Molecular evidence of Borrelia theileri and closely related Borrelia spp. in hard ticks infesting domestic animals
Ticks pose significant threats to hosts by transmitting Borrelia spp., which are grouped into Lyme borreliae, relapsing fever borreliae (RF), and reptiles- and monotremes-associated borreliae. The RF borreliae encompass a group of Borrelia species predominantly transmitted by soft ticks, but some of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1297928/full |
| _version_ | 1797449087236177920 |
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| author | Mehran Khan Mashal M. Almutairi Abdulaziz Alouffi Tetsuya Tanaka Shun-Chung Chang Chien-Chin Chen Chien-Chin Chen Chien-Chin Chen Chien-Chin Chen Abid Ali |
| author_facet | Mehran Khan Mashal M. Almutairi Abdulaziz Alouffi Tetsuya Tanaka Shun-Chung Chang Chien-Chin Chen Chien-Chin Chen Chien-Chin Chen Chien-Chin Chen Abid Ali |
| author_sort | Mehran Khan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ticks pose significant threats to hosts by transmitting Borrelia spp., which are grouped into Lyme borreliae, relapsing fever borreliae (RF), and reptiles- and monotremes-associated borreliae. The RF borreliae encompass a group of Borrelia species predominantly transmitted by soft ticks, but some of its members can also be transmitted by hard ticks. Information on the detection and genetic characterization of tick-borne RF borreliae, including Borrelia theileri, is notably rare in Asia, particularly in Pakistan. Herein, we employed molecular techniques to detect borreliae in hard ticks collected from domestic animals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Ticks were subjected to morphological analysis, followed by DNA extraction and PCR amplification of partial fragments of borrelial 16S rRNA and flaB genes. A total of 729 ticks were collected from 264 hosts, with Haemaphysalis cornupunctata (12.9%; 94/729) being the most prevalent, followed by Hyalomma anatolicum (11.7%; 85/729), Rhipicephalus microplus (10.0%; 73/729), Haemaphysalis kashmirensis (9.1%; 66/729), Haemaphysalis bispinosa (8.5%; 62/729), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (8%; 58/729), Haemaphysalis montgomeryi (6.2%; 45/729), Rhipicephalus turanicus (5.5%; 40/729), Hyalomma dromedarii and Ixodes kashmirensis (4.4%; 32/729 each), Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides (4.1%; 30/729), Haemaphysalis sulcata and Hyalomma scupense (3.8%; 28/729 each), Haemaphysalis danieli (2.9%; 21/729), Hyalomma kumari (2.6%; 19/729), and Hyalomma isaaci (2.2%; 16/729). Based on 16S rRNA detection of Borrelia spp., only R. turanicus yielded positive results, resulting in an overall infection rate of 0.3% (2/160), while using flaB-based detection, four tick species including R. microplus, R. turanicus, Ha. sulcata, and Ha. cornupunctata showed positive results, yielding an overall infection rate of 6.9% (11/160). The amplified DNA fragments of borrelial 16S rRNA and flaB in R. turanicus from goats shared maximum identities of 100 and 99.40% with Borrelia theileri, respectively. Amplified borrelial flaB fragments in R. microplus from cows and sheep displayed 100% identity with B. theileri, while flaB fragments in Ha. cornupunctata and Ha. sulcata from goats revealed identities of 99.32 and 99.75% with undetermined RF Borrelia spp., respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed clustering of B. theileri from R. microplus and R. turanicus with the same species, while Borrelia spp. from Ha. cornupunctata and Ha. sulcata with undetermined RF Borrelia spp. Notably, this research marks the first documentation of B. theileri in R. turanicus and the identification of RF Borrelia spp. in Ha. cornupunctata and Ha. sulcata. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T14:19:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-87d2aa19a466432b93f9ce42373a918d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-1769 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T14:19:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-87d2aa19a466432b93f9ce42373a918d2023-11-28T16:02:41ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692023-11-011010.3389/fvets.2023.12979281297928Molecular evidence of Borrelia theileri and closely related Borrelia spp. in hard ticks infesting domestic animalsMehran Khan0Mashal M. Almutairi1Abdulaziz Alouffi2Tetsuya Tanaka3Shun-Chung Chang4Chien-Chin Chen5Chien-Chin Chen6Chien-Chin Chen7Chien-Chin Chen8Abid Ali9Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PakistanDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaKing Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaLaboratory of Infectious Diseases, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, JapanDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi, TaiwanDepartment