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detection of rickettsia in rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks and ctenocephalides felis fleas from southeastern tunisia by reverse line blot assay.ticks (n = 663) and fleas (n = 470) collected from domestic animals from southeastern tunisia were screened for rickettsia infection using reverse line blot assay. evidence of spotted fever group rickettsia was obtained. we detected rickettsia felis in fleas, rickettsia massiliae bar 29 and the rickettsia conorii israeli spotted fever strain in ticks, and rickettsia conorii subsp. conorii and rickettsia spp. in both arthropods. the sensitivity of the adopted technique allowed the identification ...201324226919
differential virulence and pathogenesis of west nile viruses.west nile virus (wnv) is a neurotropic flavivirus that cycles between mosquitoes and birds but that can also infect humans, horses, and other vertebrate animals. in most humans, wnv infection remains subclinical. however, 20%-40% of those infected may develop wnv disease, with symptoms ranging from fever to meningoencephalitis. a large variety of wnv strains have been described worldwide. based on their genetic differences, they have been classified into eight lineages; the pathogenic strains be ...201324284878
co-infection of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and rickettsia species in ticks and in an erythema migrans patient.lyme borreliosis is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in europe. ixodes ricinus also carries other pathogenic bacteria, but corresponding human diseases are rarely reported. here, we compared the exposure to rickettsia helvetica and rickettsia monacensis with that to lyme borreliosis spirochetes. we assumed that their exposure corresponds to their infection rate in questing i. ricinus.201324326096
[molecular-genetic characterization of the bhanja virus (bhav) and the razdan virus (razv) (bunyaviridae, phlebovirus) isolated from the ixodes ticks rhipicephalus bursa (canestrini and fanzago, 1878) and dermacentor marginatus (sulzer, 1776) in transcaucasus].two bunyaviruses, bhanja (bhav, leiv-az1818) isolated from the ixodes ticks rhipecephalus bursa (canestrini and fanzago, 1878) in azerbaijan (1973) and razdan (razv; strain leiv-arm2741) isolated from the dermacentor marginatus (sulzer, 1776) ticks in armenia (1972), were de novo sequenced (on the illumina platform). the amino acid identity between these viruses proteins were 95.8% (rdrp, l-segment), 90.3% (gngc, m-segment), and 92.5% (n, s-segment). thus, razv was classified to bhav group. gngc ...201624354060
spotted fever group rickettsiae in ticks in turkey.one hundred twenty-six ticks belonging to 12 tick species were collected from humans, domestic and wild animals, and from the ground as unfed (questing ticks) from distinct localities in turkey in 2011. ticks were individually tested by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) for rickettsia spp., amplifying citrate synthase (glta), and outer membrane protein (ompa) genes. twenty-five ticks (19.8%) were found to be infected with rickettsia species. five sfg rickettsiae were identified, including 4 pathog ...201424355764
control of tick infestations and pathogen prevalence in cattle and sheep farms vaccinated with the recombinant subolesin-major surface protein 1a chimeric antigen.despite the use of chemical acaricides, tick infestations continue to affect animal health and production worldwide. tick vaccines have been proposed as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative for tick control. vaccination with the candidate tick protective antigen, subolesin (sub), has been shown experimentally to be effective in controlling vector infestations and pathogen infection. furthermore, escherichia coli membranes containing the chimeric antigen composed of sub fused ...201424398155
pcr-based detection of babesia spp. infection in collected ticks from cattle in west and north-west of iran.babesiosis is a haemoparasitic disease of domestic and wild animals caused by species of the genus babesia. babesia bigemina, b. bovis and b. divergens are known to be pathogenic in cattle. the disease is transmitted during blood feeding by infected ticks and is the most economically important tick-borne disease in tropical and subtropical areas. ixodid ticks are vectors in the transmission of babesiosis. the classic presentation is a febrile syndrome with apparent anemia and hemoglobinuria. thi ...201324409438
a survey of ixodid tick species and molecular identification of tick-borne pathogens.this study was undertaken in two different climatic areas of turkey to determine the presence of tick-borne pathogens of medical and veterinary importance. the ticks were removed from humans, pooled according to species and developmental stages, and analyzed by pcr, reverse line blot (rlb) and sequencing. of the 2333 removed ticks from 10 species, 1238 (53.06%) were obtained from the arid cold zone, and the remaining 1095 (46.93%) were obtained from the humid zone. the removed ticks were identif ...201424424312
a seventeen-year epidemiological surveillance study of borrelia burgdorferi infections in two provinces of northern spain.this paper reports a 17-year seroepidemiological surveillance study of borrelia burgdorferi infection, performed with the aim of improving our knowledge of the epidemiology of this pathogen. serum samples (1,179) from patients (623, stratified with respect to age, sex, season, area of residence and occupation) bitten by ticks in two regions of northern spain were ifa-tested for b. burgdorferi antibodies. positive results were confirmed by western blotting. antibodies specific for b. burgdorferi ...201424487455
tick-borne lymphadenopathy-like condition in an african woman in kenya.a 30-year-old african woman in kenya succumbed to severe swollen regional lymph nodes, development of painful boils and ulcer formation and rashes at specific tick-biting sites together with an intermittent fever and headache following repeated tick bites of rhipicephalus pulchellus. she later developed nuchal lymphadenopathy-like condition and an eschar with edematous margins at bitten sites. a sustained high fever and fatigue then followed. she became well after treatment with antibiotics and ...024497868
amblyomma cajennense is an intrastadial biological vector of theileria equi.the apicomplexan hemoprotozoan parasite theileria equi is one of the etiologic agents causing equine piroplasmosis, a disease of equines that is endemic throughout large parts of the world. before 2009 the united states had been considered to be free of this parasite. occasional cases had occurred but there was no evidence for endemic vector-borne transmission in the u.s. until a 2009 outbreak in texas in which dermacentor variabilis and amblyomma cajennense were implicated as vectors. although ...201324499587
