Abstract
BackgroundTick-borne diseases are common throughout Europe. Ticks transmit pathogens to the host while feeding and together with mosquitoes, they are major vectors of infectious agents worldwide. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the incidence of tick-bite events and tick-borne disease in northwest Italy, but information on the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in ticks removed from humans remains scarce. To fill this gap, we report here the prevalence of tick bites and tick-borne pathogens documented for humans in Piedmont, northwest Italy, in the 3-year period 2017–2019.MethodsTicks attached to humans during 2017–2019 were collected from residents of urban and rural area by physicians and veterinarians working with local veterinary agencies. All ticks (n = 1290) were morphologically identified to the species level. A subset of ticks removed from children (age 0–18 years) and the elderly (> 70 years), both age groups considered to be at-risk populations, was screened by biomolecular analysis to detect pathogens (e.g. Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., Anaplasma spp.). Pathogen identity was confirmed by Sanger sequencing.ResultsTicks were taxonomically assigned to ten species of six genera (Amblyomma, Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, Hyalomma, Ixodes and Rhipicephalus). Most belonged to the genus Ixodes: 1009 ticks (78.22%) were classified as Ixodes ricinus. A subset of 500 ticks collected from the two at-risk populations were subjected to PCR assay to determine the presence of Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., and Anaplasma spp. The overall prevalence of infection was 22.8% (n = 114; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 19.19–26.73%), meaning that at least one pathogen was detected: Rickettsia spp. (prevalence 15%, n = 76; 95% CI 12.17–18.65%); Borrelia spp. (prevalence 6.4%, n = 32; 95% CI 4.42–8.92%); and Anaplasma spp. (prevalence 1.2%, n = 6; 95% CI 0.44–2.6%).ConclusionsOur data underline the importance of surveillance in the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases and the implementation of strategies to control tick infestation and associated pathogens.Graphical
Highlights
Audino et al Parasites Vectors (2021) 14:136 transmit a variety of pathogens of medical and veterinary importance that are responsible for a diverse range of infections, commonly referred to as tick-borne diseases (TBDs) [38]
The risk of TBD in humans is associated with local tick abundance, infection prevalence, density of vertebrate reservoir hosts, and climate change
Our data show that humans bitten by ticks in northwest Italy are at risk of infection from diverse pathogens
Summary
Ticks transmit pathogens to the host while feeding and together with mosquitoes, they are major vectors of infectious agents worldwide. There has been a marked increase in the incidence of tick-bite events and tick-borne disease in northwest Italy, but information on the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in ticks removed from humans remains scarce. Ticks are major vectors of zoonotic pathogens in temperate regions [16] They have a worldwide distribution owing to their ability to adapt to diverse environments, climate zones and host species [9, 17]. Rickettsiosis is a bacterial disease caused by obligate, intracellular α-proteobacteria of the genus Rickettsia These Gram-negative, pleomorphic bacteria are prevalent in Sicily, Sardinia, Latium, and Calabria regions of Italy. Twenty-six Rickettsia species with validated and published names are currently reported worldwide [29]
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