Detection of tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected in the suburban area of Monte Romano, Lazio Region, Central Italy

Annali dell'Istituto superiore di sanita

article

Fabiola Mancini¹  Anna Maria Fausto²  Patrizio Pezzotti¹  Alessandra Ciervo¹  Maria Fenicia Vescio¹  Luciano Toma¹  Marco di Luca¹  Francesco Severini¹  Simone Mario Cacciò¹  Carmela Mariano³  Giancarlo Nicolai³  Valentina Laghezza Masci² 

[1] Superiore di Sanità dip DMI;Dipartimento per l’Innovazione nei sistemi Biologici, Università della Tuscia di Viterbo;Dipartimento di Prevenzione

关键词: ticks;    Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato;    Bartonella spp;    Ehrlichia spp;    Coxiella burnetii;    Francisella spp;    Rickettsia spp;    co-infection;    Italy;   

DOI  :  10.4415/ANN_19_02_06

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Istituto Superiore di Sanita

【 摘 要 】

Background. A study on tick species characterization and tick borne pathogens detection was performed within a survey conducted during 2012 and 2013 in the Viterbo province (Lazio Region, Central Italy). Seven sites were selected for the study investigation, including two farms and a military zone. Methods . A total of 255 ticks, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus (n =215), Rhipicephalus bursa (n = 28), and Hyalomma marginatum (n = 12) were screened individually by molecular methods for the tick borne bacterial agents: Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group, Bartonella spp., Coxiella burnetii, Ehrlichia spp., Francisella spp., and Rickettsia spp . Results and Conclusion . Overall, 182 ticks (71%) were infected with one pathogen but co-infections were also found. Tick borne pathogens identified were C. burnetii, B. burgdorferi s.l . ., Bartonella spp., Rickettsia spp ., Francisella spp., and Ehrlichia spp. In R. bursa and H. marginatum , the presence of B. burgdorferi s.l. was positively correlated with that of C. burnetii , Rickettsia spp. , and Bartonella spp. and their coinfection probabilities were 29.8%, 22.7% and 11.7%, respectively. The Probability of coinfection for Francisella spp. and Rickettsia spp. and for Francisella spp. and Bartonella spp. was 14.9% and 17.9%, respectively. In R. (Boophilus) annulatus , the probability of coinfection between C. burnetii and B. burgdorferi s.l. was 11.3%, while those between C. burnetii and Bartonella and between B. burgdorferi s.l. and Bartonella were 0.8%. Further studies are needed in order to assess the risk associated with these tick-borne pathogens, somewhat unusual in Central Italy.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC-ND