assessment of exposure to piroplasms in sheep grazing in communal mountain pastures by using a multiplex dna bead-based suspension array.piroplasms are tick-borne hemoprotozoans with a major impact on extensive management systems. detection of sub-clinical low-level carriers, which can act as source of infection for vector ticks, is key to protect livestock trade and facilitate preventive control programs. the purpose of this study was to develop a method for the detection of ovine piroplasms and to use it in a field study aimed at investigating piroplasms infection in semi-extensive production systems in the basque country (nort ...201324499621
assessment of four dna fragments (coi, 16s rdna, its2, 12s rdna) for species identification of the ixodida (acari: ixodida).the 5' region of cytochrome oxidase i (coi) is the standard marker for dna barcoding. however, coi has proved to be of limited use in identifying some species, and for some taxa, the coding sequence is not efficiently amplified by pcr. these deficiencies lead to uncertainty as to whether coi is the most suitable barcoding fragment for species identification of ticks.201424589289
seasonal dynamics of rhipicephalus rossicus attacking domestic dogs from the steppic region of southeastern romania.danube delta biosphere reserve is one of the most interesting regions in europe from an epidemiological point of view due to its great biodiversity, local climatic conditions and various types of habitats. moreover, there is no data regarding the ectoparasite communities of dogs from this area. in this frame, the aims of our study were to establish the tick communities parasitizing dogs and to provide new data regarding seasonal dynamics of a neglected tick species, rhipicephalus rossicus.201424612483
retrospective study of hemoparasites in cattle in southern italy by reverse line blot hybridization.tick-borne diseases are widespread in tropical and temperate regions and are responsible for important economic losses in those areas. in order to assess the presence and prevalence of various pathogens in southern italy, we retrospectively analyzed cattle blood samples collected for a previous study in 2000 using reverse line blot (rlb) hybridization. the study had been carried out in three regions of southern italy on 1,500 randomly selected and apparently healthy adult cattle. rlb showed that ...201424614604
gene cloning, expression and immunogenicity of the protective antigen subolesin in dermacentor silvarum.subolesin (4d8), the ortholog of insect akirins, is a highly conserved protective antigen and thus has the potential for development of a broad-spectrum vaccine against ticks and mosquitoes. to date, no protective antigens have been characterized nor tested as candidate vaccines against dermacentor silvarum bites and transmission of associated pathogens. in this study, we cloned the open reading frame (orf) of d. silvarum 4d8 cdna (ds4d8), which consisted of 498 bp encoding 165 amino acid residu ...201424623890
habitat and occurrence of ixodid ticks in the liguria region, northwest italy.questing ticks were collected during monthly dragging sessions (march-august 2011) in three provinces of the liguria region, north-western italy, to evaluate the species occurrence, spatial distribution and relative abundance. a total of 1,464 specimens were collected in 94 dragging sites. ixodes ricinus was the most abundant species (81.3 % of collected ticks), followed by haemaphysalis punctata (10.9 %), dermacentor marginatus (5.5 %), ixodes frontalis (1.3 %), and rhipicephalus spp. (0.9 %). ...201424682615
scalp eschar and neck lymphadenopathy after tick bite: an emerging syndrome with multiple causes.the clinical and epidemiological features of 56 patients with scalp eschar associated with neck lymphadenopathy after a tick bite (senlat) syndrome were evaluated at the national french rickettsial center. eschar swabs, crusts, and biopsies as well as ticks and blood samples were acquired for molecular and serological assays. senlat predominantly affects children (p < 0.05), followed by 40- to 70-year-olds, and it is found mostly in women (p < 0.05). the seasonal distribution has two peaks: one ...201424682865
seroprevalence of some vector-borne infections of dogs in hungary.the first comprehensive study on the prevalence of canine vector-borne pathogens (anaplasma phagocytophilum, borrelia burgdorferi, ehrlichia canis, and dirofilaria immitis) was carried in hungary because, except for babesiosis and dirofilariosis caused by dirofilaria repens, there were no data on their regional distribution and prevalence. in 2011 and 2012, 1305 blood samples were collected from randomly selected, apparently healthy pet dogs in 167 localities of 19 counties of hungary. all sera ...201424689833
the role of viral persistence in flavivirus biology.in nature, vector-borne flaviviruses are persistently cycled between either the tick or mosquito vector and small mammals such as rodents, skunks, and swine. these viruses account for considerable human morbidity and mortality worldwide. increasing and substantial evidence of viral persistence in humans, which includes the isolation of rna by rt-pcr and infectious virus by culture, continues to be reported. viral persistence can also be established in vitro in various human, animal, arachnid, an ...201424737600
defensin from the ornate sheep tick dermacentor marginatus and its effect on lyme borreliosis spirochetes.expression of the previously reported defensin of the tick dermacentor marginatus (defdm) was analysed in different organs by rt-pcr. mrna of the defdm gene was detected in the hemolymph, midgut and salivary glands. moreover defdm was isolated from the tick hemolymph using rp-hplc and its sequence was determined by mass spectrometry and edman degradation. synthetic peptide was used for determining biological activities. the results showed an anti-gram-positive bacterial role for the defensin. as ...201424747431
a review of the epidemiological and clinical aspects of west nile virus.the resurgence of west nile virus (wnv) in north america and europe in recent years has raised the concerns of local authorities and highlighted that mosquito-borne disease is not restricted to tropical regions of the world. wnv is maintained in enzootic cycles involving, primarily, culex spp. mosquitoes and avian hosts, with epizootic spread to mammals, including horses and humans. human infection results in symptomatic illness in approximately one-fifth of cases and neuroinvasive disease in le ...201424748813
