RECENT STUDIES OF TICK-BORNE INFECTIONS IN MONGOLIA

Abstract

We have aimed to detect both Rickettsiae species and Babesia microti in adult ticks of Dermacentor nutalli in Tuv province; and looked for only Rickettsiae species in Ixodes persulcatus in Selenge province. Using the PCR and DNA sequencing techniques, we amplified and sequenced the 16S rRNA, gltA, rOmpA genes of Rickettsia and 18S rRNA gene of B. microti and Rickettsia species were identified. Infection rate for Rickettsiae spp. was 82.7 % (115/139 samples) by 16S rRNA sequencing results and among them the highest prevalence rate was that for R. raoultii strain – 71.4 % (80/111 samples) by gltA gene sequencing and 100 % (81/81 samples) by rOmpA gene sequencing. Canditatus Rickettsia tarasevichiae strain was detected in 27.9 % (31/11 samples) by gltA gene sequencing. Infection rate for Rickettsiae spp. in D. nutalli ticks was 84.3 % (81/96 samples) and R. raoultii strain comprised 96.2–98.7 % among them. Adult ticks of I. persulcatus were infected with Rickettsiae spp. with 78 % and 93.75 % of them were R. raoultii strain. Seventeen out of 97 ticks (17.5 %) were found to be infected with B. microti. Nucleotide DNA sequencing of partial 18S rRNA and gltA genes supported the PCR results. We have identified that the same species of ticks commonly distributed in Mongolia have been infected with R. sibirica, R. raoultii and B. microti. It might be the strength of our study as B. microti have not been detected in D. nuttalli ticks yet. We are considering to detect the tick-borne infections in humans.