Molecular detection of Rickettsia africae from Amblyomma hebraeum ticks in Mafikeng city of North West Province, South Africa.

Autor: Thekisoe O; Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa., Ramatla T; Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa. Electronic address: ra21205450@gmail.com., Ringo A; National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan., Mnisi S; Department of Animal Health, School of Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Mmabatho 2735, South Africa., Mphuthi N; Department of Animal Health, School of Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Mmabatho 2735, South Africa., Mofokeng L; Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa., Lekota K; Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa., Xuan X; National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Research in veterinary science [Res Vet Sci] 2023 Nov; Vol. 164, pp. 105027. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Sep 22.
DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2023.105027
Abstrakt: Rickettsia africae causes zoonotic African tick bite fever, which is a disease of "One Health" importance. There have been reported cases of tourists from Europe and Asia who have been bitten by ticks whilst visiting South Africa's nature reserves, and on their return to their countries, the display African Tick Bite Fever sickness. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of Rickettsia africae in Amblyomma hebraeum ticks infesting livestock in the North West Province. A total of 358 A. hebraeum ticks were collected from 60 ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats) in Mafikeng City of North West Province, South Africa. Ticks were identified morphologically and further confirmed by sequencing of their ITS2 gene. DNA was extracted from 60 pools of ticks which consisted of 5-6 adult ticks that were from the same ruminant host. Infections with Rickettsia spp. were found in 48%, 40%, and 32% of cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively, in amplification by PCR using the ompA gene. The ompA gene sequences showed that the Rickettsia spp. were identified as R. africae. Although the animals from whom the ticks were collected did not exhibit any clinical symptoms, it is well recognised that R. africae is a disease with significant zoonotic potential. Thus, it is important to use the "One Health" approach to formulate prevention and control measures for this pathogen for animal and human health as well as the tourism sector due to the ecotourism importance of the resultant disease.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Authors have no conflict of interest in the study.
(Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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