bat ticks revisited: ixodes ariadnae sp. nov. and allopatric genotypes of i. vespertilionis in caves of hungary.in europe two ixodid bat tick species, ixodes vespertilionis and i. simplex were hitherto known to occur.201424766822
[isolation of borrelia burgdorferi in ixodes from four counties, in north xinjiang].to identify ticks and determine the borrelia (b.) burgdorferi genotype from four counties of northern xinjiang.201424831623
rickettsia conorii israelensis in rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks, sardinia, italy.the presence of tick-borne rickettsia spp. was examined by pcr using dna samples extracted from 254 ticks collected from mammals originating from northern and eastern sardinia, italy. the spotted fever group rickettsial agent rickettsia conorii israelensis was detected in 3 rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks from a dog for the first time in this geographical area. in addition, ri. massiliae, ri. slovaca, and ri. aeschlimannii were detected in rh. turanicus, rh. sanguineus, dermacentor marginatus, an ...201424852264
chronic coinfections in patients diagnosed with chronic lyme disease: a systematic review.often, the controversial diagnosis of chronic lyme disease is given to patients with prolonged, medically unexplained physical symptoms. many such patients also are treated for chronic coinfections with babesia, anaplasma, or bartonella in the absence of typical presentations, objective clinical findings, or laboratory confirmation of active infection. we have undertaken a systematic review of the literature to evaluate several aspects of this practice.201424929022
real-time pcr-based identification of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species in ticks collected from humans in romania.the aims of our study were to determine (i) which tick species bite humans in romania and (ii) the prevalence of borrelia (b.) burgdorferi genospecies in these ticks. all ticks collected from patients who presented to the clinic of infectious diseases cluj napoca in spring/summer 2010 were morphologically identified by an entomologist and tested for b. burgdorferi genospecies prevalence by a real-time pcr assay targeting the hbb gene and melting curve analysis. out of 532 ticks, 518 were ixodes ...201424986749
ticks infesting humans in italy and associated pathogens.ticks may transmit a large variety of pathogens, which cause illnesses in animals and humans, commonly referred to as to tick-borne diseases (tbds). the incidence of human tbds in italy is underestimated because of poor surveillance and the scant amount of studies available.201425023709
phylogenetic analysis of west nile virus genome, iran. 025061976
abstracts of the 1st conference on neglected vectors and vector-borne diseases (eurnegvec): with management committee and working group meetings of the cost action td1303, april 8-11, 2014, cluj-napoca, romania. 201425078468
the role of cats in the eco-epidemiology of spotted fever group diseases.mediterranean spotted fever (msf), whose etiological agent is r. conorii, is one of the oldest described vector-borne infectious diseases. although it is endemic in the mediterranean area, clinical cases have also been reported in other regions. r. massiliae-bar29 is related to msf cases. this strain is distributed worldwide. r. conorii and r. massiliae-bar29 are transmitted by ticks. dogs are considered the sentinel of r. conorii infection. cats could also be involved in their transmission. ric ...201425084969
tick-borne lymphadenopathy, an emerging disease.tick-borne lymphadenopathy (tibola) is a spotted fever group disease characterized by an eschar and pronounced enlarged lymph nodes after a scalp tick bite. the goal of this synopsis is to review the tibola literature published until may 2013: forty-one articles (reporting 537 cases) were included. there was a predominance of cases in females and young people. spain, france, and hungary reported the majority of cases, and they were mainly reported in the colder seasons. the involved tick bite wa ...201425090977
identification of tick-borne pathogens in ticks feeding on humans in turkey.the importance of tick-borne diseases is increasing all over the world, including turkey. the tick-borne disease outbreaks reported in recent years and the abundance of tick species and the existence of suitable habitats increase the importance of studies related to the epidemiology of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in turkey. the aim of this study was to investigate the presence of and to determine the infection rates of some tick-borne pathogens, including babesia spp., borrelia burgdorferi se ...201425101999
high-throughput screening of tick-borne pathogens in europe.due to increased travel, climatic, and environmental changes, the incidence of tick-borne disease in both humans and animals is increasing throughout europe. therefore, extended surveillance tools are desirable. to accurately screen tick-borne pathogens (tbps), a large scale epidemiological study was conducted on 7050 ixodes ricinus nymphs collected from france, denmark, and the netherlands using a powerful new high-throughput approach. this advanced methodology permitted the simultaneous detect ...201425120960
range expansion of ixodes ricinus to higher altitude, and co-infestation of small rodents with dermacentor marginatus in the northern apennines, italy.immature ticks (ixodes ricinus and dermacentor marginatus) were collected from small rodents (apodemus spp. and myodes glareolus), in the northern apennines, italy, at an altitude up to 1650 m above sea level (a.s.l.), from 2009 through 2012. while d. marginatus had been found at the same location in studies carried out in 1994, i. ricinus was very rare or absent. prevalence (95% confidence interval) of infestation by i. ricinus larvae on apodemus spp. was 54.4% (47.5, 61.2), and it was greater ...201425139531
isolation and characterization of babesia pecorum sp. nov. from farmed red deer (cervus elaphus).the diversity of babesia species infecting cervids in parts of central and southern spain was analyzed by collecting blood from farmed red deer (cervus elaphus). babesia sp. was isolated in vitro from two red deer herds in cádiz and ciudad real. the number of babesia sp. carriers differed between the two herds: 36/77 in cádiz and 1/35 in ciudad real. hyalomma lusitanicum was the most prevalent tick species identified on the cádiz farm vegetation and on sampled animals, and is therefore a candida ...201425155988
survey on cattle ticks in nur, north of iran.to survey the prevalence of cattle ticks in nur county and prepare a list of tick fauna in this district.201425182439
