Dataset Information

Prevalence of Anaplasma, Bartonella and Borrelia Species in Haemaphysalis longicornis collected from goats in North Korea.

ABSTRACT: North Korea is located on the northern part of the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. While tick-borne pathogens of medical and veterinary importance have been reported from China and South Korea, they have not been reported from North Korea. To screen for zoonotic tick-borne pathogens in North Korea, ticks were collected from domestic goats. A total of 292 (27 nymph, 26 male, 239 female) Haemaphysalis (H.) longicornis were collected and assayed individually for selected tick-borne pathogens. A total of 77 (26.4%) were positive for Anaplasma bovis, followed by Bartonella (B.) grahamii (15, 5.1%), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (12, 4.1%), Bartonella henselae (10, 3.4%), and Borrelia spp. (3, 1.0%) based on 16S ribosomal RNA and ITS species-specific nested polymerase chain reaction. Using the groEL-based nested PCR, a total of 6 and 1 H. longicornis were positive for B. grahamii and B. henselae, respectively. All products were sequenced and demonstrated 100% identity and homology with previously reported sequences from other countries in GenBank. This is the first report of the detection of tick-borne pathogens in the North Korea and suggests that farm animals may act as reservoirs for zoonotic tick-borne pathogens.

SUBMITTER: Kang JG

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4921669 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Prevalence of Anaplasma, Bartonella and Borrelia Species in Haemaphysalis longicornis collected from goats in North Korea.

Kang Jun-Gu JG Ko Sungjin S Smith W Barney WB Kim Heung-Chul HC Lee In-Yong IY Chae Joon-Seok JS

Journal of veterinary science 20160601 2

North Korea is located on the northern part of the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. While tick-borne pathogens of medical and veterinary importance have been reported from China and South Korea, they have not been reported from North Korea. To screen for zoonotic tick-borne pathogens in North Korea, ticks were collected from domestic goats. A total of 292 (27 nymph, 26 male, 239 female) Haemaphysalis (H.) longicornis were collected and assayed individually for selected tick-borne pathogens. A tota ...[more]

PMID: 26645342

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Project description:Anaplasma species, which are distributed worldwide, are gram-negative obligate intracellular tick-borne bacteria that pose a threat to human and animal health. Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks play a vital role as vectors in the transmission of Anaplasma pathogens. However, the Anaplasma species carried by H. longicornis in China are yet to be characterized. In this study, 1074 H. longicornis specimens were collected from goats in four provinces of China from 2018 to 2019 and divided into 371 sample pools. All tick sample pools were examined for the presence of Anaplasma species via nested PCR amplification of 16S ribosomal RNA, major surface protein 4 (msp4), or citric acid synthase (gltA) genes, which were sequenced to determine the molecular and phylogenetic characteristics of the isolates. The overall Anaplasma spp-positive rate of H. longicornis was determined to be 26.68% (99/371). The percentage prevalence of A. phagocytophilum-like1, A. bovis, A. ovis, A. marginale, and A. capra were 1.08% (4/371), 13.21% (49/371), 13.21% (49/371), 1.35% (5/371), and 10.24% (38/371), respectively, and the co-infection rate of two or more types of Anaplasma was 6.47% (24/371). Phylogenetic analyses led to the classification of A. phagocytophilum into an A. phagocytophilum-like1 (Anaplasma sp. Japan) group. Anaplasma bovis sequences obtained in this study were 99.8-100% identical to those of an earlier strain isolated from a Chinese tick (GenBank accession no. KP314251). Anaplasma ovis sequences showed 99.3-99.6% identity to an A. ovis human strain identified from a Cypriot patient (GenBank accession no. FJ460443). Only one msp4 sequence of A. marginale was detected and was grouped with those of other A. marginale isolates, and these A. capra isolates obtained in this present study may be zoonotic. The detection and characterization of four Anaplasma species in H. longicornis in this study have added to the current knowledge of the parasite and provided data on multiple Anaplasma species with veterinary and medical significance from four provinces of China.

