Abstract
Cases of Mediterranean Spotted Fever like rickettsioses, caused by Rickettsia monacensis, have become more common in the last 10 years. In China, natural infection of R. monacensis in various tick species has been confirmed but the vector(s) of R. monacensis have not been recorded. The prevalence of R. monacensis in >1500 Ixodidae ticks from central and southern China was determined using centrifugation-shell vial culture and polymerase chain reaction techniques. The predominant species, Ixodes sinensis, harbored a natural infection of R. monacensis and was assumed to be a vector candidate of R. monacensis. Experimental transmissions were initialized by infecting Rickettsia-free tick colonies with R. monacensis using capillary tube feeding (CTF) or immersion techniques. Transstadial and transovarial transmissions, and transmission from ticks to mice, were conducted under laboratory conditions. R. monacensis was isolated and identified from hemolymph of Ixodes sinensis using molecular techniques. Transovarial transmission of R. monacensis from infected ♀I. sinensis to offspring was documented and infected offspring successfully passed Rickettsia to mice. Transstadial transmission rates were 58% in larva to nymph and 56% in nymph to adult stages. Infected nymphs and adults were also able to infect mice. I. sinensis is a competence vector for R. monacensis as demonstrated by natural infection and transmission studies.
Highlights
Cases of Mediterranean Spotted Fever like rickettsioses, caused by Rickettsia monacensis, have become more common in the last 10 years
R. moncacensis prevalence in ticks and its cultivation from I. sinensis hemolymph A total of 1503 ticks were classified into 5 species belonging to 4 genera
Similar to the PCR results, cultivation of tick hemolymph to detect R. monacensis was only positive for I. sinensis, as shown in human embryonic lung (HEL) fibroblasts stained with Gimenez and indirect immunoflourescence assay results (Figure 2)
Summary
Cases of Mediterranean Spotted Fever like rickettsioses, caused by Rickettsia monacensis, have become more common in the last 10 years. In China, natural infection of R. monacensis in various tick species has been confirmed but the vector(s) of R. monacensis have not been recorded. Rickettsiae are obligate intracellular, gram-negative, alphaproteobacteria usually transmitted by arthropod vectors. They cause various human diseases including emerging spotted fever rickettsiosis [1]. R. monacensis was first isolated and characterized in 2002 from Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in Munich, Germany [4]. R. monacensis was identified from Mediterranean Spotted Fever (MSF)-like patients in Spain [5]. Headache, and joint pain, a nonpruritic, disseminated maculopapular rash or an erythematous rash with no inoculation escharare typical
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