prevalence and phylogenetic analysis of tick-borne encephalitis virus (tbev) in field-collected ticks (ixodes ricinus) in southern switzerland.tick-borne encephalitis is the most common tick-borne viral infection in europe with 3,000 human cases reported each year. in western europe, the castor bean tick, ixodes ricinus, is the principal vector of the tick-borne encephalitis virus (tbev). tbev appears to be spreading geographically and was recently detected for the first time in canton valais in the southern part of switzerland. the purpose of the present study was to survey the i. ricinus tick populations of canton valais for tbev.201425245773
crimean-congo hemorrhagic fever virus clades v and vi (europe 1 and 2) in ticks in kosovo, 2012.despite being a small country, kosovo represents one of the few foci of crimean-congo hemorrhagic fever (cchf) in europe. the distribution of kosovar tick vectors and the evolution of cchf virus in ticks are both as yet unknown. a better description of the extent and the genetic diversity of cchfv in ticks from endemic settings is essential, in order to be controlled. we investigated the 2012 distribution of kosovar ticks alongside the prevalence and the phylogeography of tick-derived cchfv. hya ...201425255381
'candidatus rickettsia asemboensis' and wolbachia spp. in ctenocephalides felis and pulex irritans fleas removed from dogs in ecuador.flea-borne infections are distributed worldwide. up to date there are no reports about microorganisms associated to fleas in ecuador.201425266919
the first german map of georeferenced ixodid tick locations.georeferenced locations of ixodid ticks are required to depict the observed distribution of species. further, they are used as input data for species distribution models also known as niche models. the latter were applied to describe current and future (projected) tick distributions. beside model assumptions and selected climate parameters, the number of georeferenced tick locations available as a digital dataset is of fundamental importance for the reliability of such models. for germany, howev ...201425301245
phytotherapeutic activity of euphorbia cyparissias extracts on ixodidae (acari) female ticks.given its numerous biologically active components, euphorbiaceae has been found to be a large plant family and polyvalent with quite interesting therapeutic activity that can be studied.201425392580
bunyavirus-vector interactions.the bunyaviridae family is comprised of more than 350 viruses, of which many within the hantavirus, orthobunyavirus, nairovirus, tospovirus, and phlebovirus genera are significant human or agricultural pathogens. the viruses within the orthobunyavirus, nairovirus, and phlebovirus genera are transmitted by hematophagous arthropods, such as mosquitoes, midges, flies, and ticks, and their associated arthropods not only serve as vectors but also as virus reservoirs in many cases. this review present ...201425402172
putative new west nile virus lineage in uranotaenia unguiculata mosquitoes, austria, 2013.west nile virus (wnv) is becoming more widespread and markedly effecting public health. we sequenced the complete polyprotein gene of a divergent wnv strain newly detected in a pool of uranotaenia unguiculata mosquitoes in austria. phylogenetic analyses suggest that the new strain constitutes a ninth wnv lineage or a sublineage of wnv lineage 4.025418009
whole genome phylogenetic investigation of a west nile virus strain isolated from a tick sampled from livestock in north eastern kenya.west nile virus (wnv) has a wide geographical distribution and has been associated to cause neurological disease in humans and horses. mosquitoes are the traditional vectors for wnv; however, the virus has also been isolated from tick species in north africa and europe which could be a means of introduction and spread of the virus over long distances through migratory birds. although wnv has been isolated in mosquitoes in kenya, paucity of genetic and pathogenicity data exists. we previously rep ...201425430727
molecular characterization of a defensin gene from a hard tick, dermacentor silvarum.ticks are distributed worldwide and considered as vectors of many human diseases. tick defensins, a family of antimicrobial peptides, form the first line of defense against pathogens.201525588982
occurrence of ixodiphagus hookeri (hymenoptera: encyrtidae) in ixodes ricinus (acari: ixodidae) in southern italy.natural enemies of ticks include the parasitoid wasp ixodiphagus hookeri (hymenoptera: encyrtidae). the aim of this preliminary study was to investigate the occurrence of i. hookeri dna in a community of ticks (ixodes ricinus, dermacentor marginatus, hyalomma marginatum, haemaphysalis inermis and rhipicephalus turanicus). from may 2010 to march 2012, ticks were collected monthly by dragging and flagging, identified, and 481 adults and 305 nymphs screened molecularly for infection with i. hookeri ...201525614120
investigation of tick-borne bacteria (rickettsia spp., anaplasma spp., ehrlichia spp. and borrelia spp.) in ticks collected from andean tapirs, cattle and vegetation from a protected area in ecuador.ixodid ticks play an important role in the transmission and ecology of infectious diseases. information about the circulation of tick-borne bacteria in ticks is lacking in ecuador. our aims were to investigate the tick species that parasitize andean tapirs and cattle, and those present in the vegetation from the buffer zone of the antisana ecological reserve and cayambe-coca national park (ecuador), and to investigate the presence of tick-borne bacteria.201525616567
novel candidatus rickettsia species detected in nostril tick from human, gabon, 2014.we report the identification of a nymphal nostril tick (amblyomma sp.) from a national park visitor in gabon and subsequent molecular detection and characterization of tickborne bacteria. our findings provide evidence of a potentially new rickettsia sp. circulating in africa and indicate that tick bites may pose a risk to persons visiting parks in the region.201525625886
unprecedented genomic diversity of rna viruses in arthropods reveals the ancestry of negative-sense rna viruses.although arthropods are important viral vectors, the biodiversity of arthropod viruses, as well as the role that arthropods have played in viral origins and evolution, is unclear. through rna sequencing of 70 arthropod species we discovered 112 novel viruses that appear to be ancestral to much of the documented genetic diversity of negative-sense rna viruses, a number of which are also present as endogenous genomic copies. with this greatly enriched diversity we revealed that arthropods contain ...201525633976
detection of rickettsia spp in ticks by maldi-tof ms.matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (maldi-tof ms) has been shown to be an effective tool for the rapid identification of arthropods, including tick vectors of human diseases.201525659152
