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Detection of tick-borne bacteria and babesia with zoonotic potential in Argas (Carios) vespertilionis (Latreille, 1802) ticks from British bats.
- Source :
-
Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2018 Jan 30; Vol. 8 (1), pp. 1865. Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Jan 30. - Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Ticks host a wide range of zoonotic pathogens and are a significant source of diseases that affect humans and livestock. However, little is known about the pathogens associated with bat ticks. We have collected ectoparasites from bat carcasses over a seven year period. Nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) were extracted from 296 ticks removed from bats and the species designation was confirmed in all ticks as Argas (Carios) vespertilionis. A subset of these samples (n = 120) were tested for the presence of zoonotic pathogens by molecular methods. Babesia species, Rickettsia spp., within the spotted fever group (SFG), and Ehrlichia spp. were detected in ticks removed from 26 bats submitted from 14 counties across England. The prevalence of Rickettsia spp. was found to be highest in Pipistrellus pipistrellus from southern England. This study suggests that the tick species that host B. venatorum may include the genus Argas in addition to the genus Ixodes. As A. vespertilionis has been reported to feed on humans, detection of B. venatorum and SFG Rickettsia spp. could present a risk of disease transmission in England. No evidence for the presence of flaviviruses or Issyk-Kul virus (nairovirus) was found in these tick samples.
- Subjects :
- Animals
Argas classification
Babesia classification
England
Genes, Bacterial
Host-Pathogen Interactions
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S genetics
Rickettsia classification
Tick Infestations epidemiology
Zoonoses microbiology
Argas genetics
Babesia genetics
Chiroptera microbiology
Chiroptera parasitology
Rickettsia genetics
Tick Infestations veterinary
Zoonoses epidemiology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2045-2322
- Volume :
- 8
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Scientific reports
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 29382871
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-20138-1