
| | - Ann M Donohue
- Napa Mosquito Abatement District, 15 Melvin Road, American Canyon, CA 94503, USA
| | - Paula A Macedo
- Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District, 8631 Bond Road, Elk Grove, CA 95624, USA
| | - Janet E Foley
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, 1320 Tupper Hall, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, USA.
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Foley J, Piovia-Scott J. Vector biodiversity did not associate with tick-borne pathogen prevalence in small mammal communities in northern and central California. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2014; 5:299-304. [PMID: 24582513 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2013.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2013] [Revised: 10/28/2013] [Accepted: 12/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Vector and host abundance affect infection transmission rates, prevalence, and persistence in communities. Biological diversity in hosts and vectors may provide "rescue" hosts which buffer against pathogen extinction and "dilution" hosts which reduce the force of infection in communities. Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a tick-transmitted zoonotic pathogen that circulates in small mammal and tick communities characterized by varying levels of biological diversity. We examined the prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in Ixodes spp. ticks in 11 communities in northern and central California. A total of 1020 ticks of 8 species was evaluated. Five percent of ticks (5 species) were PCR-positive, with the highest prevalence (6-7%) in I. pacificus and I. ochotonae. In most species, adults had a higher prevalence than nymphs or larvae. PCR prevalence varied between 0% and 40% across sites; the infection probability in ticks increased with infestation load and prevalence in small mammals, but not tick species richness, diversity, evenness, or small mammal species richness. No particular tick species was likely to "rescue" infection in the community; rather the risk of A. phagocytophilum infection is related to exposure to particular tick species and life stages, and overall tick abundance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Foley
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Jonah Piovia-Scott
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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Abstract
Ixodes spp. tick-borne zoonotic diseases are present across the Holarctic in humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Small mammals are reservoirs for the rickettsial pathogen Anaplasma phagocytophilum and tick vectors may include catholic-feeding bridge vectors as well as host-specialist or nidicolous ticks. Far western North American communities in which A. phagocytophilum is maintained are complex ecologically, with multiple reservoir host and tick species, multiple strains of the bacterial pathogen A. phagocytophilum and differences in dynamics of hosts and vectors across heterogeneous landscapes. We evaluated sites in northern California in order to identify primarily nidicolous ticks and the hosts they infest. A total of 667 ticks was found in 11 study sites, including 288 on flags and 379 attached to small mammals. Larvae were over-represented among attached ticks and adults on flags. The most abundant species was I. pacificus. Two-hundred fourteen nidicolous ticks were found, most abundantly I. angustus and I. spinipalpis. All adult I. ochotonae, I. auritulus, I. angustus, I. jellisoni, and I. woodi were female, while the male:female ratio of I. spinipalpis was 1.2:1 and 1:1 for I. pacificus. The greatest number of ticks was obtained from Tamias ochrogenys, Peromyscus spp., and Neotoma fuscipes. Of 234 small mammal individuals that were infested with Ixodes spp., only 81 (34.6%) were infested with I. pacificus. The remaining infested small mammals hosted nidicolous tick species. Eight ticks were PCR-positive, including 6 I. pacificus (one adult, one larva, and 6 nymphs), and 2 adult I. ochotonae and high PCR prevalences of 18% and 9% were detected in woodrats and chipmunks, respectively. Nymphal I. angustus ticks were active year-long with a possible increase in August while larval activity was only observed in December and spring months and adults only during spring and fall. Overall, we show high tick species richness and year-round high levels of infestation on rodents by several different nidicolous ticks in areas where A. phagocytophilum is enzootic, including on reported reservoir species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Foley
- University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Dept. of Medicine and Epidemiology, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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