putative novel lineage of west nile virus in uranotaenia unguiculata mosquito, hungary.west nile virus (wnv) is an increasing public health concern in europe with numerous human cases. a total of 23,029 female mosquitoes were tested for a variety of mosquito-borne flaviviruses and orthobunyaviruses supposedly endemic in southern transdanubia, hungary, in the frames of a large-scale surveillance between 2011 and 2013. wnv nucleic acid was detected in a single pool containing uranotaenia unguiculata mosquitoes. sequence- and phylogenetic analyses for two different regions (ns5 and e ...201425674630
detection of dermacentor marginatus and a possible rickettsia slovaca case in the united kingdom - the risk of the visiting traveller. 201625702622
new insights into flavivirus evolution, taxonomy and biogeographic history, extended by analysis of canonical and alternative coding sequences.to generate the most diverse phylogenetic dataset for the flaviviruses to date, we determined the genomic sequences and phylogenetic relationships of 14 flaviviruses, of which 10 are primarily associated with culex spp. mosquitoes. we analyze these data, in conjunction with a comprehensive collection of flavivirus genomes, to characterize flavivirus evolutionary and biogeographic history in unprecedented detail and breadth. based on the presumed introduction of yellow fever virus into the americ ...201525719412
a survey of ticks (acari: ixodida) infesting some wild animals from sivas, turkey.in order to determine the species composition of infesting ticks, between 2011 and 2012 a total of 1118 wild animals were captured from various regions of zara, sivas province, turkey. a total of 138 ticks were obtained from the 58 host animals. ticks were identified as dermacentor marginatus (sulzer), haemaphysalis erinacei taurica pospelova-shtrom, haemaphysalis parva (neumann), haemaphysalis punctata canestrini and fanzago, haemaphysalis sulcata canestrini and fanzago, hyalomma marginatum koc ...201525784071
preliminary investigation on tick fauna in the neighborhood of tarquinia, lazio, italy.this study represents a preliminary inquiry on tick fauna composition carried out in maremma, central italy, where very few data are available.201525857387
prevalence of 'candidatus rickettsia vini' in ixodes arboricola ticks in the north of spain, 2011-2013.the prevalence of rickettsia spp. in ixodes arboricola ticks collected from birds in two locations in the north of spain from 2011 to 2013 was studied.201525889739
theileria annae (syn. babesia microti-like) infection in dogs in nw spain detected using direct and indirect diagnostic techniques: clinical report of 75 cases.in north-western spain, piroplamosis caused by theileria annae is now recognized as a serious problem because veterinarians, despite being aware of the clinical signs of piroplasmosis, lack the necessary information on its epidemiology or specific diagnostic tools for its management. this, along with the fact that t. annae infection is also refractory to current piroplamosis treatments, prompted this study designed to assess the clinical presentation and diagnosis of this largely unknown parasit ...201525890106
the recent evolution of a maternally-inherited endosymbiont of ticks led to the emergence of the q fever pathogen, coxiella burnetii.q fever is a highly infectious disease with a worldwide distribution. its causative agent, the intracellular bacterium coxiella burnetii, infects a variety of vertebrate species, including humans. its evolutionary origin remains almost entirely unknown and uncertainty persists regarding the identity and lifestyle of its ancestors. a few tick species were recently found to harbor maternally-inherited coxiella-like organisms engaged in symbiotic interactions, but their relationships to the q fever ...201525978383
isolation and propagation of a spiroplasma sp. from slovakian ixodes ricinus ticks in ixodes spp. cell lines.ixodes spp. ticks are known to occasionally harbour spiroplasmas - helical mycoplasmas in the class mollicutes; a previous study in slovakia reported an overall prevalence of spiroplasma ixodetis of 3% in ixodes ricinus. in the present study, extracts of unfed adult i. ricinus ticks collected from vegetation in south-western slovakia were added to a panel of cell lines derived from i. ricinus and ixodes scapularis embryos. the cultures were monitored by preparation and examination of giemsa-stai ...201526003954
eco-epidemiology of borrelia miyamotoi and lyme borreliosis spirochetes in a popular hunting and recreational forest area in hungary.borrelia miyamotoi, the newly discovered human pathogenic relapsing fever spirochete, and borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato are maintained in natural rodent populations. the aim of this study was to investigate the natural cycle of b. miyamotoi and b. burgdorferi s.l. in a forest habitat with intensive hunting, forestry work and recreational activity in southern hungary.201526048373
identification of tick species and disseminate pathogen using hemolymph by maldi-tof ms.matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (maldi-tof ms) is increasingly emerging tool for identification of arthropods including tick vectors using whole or body part of specimens. the challenges of the present study were to assess maldi-tof ms profiling for the both identification of tick species and rickettsia spp. in infected ticks using hemolymph as protein mixture.201526051210
[distribution of tick species spread in kütahya vicinity].this study was performed to determine the tick species infested to the cattle and small ruminants in kütahya province and their seasonal activity and prevalence.201526081885
species diversity and distribution of ticks (acari: ixodidae) in zabol county, eastern iran.ticks are important vectors of human and animal pathogens. they are considered as main vectors for transmission of many viral, bacterial, rickettsial and parasitical pathogens. the aim of the present study was to find out species diversity of ticks, which infested the domestic ruminants in zabol county, eastern iran in 2012.201426114136
laboratory development of dermacentor marginatus ticks (acari: ixodidae) at two temperatures.the influence of two temperatures on the development of dermacentor marginatus evolutive cycle was studied. tests performed under controlled laboratory conditions at 21 °c, 80 % rh and 27 °c, rh 80 %, on ten fully engorged female ticks collected from naturally infested goats, in cluj county, romania. hatched larvae were fed on white mice and the nymphs and adults on guinea pigs. the following parameters were evaluated: egg incubation; pre-feeding, feeding and pre-moulting for larvae and nymphs; ...201526122968