of Pathology, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi, TaiwanDepartment of Cosmetic Science, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan, TaiwanPh.D. Program in Translational Medicine, Rong Hsing Research Center for Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, TaiwanDepartment of Biotechnology and Bioindustry Sciences, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, TaiwanDepartment of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PakistanTicks pose significant threats to hosts by transmitting Borrelia spp., which are grouped into Lyme borreliae, relapsing fever borreliae (RF), and reptiles- and monotremes-associated borreliae. The RF borreliae encompass a group of Borrelia species predominantly transmitted by soft ticks, but some of its members can also be transmitted by hard ticks. Information on the detection and genetic characterization of tick-borne RF borreliae, including Borrelia theileri, is notably rare in Asia, particularly in Pakistan. Herein, we employed molecular techniques to detect borreliae in hard ticks collected from domestic animals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Ticks were subjected to morphological analysis, followed by DNA extraction and PCR amplification of partial fragments of borrelial 16S rRNA and flaB genes. A total of 729 ticks were collected from 264 hosts, with Haemaphysalis cornupunctata (12.9%; 94/729) being the most prevalent, followed by Hyalomma anatolicum (11.7%; 85/729), Rhipicephalus microplus (10.0%; 73/729), Haemaphysalis kashmirensis (9.1%; 66/729), Haemaphysalis bispinosa (8.5%; 62/729), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (8%; 58/729), Haemaphysalis montgomeryi (6.2%; 45/729), Rhipicephalus turanicus (5.5%; 40/729), Hyalomma dromedarii and Ixodes kashmirensis (4.4%; 32/729 each), Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides (4.1%; 30/729), Haemaphysalis sulcata and Hyalomma scupense (3.8%; 28/729 each), Haemaphysalis danieli (2.9%; 21/729), Hyalomma kumari (2.6%; 19/729), and Hyalomma isaaci (2.2%; 16/729). Based on 16S rRNA detection of Borrelia spp., only R. turanicus yielded positive results, resulting in an overall infection rate of 0.3% (2/160), while using flaB-based detection, four tick species including R. microplus, R. turanicus, Ha. sulcata, and Ha. cornupunctata showed positive results, yielding an overall infection rate of 6.9% (11/160). The amplified DNA fragments of borrelial 16S rRNA and flaB in R. turanicus from goats shared maximum identities of 100 and 99.40% with Borrelia theileri, respectively. Amplified borrelial flaB fragments in R. microplus from cows and sheep displayed 100% identity with B. theileri, while flaB fragments in Ha. cornupunctata and Ha. sulcata from goats revealed identities of 99.32 and 99.75% with undetermined RF Borrelia spp., respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed clustering of B. theileri from R. microplus and R. turanicus with the same species, while Borrelia spp. from Ha. cornupunctata and Ha. sulcata with undetermined RF Borrelia spp. Notably, this research marks the first documentation of B. theileri in R. turanicus and the identification of RF Borrelia spp. in Ha. cornupunctata and Ha. sulcata.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1297928/fullhard ticksBorreliaBorrelia theileridomestic animalsPakistan |
| spellingShingle | Mehran Khan Mashal M. Almutairi Abdulaziz Alouffi Tetsuya Tanaka Shun-Chung Chang Chien-Chin Chen Chien-Chin Chen Chien-Chin Chen Chien-Chin Chen Abid Ali Molecular evidence of Borrelia theileri and closely related Borrelia spp. in hard ticks infesting domestic animals Frontiers in Veterinary Science hard ticks Borrelia Borrelia theileri domestic animals Pakistan |
| title | Molecular evidence of Borrelia theileri and closely related Borrelia spp. in hard ticks infesting domestic animals |
| title_full | Molecular evidence of Borrelia theileri and closely related Borrelia spp. in hard ticks infesting domestic animals |
| title_fullStr | Molecular evidence of Borrelia theileri and closely related Borrelia spp. in hard ticks infesting domestic animals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Molecular evidence of Borrelia theileri and closely related Borrelia spp. in hard ticks infesting domestic animals |
| title_short | Molecular evidence of Borrelia theileri and closely related Borrelia spp. in hard ticks infesting domestic animals |
| title_sort | molecular evidence of borrelia theileri and closely related borrelia spp in hard ticks infesting domestic animals |
| topic | hard ticks Borrelia Borrelia theileri domestic animals Pakistan |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1297928/full |
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