Detection of Ehrlichia spp. and Theileria spp. in Hyalomma anatolicum ticks collected in Tajikistan.

M Yu Kartashov,F H Tishkova,N L Tupota,T P Mikryukova,I D Petrova,V A Ternovoi,V B Loktev,Yu V Kononova

doi:10.18699/vj20.595

Abstract

The objectives of our study were to survey the prevalence of genetic markers for Rickettsia spp., Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., and Theileria spp. in Hyalomma anatolicum ticks collected in southwestern Tajikistan and to perform sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of fragments of the 16S rRNA gene and groESL operon from Ehrlichia spp. and fragments of the 18S rRNA gene of Theileria spp. detected in H. anatolicum ticks. Hyalomma anatolicum ticks collected in the Tursunzade and Rudaki districts of Tajikistan were tested for DNA of Rickettsia spp., Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., and Theileria spp. by PCR with specific primers. The amplified fragments were sequenced and analyzed. DNA of Ehrlichia spp. (3.3 %) and Theileria spp. (3.3 %) was detected only in H. anatolicum ticks collected from the Rudaki district, and DNA of Ehrlichia spp. (0.7 %) was found in H. anatolicum ticks from the Tursunzade district. Sequence analysis of fragments of the 16S rRNA gene and groESL operon from Ehrlichia spp. revealed high similarity to Ehrlichia spp. The Tajik isolates of Theileria spp. were genotyped as Theileria annulata based on the analysis of 18S rRNA gene sequences. The phylogenetic analysis demonstrates that Ehrlichia spp. isolates are highly similar to Ehrlichia spp. circulating in China and Brazil. The isolate Tajikistan-5 is closely related to the putative novel species Ehrlichia mineirensis. The Tajik isolates of Theileria spp. were clustered with T. annulata isolates from Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and China by phylogenetic analyses.

Highlights

Ixodid ticks transmit various pathogens to both humans and animals in Asia (Tishkova et al, 2012; Wu et al, 2013)
The objectives of this study were to survey the prevalence of genetic markers for these tick-borne infections in H. ana tolicum ticks collected in southwestern Tajikistan, and to perform sequence and phylogenetic analysis of Ehrlichia spp. and Theileria spp. detected in the ticks
The nucleotide fragments showed 99.9 % similarity to the corresponding H. anatolicum sequences from GenBank. These tick pools were tested by PCR for genetic markers of Rickettsia spp., Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., and Theileria spp. and other ticks were used for genotyping

Summary

Introduction

Ixodid ticks transmit various pathogens to both humans and animals in Asia (Tishkova et al, 2012; Wu et al, 2013). Hyalomma ana tolicum ticks are known to transmit bacterial and parasite infections such as Lyme disease, babesiosis, piroplasmosis, theileriosis, and anaplasmosis (Tishkova et al, 2012; Wu et al, 2013). Theileria annulata (Piroplasmida: Family Theileri idae, Genus Theileria) is the causative agent of theileriosis in domestic animals, which is transmitted by 15 species of ixodid ticks of the genus Hyalomma (Robinson, 1982). There are no published studies on genetic markers and genotyping of Rickettsia spp., Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., and Theile ria spp. in H. anatolicum ticks in Tajikistan

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