detection of lyme disease and q fever agents in wild rodents in central italy.the maintenance of tick-borne disease agents in the environment strictly depends on the relationship between tick vectors and their hosts, which act as reservoirs for these pathogens. a pilot study aimed to investigate wild rodents as reservoirs for zoonotic tick-borne pathogens (borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), coxiella burnetii, francisella tularensis, and anaplasma phagocytophilum) was carried out in an area of gran sasso e monti della laga national park (abruzzi region, central italy) ...201526134933
climate suitability for european ticks: assessing species distribution models against null models and projection under ar5 climate.there is increasing evidence that the geographic distribution of tick species is changing. whilst correlative species distribution models (sdms) have been used to predict areas that are potentially suitable for ticks, models have often been assessed without due consideration for spatial patterns in the data that may inflate the influence of predictor variables on species distributions. this study used null models to rigorously evaluate the role of climate and the potential for climate change to ...201526310856
a broad-range survey of ticks from livestock in northern xinjiang: changes in tick distribution and the isolation of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto.borreliosis is highly prevalent in xinjiang uygur autonomous region, china. however, little is known about the presence of borrelia pathogens in tick species in this region, in addition borrelia pathogens have not been isolated from domestic animals.201526337627
host-feeding behaviour of dermacentor reticulatus and dermacentor marginatus in mono-specific and inter-specific infestations.given the sympatric occurrence in some regions of europe and the great epidemiological significance of d. reticulatus and d. marginatus species, we investigated the behaviour of these ticks during inter-specific and mono-specific host infestations.201526381387
ticks (acari: ixodida) parasitizing humans in corum and yozgat provinces, turkey.in order to identify ticks infesting humans in corum and yozgat provinces in turkey, a total of 2110 ticks representing 14 species were collected on humans, between june and september 2009. of those, 1551 (687♂, 450♀, 407 nymphs, 7 larvae) were collected from corum and 559 (330♂, 180♀, 49 nymphs) were collected from yozgat. the majority of ticks (n = 1121, 53.1 %) was hyalomma marginatum. other common ticks infesting humans were dermacentor marginatus (n = 209, 9.9 %) and rhipicephalus turanicus ...201526385209
environmental monitoring and surveillance of rodents and vectors for francisella tularensis following outbreaks of human tularemia in georgia.tularemia is a re-emerging bacterial zoonosis, broadly distributed across the northern hemisphere. in georgia, there is a history of human tularemia outbreaks dating back to the 1940s. in response to outbreaks, health officials initiated long-term field surveillance and environmental monitoring. the objective of our study was to obtain information from 57 years of field surveys to identify species that play a role in the occurrence francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica in the environment in g ...201526394283
abundance of questing ticks and molecular evidence for pathogens in ticks in three parks of emilia-romagna region of northern italy.infectious and parasitic diseases transmitted by ticks, such as lyme diseases, granulocytic anaplasmosis and piroplasmosis, have been frequently reported in europe, with increasing attention to them as an emerging zoonotic problem. the presented study was performed to assess the distribution and the density of questing ticks in three regional parks of emilia-romagna region of northern italy, and to seek molecular evidence of potential human pathogens in tick populations.201526403115
isolation and maintenance of rickettsia raoultii in a rhipicephalus sanguineus tick cell line.rickettsia raoultii, a member of the spotted fever group rickettsiae, has been implicated in cases of debonel/tibola/senlat, and has been detected in dermacentor spp. and rhipicephalus pumilio ticks by pcr. r. raoultii has been isolated in mammalian and tick cell lines. this study aimed to isolate r. raoultii from spanish dermacentor marginatus in tick cell lines. a single adult d. marginatus collected from vegetation in la rioja (northen spain) in october 2012 was surface-sterilised, triturated ...201626428859
molecular survey of tick-borne pathogens in ixodid ticks collected from hunted wild animals in tuscany, italy.to determine the prevalence of zoonotic tick-borne bacteria in feeding ticks removed from hunted wild animals.201526433656
molecular detection of anaplasma phagocytophilum and borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies in red foxes (vulpes vulpes) from romania.red foxes (vulpes vulpes) are one of the most widespread wild carnivores in the world, being recognized to harbor and transmit a wide range of vector-borne diseases. anaplasma phagocytophilum and borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato are zoonotic tick-borne pathogens causing emerging diseases. wild animals play an essential role in the transmission of diseases and pathogens maintenance in nature. epidemiological studies regarding the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in red foxes are of public health ...201526449360
emerging tick-borne infections in mainland china: an increasing public health threat.since the beginning of the 1980s, 33 emerging tick-borne agents have been identified in mainland china, including eight species of spotted fever group rickettsiae, seven species in the family anaplasmataceae, six genospecies in the complex borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, 11 species of babesia, and the virus causing severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. in this review we have mapped the geographical distributions of human cases of infection. 15 of the 33 emerging tick-borne agents have be ...201526453241
midgut proteome of an argasid tick, ornithodoros erraticus: a comparison between unfed and engorged females.the argasid tick ornithodoros erraticus is the vector of african swine fever virus and of several borrelia species that cause human relapsing fever in the iberian peninsula. the tick midgut is part of the ectoparasite-host interface and expresses proteins that are vital for the survival of the tick. midgut proteins are therefore potential targets for drug and/or vaccine design aimed at the development of new strategies for tick control. thus, the aim of this work was the characterization of the ...201526459090