Project description:BackgroundAnaplasma spp., zoonotic tick-borne pathogens affecting livestock, companion animals, and humans, exhibits 15-18% seropositivity among hunting dogs in the Republic of Korea (South Korea). The dominant tick species in South Korea, Haemaphysalis longicornis, can transmit these pathogens to both humans and animals. Given the limited understanding of transovarial transmission of Anaplasma spp., our study aimed to assess the prevalence of questing larval ticks containing Anaplasma DNA. Additionally, we aimed to gather data for establishing a nationwide forecasting and alert system on seasonal variation of tick developmental stages and tick-borne zoonotic pathogens.MethodsFrom March to October 2021 and again from March to October 2022, we collected a total of 36,912 unfed, questing ticks of Haemaphysalis spp. from 149 sites in South Korea. Ticks were collected from herbaceous vegetation using the flagging method using a white flannel cloth. After species identification, one-third of collected ticks underwent analysis for Anaplasma DNA. Nymph ticks were pooled in groups of 1-10 and larvae in groups of 1-50, while adults were examined individually. Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to detect the genus Anaplasma by amplifying the 16S rRNA gene, followed by sequencing for species identification and phylogenetic analysis.ResultsOf the 36,912 questing ticks collected, 13,082 (35.4%) were identified as nymphs and adults of H. longicornis and 3850 (10.4%) as those of Haemaphysalis flava. The morphologically indistinguishable larval stage of Haemaphysalis spp. predominated, with 19,980 (54.1%) collected primarily from July to October. From the 939 tick pools, 24 pools (2.6%) tested positive for Anaplasma, with the larval stage exhibiting the highest number of positive pools (16, 1.7%). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 21 of the 24 Anaplasma-positive pools contained A. phagocytophilum-specific genes, with 1 identified as Anaplasma sp. and the remaining 2 as A. bovis.ConclusionsOur study provides evidence of transovarial transmission of A. phagocytophilum in Haemaphysalis spp. larvae under field conditions, showing that the bacteria are transmitted from mother ticks to unengorged, questing larvae. Additionally, our findings contribute significant data for establishing a nationwide forecasting and alert system on seasonal variation of tick developmental stages and tick-borne zoonotic pathogens.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Close relationships between ticks and microbial communities are important for tick fitness and pathogen colonization and transmission. Haemaphysalis longicornis, distributed widely in China, can carry and transmit various pathogens and pose serious damages to public health and economics. However, little is known about the broader array of microbial communities and symbionts in H. longicornis under natural conditions. In the present study, we investigated the composition of bacterial communities associated with H. longicornis and evaluated the putative symbionts. METHODS:The eubacterial 16S rRNA gene clone libraries of H. longicornis were constructed and analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and DNA sequencing. In addition, diagnostic PCR was performed to assess the prevalence, vertical transmission and infection sites of the symbionts in H. longicornis. RESULTS:Vertically-transmitted symbionts, potential pathogens and allochthonous nonpathogenic bacteria were identified from the field-collected H. longicornis. Three types of symbionts (Coxiella-like, Arsenophonus-like and Rickettsia-like symbionts) were identified in a single host simultaneously. A series of analyses revealed the vertical transmission, prevalence, and infection sites of these symbionts. However, only Coxiella-like bacteria were transmitted stably in the laboratory-reared ticks. In addition, we identified a novel Coxiella-like agent with 95.31% sequence similarity to the taxon described previously. CONCLUSIONS:The present study demonstrated that natural H. longicornis harboured a diverse array of microbial communities. Three types of symbionts were identified in a single host simultaneously. Moreover, high prevalence, vertical transmission and the infection sites supported an obligate symbiotic association between Coxiella symbiont and its host. The role of Coxiella symbiont in the host fitness and the interaction among microbial communities remained to be elucidated. Our investigation of microbial communities in the ticks revealed the complexity of ecological interactions between host and microbe and provided insight for the biological control of ticks.

Dataset Information

Prevalence of Anaplasma, Bartonella and Borrelia Species in Haemaphysalis longicornis collected from goats in North Korea.

Publications

Prevalence of Anaplasma, Bartonella and Borrelia Species in Haemaphysalis longicornis collected from goats in North Korea.

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