Abstract
BackgroundSmall ruminants are important hosts for various tick species and tick-associated organisms, many of which are zoonotic. The aim of the present study was to determine the presence of tick-borne protozoans and bacteria of public health and veterinary significance in goats and wild Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) from Heilongjiang Province, northeastern China.MethodsThe occurrence of piroplasms, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, A. bovis, A. marginale, A. capra, A. ovis, Ehrlichia spp. and spotted fever group rickettsiae was molecularly investigated and analyzed in 134 goats and 9 free ranging C. pygargus living in close proximity.ResultsPiroplasm DNA was detected in 16 (11.9%) goats and 5 C. pygargus. Sequence analysis of 18S rRNA sequences identified 3 Theileria species (T. luwenshuni, T. capreoli and T. cervi). Four Anaplasma species (A. ovis, A. phagocytophilum, A. bovis and A. capra) were identified in goats and C. pygargus. Anaplasma ovis and A. bovis were detected in 11 (8.2%) and 6 (4.5%) goats, respectively; A. phagocytophilum, A. bovis and A. capra were found in 3, 7 and 3 C. pygargus, respectively. Sequence analysis of 16S rRNA sequences revealed the presence of 5 different genetic variants of A. bovis in goats and C. pygargus, while the analysis of 16S rRNA and gltA sequence data showed that A. capra isolates identified from C. pygargus were closely related to the genotype identified from sheep and Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis, but differed with the genotype from humans. Anaplasma/Theileria mixed infection was observed in 2 (1.5%) goats and 5 C. pygargus, and co-existence involving potential zoonotic organisms (A. phagocytophilum and A. capra) was found in 2 C. pygargus. All samples were negative for A. marginale, Ehrlichia spp. and SFG rickettsiae.ConclusionsThese findings report the tick-borne pathogens in goats and C. pygargus, and a greater diversity of these pathogens were observed in wild animals. Three Theileria (T. luwenshuni, T. capreoli and T. cervi) and four Anaplasma species (A. ovis, A. phagocytophilum, A. bovis and A. capra) with veterinary and medical significance were identified in small domestic and wild ruminants. The contact between wild and domestic animals may increase the potential risk of spread and transmission of tick-borne diseases.
Highlights
Small ruminants are important hosts for various tick species and tick-associated organisms, many of which are zoonotic
In the past two decades, an increasing number of tick-borne pathogens have been identified in domestic animals and a variety of wild cervids, some of which have been confirmed as causes of human infection, such as Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Anaplasma capra, Babesia divergens, Babesia venatorum, Ehrlichia canis, etc. [3,4,5,6]
Sixteen (11.9%) of 134 goats and 5 (55.6%) of 9 free-ranging C. pygargus tested positive for piroplasms by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which amplifies an approximately 430 bp band of the 18S rRNA gene of Theileria/Babesia spp
Summary
Small ruminants are important hosts for various tick species and tick-associated organisms, many of which are zoonotic. The aim of the present study was to determine the presence of tick-borne protozoans and bacteria of public health and veterinary significance in goats and wild Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) from Heilongjiang Province, northeastern China. Small ruminants are known to harbor various ticks that act as vectors and reservoirs of tick-borne pathogens of veterinary and/or medical importance. In China, Theileria annulata is the causative agent of bovine theileriosis and has been identified in sika deer [8]; Theileria uilenbergi causes ovine theileriosis and has been detected in red deer and sika deer [9]; and Babesia motasi infects sheep and goats and has been reported in sika deer [8] This information warrants further investigation of tick-borne pathogens in both domestic and wild animals simultaneously. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of the tick-borne bacteria and protozoans in goats and free-ranging C. pygargus from Heilongjiang Province, northeastern China
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