long-term ecological study of host-seeking adults of hyalomma lusitanicum (acari: ixodidae) in a meso-mediterranean climate.from january 2007 to december 2014, three representative meso-mediterranean bioclimatic environment types were sampled monthly using blanket-dragging techniques to determine the tick abundance rate. hyalomma lusitanicum koch, 1844 was the most prevalent species (96.58%) followed by dermacentor marginatus sulzer, 1776; rhipicephalus pusillus gil collado, 1936; and rhipicephalus bursa canestrini and fanzago, 1878. h. lusitanicum adults begin questing activity around march, numbers rising quickly r ...201626477051
a preliminary investigation on ticks (acari: ixodidae) infesting birds in kızılırmak delta, turkey.ticks are mandatory blood-feeding ectoparasites of mammals, birds, reptiles, and even amphibians. turkey has a rich bird fauna and is located on the main migration route for many birds. however, information on ticks infesting birds is very limited. in the present study, we aimed to determine ticks infesting birds in kızılırmak delta, turkey. in 2014 autumn bird migration season, a total of 7,452 birds belonging to 79 species, 52 genera, 35 families, and 14 orders were examined for tick infestati ...201626487249
divergent viruses discovered in arthropods and vertebrates revise the evolutionary history of the flaviviridae and related viruses.viruses of the family flaviviridae are important pathogens of humans and other animals and are currently classified into four genera. to better understand their diversity, evolutionary history, and genomic flexibility, we used transcriptome sequencing (rna-seq) to search for the viruses related to the flaviviridae in a range of potential invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. accordingly, we recovered the full genomes of five segmented jingmenviruses and 12 distant relatives of the known flavivirida ...201526491167
geographical distribution of dermacentor marginatus and dermacentor reticulatus in europe.the goal of this paper is to present up-to-date maps depicting the geographical distribution of dermacentor species in europe based on georeferenced sampling sites. therefore, a dataset was compiled, resulting in 1286 d. marginatus (sulzer, 1776) and 1209 d. reticulatus (fabricius, 1794) locations. special emphasis is given to the region of the european alps depicting a presumable climate barrier of the mountains and to overlaps in the distribution of both species as well as on the situation in ...201626552893
vectors of crimean congo hemorrhagic fever virus in iran.ticks are important vectors and reservoirs of crimean congo hemorrhagic fever (cchf) virus. human beings may be infected whenever the normal life cycle of the infected ticks on non-human vertebrate hosts is interrupted by the undesirable presence of humans in the cycle. a total of 26 species of argasid and ixodid ticks have been recorded in iran; including nine hyalomma, two rhipicephalus, two dermacentor, five haemaphysalis, two boophilus, one ixodes and two argas as well as three ornithodoros ...201526623426
morphology, epidemiology, and phylogeny of babesia: an overview.babesiosis is a tick-borne hemoprotozoan disease of domestic and wild animals. the disease is caused by various species of babesia and some species of babesia have also zoonotic significance. the parasite in vertebrate hosts' remains in erythrocytes and the morphology of babesia spp. is not uniform in all vertebrate hosts. with the advancement of science, particularly the use of molecular techniques made it easy to study the evolution of parasites and thereby reclassifying babesia spp. as per th ...026629451
long term study of ixodid ticks feeding on red deer (cervus elaphus) in a meso-mediterranean climate.red deer (cervus elaphus l.) are very valuable in trophy-hunting but also contribute to the preservation of natural areas. they are affected by many parasites and pathogens, including hard ticks that are not only important parasites themselves but can also act as vectors and/or reservoirs of pathogens. tick phenology is complex insofar as population dynamics depend on environmental conditions, vegetation, host availability and their own intrinsic characteristic. ticks were collected monthly from ...201626715543
african swine fever virus transmission cycles in central europe: evaluation of wild boar-soft tick contacts through detection of antibodies against ornithodoros erraticus saliva antigen.african swine fever (asf) is one of the most complex viral diseases affecting both domestic and wild pigs. it is caused by asf virus (asfv), the only dna virus which can be efficiently transmitted by an arthropod vector, soft ticks of the genus ornithodoros. these ticks can be part of asfv-transmission cycles, and in europe, o. erraticus was shown to be responsible for long-term maintenance of asfv in spain and portugal. in 2014, the disease has been reintroduced into the european union, affecti ...201626728767
molecular investigation of francisella-like endosymbiont in ticks and francisella tularensis in ixodid ticks and mosquitoes in turkey.this study was carried out to investigate the molecular prevalence of francisella-like endosymbionts (fles) and francisella tularensis in ticks (acari: ixodidae) and mosquitoes in turkey. genomic dna pools were constructed from a total of 1477 adult hard ticks of rhipicephalus (rh.) annulatus, rh. turanicus, rh. sanguineus, rh. bursa, haemaphysalis (hae.) parva, hae. sulcata, hyalomma marginatum marginatum, h. anatolicum anatolicum, h. anatolicum excavatum, h. detritum detritum, h. dromedarii, d ...201626741324
isolation of a rickettsia slovaca-like agent from dermacentor variabilis ticks in vero cell culture.rickettsia slovaca is transmitted by dermacentor marginatus ticks, and is the causative agent of tick-borne lymphadenopathy and dermacentor-borne necrosis erythema lymphadenopathy throughout europe. it has not been found in new world ticks, nor have tick-borne lymphadenopathy or dermacentor-borne necrosis erythema lymphadenopathy been reported in humans in the americas. here we describe the isolation of a r. slovaca-like agent from d. variabilis nymphs from a colony of ticks derived from field c ...201626771652
characterization of spotted fever group rickettsiae in ticks from a city park of rome, italy.ticks are vectors and important reservoirs for microbial agents that cause disease in humans and animals. among these pathogens, the members of rickettsia species play an important role in public health.201526783214
detection of bartonella tamiae, coxiella burnetii and rickettsiae in arthropods and tissues from wild and domestic animals in northeastern algeria.in recent years, the scope and importance of emergent vector-borne diseases has increased dramatically. in algeria, only limited information is currently available concerning the presence and prevalence of these zoonotic diseases. for this reason, we conducted a survey of hematophagous ectoparasites of domestic mammals and/or spleens of wild animals in el tarf and souk ahras, algeria.201626791781
