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Spotted fever Rickettsia species in Hyalomma and Ixodes ticks infesting migratory birds in the European Mediterranean area
- Source :
- Parasites & Vectors
- Publication Year :
- 2014
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2014.
-
Abstract
- Background: A few billion birds migrate annually between their breeding grounds in Europe and their wintering grounds in Africa. Many bird species are tick-infested, and as a result of their innate migratory behavior, they contribute significantly to the geographic distribution of pathogens, including spotted fever rickettsiae. The aim of the present study was to characterize, in samples from two consecutive years, the potential role of migrant birds captured in Europe as disseminators of Rickettsia-infected ticks. Methods: Ticks were collected from a total of 14,789 birds during their seasonal migration northwards in spring 2009 and 2010 at bird observatories on two Mediterranean islands: Capri and Antikythira. All ticks were subjected to RNA extraction followed by cDNA synthesis and individually assayed with a real-time PCR targeting the citrate synthase (gltA) gene. For species identification of Rickettsia, multiple genes were sequenced. Results: Three hundred and ninety-eight (2.7%) of all captured birds were tick-infested; some birds carried more than one tick. A total number of 734 ticks were analysed of which 353 +/- 1 (48%) were Rickettsia-positive; 96% were infected with Rickettsia aeschlimannii and 4% with Rickettsia africae or unidentified Rickettsia species. The predominant tick taxon, Hyalomma marginatum sensu lato constituted 90% (n = 658) of the ticks collected. The remaining ticks were Ixodes frontalis, Amblyomma sp., Haemaphysalis sp., Rhipicephalus sp. and unidentified ixodids. Most ticks were nymphs (66%) followed by larvae (27%) and adult female ticks (0.5%). The majority (65%) of ticks was engorged and nearly all ticks contained visible blood. Conclusions: Migratory birds appear to have a great impact on the dissemination of Rickettsia-infected ticks, some of which may originate from distant locations. The potential ecological, medical and veterinary implications of such Rickettsia infections need further examination.
- Subjects :
- Infectious Medicine
Ixodidae
Hyalomma marginatum
Zoology
Spotted fever Rickettsia
Infektionsmedicin
Tick
Birds
Hyalomma rufipes
Rickettsia africae
parasitic diseases
Animals
Transmission
Biologiska vetenskaper
Rickettsia
Migratory birds
Rickettsia aeschlimannii
Ixodes frontalis
biology
Bird Diseases
Mediterranean Region
Ecology
Research
Klinisk medicin
Amblyomma
Biological Sciences
bacterial infections and mycoses
biology.organism_classification
Haemaphysalis
Tick Infestations
Rhipicephalus
Infectious Diseases
Animal Migration
Parasitology
Ixodes
Clinical Medicine
Hyalomma
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 17563305
- Volume :
- 7
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Parasites & Vectors
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....4b9d2e090826e04172208a2e427e75c6
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-7-318