candidatus coxiella massiliensis infection.bacteria genetically related to coxiella burnetii have been found in ticks. using molecular techniques, we detected coxiella-like bacteria, here named candidatus coxiella massiliensis, in skin biopsy samples and ticks removed from patients with an eschar. this organism may be a common agent of scalp eschar and neck lymphadenopathy after tick bite.201626811945
a global genomic characterization of nairoviruses identifies nine discrete genogroups with distinctive structural characteristics and host-vector associations.nairoviruses are primarily tick-borne bunyaviruses, some of which are known to cause mild-to-severe febrile illness in humans or livestock. we describe the genome sequences of 11 poorly characterized nairoviruses that have ecological associations with either birds (farallon, punta salinas, sapphire ii, zirqa, avalon, clo mor, taggert, and abu hammad viruses), rodents (qalyub and bandia viruses), or camels (dera ghazi khan virus). global phylogenetic analyses of proteins encoded in the l, m, and ...201626903607
evaluation of different nested pcrs for detection of anaplasma phagocytophilum in ruminants and ticks.anaplasma phagocytophilum is a causative agent of granulocytic anaplasmosis in mammals, which has a broad geographical distribution and a high degree of clinical diversity. currently, numerous pcr assays have been developed and used for the detection of a. phagocytophilum in various specimens. however, their performance varies. the aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of five nested pcr assays by detection of 363 ruminant and tick samples, and to select the most appropriate methods ...201626911835
presence of host-seeking ixodes ricinus and their infection with borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in the northern apennines, italy.host-seeking ticks were collected in the northern apennines, italy, by dragging at 35 sites, at altitudes ranging from 680 and 1670 m above sea level (asl), from april to november, in 2010 and 2011. ixodes ricinus (4431 larvae, 597 nymphs and 12 adults) and haemaphysalis punctata (11,209 larvae, 313 nymphs, and 25 adults) were the most abundant species, followed by haemaphysalis sulcata (20 larvae, five nymphs, and 13 adults), dermacentor marginatus (42 larvae and two adults) and ixodes hexagonu ...201626964552
novel spotted fever group rickettsiae in haemaphysalis qinghaiensis ticks from gansu, northwest china.rickettsia spp. are obligate intracellular bacteria and well known as transmitted by arthropods. these pathogens have a broad geographic distribution and a high degree of biological and clinical diversity. this study was conducted to determine the prevalence and molecular characterization of rickettsia spp. in ticks collected from gansu, where borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and anaplasma phagocytophilum were previously reported in ticks and ruminants.201626968160
the ecological niche of dermacentor marginatus in germany.the ixodid tick dermacentor marginatus (sulzer, 1776) is endemic throughout southern europe in the range of 33-51 (°) n latitude. in germany, however, d. marginatus was exclusively reported in the rhine valley and adjacent areas. its northern distribution limit near giessen is located at the coordinates 8.32 (°) e/50.65 (°) n. particularly with regard to the causative agents of rickettsioses, tularemia, and q fever, the observed locations as well as the potential distribution of the vector d. ma ...201626993325
perspectives on modelling the distribution of ticks for large areas: so far so good?this paper aims to illustrate the steps needed to produce reliable correlative modelling for arthropod vectors, when process-driven models are unavailable. we use ticks as examples because of the (re)emerging interest in the pathogens they transmit. we argue that many scientific publications on the topic focus on: (i) the use of explanatory variables that do not adequately describe tick habitats; (ii) the automatic removal of variables causing internal (statistical) problems in the models withou ...201627030357
tick-borne infections in human and animal population worldwide.the abundance and activity of ectoparasites and its hosts are affected by various abiotic factors, such as climate and other organisms (predators, pathogens and competitors) presenting thus multiples forms of association (obligate to facultative, permanent to intermittent and superficial to subcutaneous) developed during long co-evolving processes. ticks are ectoparasites widespread globally and its eco epidemiology are closely related to the environmental conditions. they are obligatory hematop ...201527047089
molecular detection of spotted fever group rickettsiae in ticks removed from humans in turkey.a total of 229 attached hard ticks were collected from humans in yozgat province (turkey) in 2009. all ticks were individually examined for the presence of spotted fever group (sfg) rickettsiae using the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) targeting rickettsial citrate synthase (glta) and outer membrane protein (ompa) genes. rickettsial dna was detected in 24 (10.5%) tick samples belonging to dermacentor marginatus (sulzer) (9 males, 3 females), hyalomma marginatum koch (8 males, 2 females) and haem ...201627131413
spotted fever group rickettsiae in ticks of migratory birds in romania.birds are important hosts and dispersers of parasitic arthropods and vector-borne zoonotic pathogens. particularly migratory species may carry these parasites over long distances in short time periods. migratory hotspots present ideal conditions to get a snapshot of parasite and pathogen diversity of birds migrating between continents. the aim of this study was to investigate the presence and diversity of rickettsia spp. in ticks collected from birds at a migratory hot-spot in the danube delta, ...201627207258
exposure to vector-borne pathogens in candidate blood donor and free-roaming dogs of northeast italy.many vector-borne pathogens including viruses, bacteria, protozoa and nematodes occur in northeast italy, representing a potential threat to animal and human populations. little information is available on the circulation of the above vector-borne pathogens in dogs. this work aims to (i) assess exposure to and circulation of pathogens transmitted to dogs in northeast italy by ticks, sandflies, and mosquitoes, and (ii) drive blood donor screening at the newly established canine blood bank of the ...201627357128
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