Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Wild Animals and Birds from Two Rehabilitation Facilities in Greece
Ticks are temporary ectoparasites that serve as vectors for a wide range of pathogens affecting both wildlife and humans. In Greece, research on the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in wildlife is limited. This study investigates the presence of pathogens, including <i>Anaplasma</i> sp...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Pathogens |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/1/9 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832587764264075264 |
|---|---|
| author | Dimitrios Vourvidis Georgia Tzouganatou Sokratis Perdikaris Evangelia Kofidou Beatriz Martinez-Gonzalez Mary Emmanouil Emmanouil Papadogiannakis Anastasia Komnenou Emmanouil Angelakis |
| author_facet | Dimitrios Vourvidis Georgia Tzouganatou Sokratis Perdikaris Evangelia Kofidou Beatriz Martinez-Gonzalez Mary Emmanouil Emmanouil Papadogiannakis Anastasia Komnenou Emmanouil Angelakis |
| author_sort | Dimitrios Vourvidis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ticks are temporary ectoparasites that serve as vectors for a wide range of pathogens affecting both wildlife and humans. In Greece, research on the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in wildlife is limited. This study investigates the presence of pathogens, including <i>Anaplasma</i> spp., <i>Babesia</i> spp., <i>Bartonella</i> spp., <i>Rickettsia</i> spp., as well as tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), and Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) viruses, in ticks collected from 28 wild animals across 10 different animal species. Ticks were manually harvested and identified using molecular methods, with sequencing confirming the presence of <i>Hyalomma aegyptium</i>, <i>H. marginatum</i>, <i>H. anatolicum</i>, <i>Ixodes frontalis</i>, and <i>I. ventalloi</i>. Among the pathogens detected, <i>R. aeschlimannii</i> was the most prevalent, particularly in <i>H. aegyptium</i> ticks from tortoises. Additionally, <i>R. africae</i> was identified in <i>H. aegyptium</i> from tortoises, marking the first report of this pathogen in this tick species in Greece. <i>Hemolivia mauritanica</i>, an apicomplexan parasite commonly found in <i>Testudo</i> tortoises, was also detected. No evidence of <i>Babesia</i> spp., <i>Anaplasma</i> spp., <i>Bartonella</i> spp., or viral nucleic acid was found. Phylogenetic analysis revealed close genetic relationships between the detected <i>Rickettsia</i> species and those previously reported in neighboring regions. These findings underscore the role of wildlife in the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens in Greece and highlight the need for comprehensive surveillance to prevent future outbreaks. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-44d845b7657a4f25bba3898a89561990 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj-art-44d845b7657a4f25bba3898a895619902025-01-24T13:44:34ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172024-12-01141910.3390/pathogens14010009Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Wild Animals and Birds from Two Rehabilitation Facilities in GreeceDimitrios Vourvidis0Georgia Tzouganatou1Sokratis Perdikaris2Evangelia Kofidou3Beatriz Martinez-Gonzalez4Mary Emmanouil5Emmanouil Papadogiannakis6Anastasia Komnenou7Emmanouil Angelakis8Diagnostic Department and Public Health Laboratories, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521 Athens, GreeceDiagnostic Department and Public Health Laboratories, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521 Athens, GreeceDiagnostic Department and Public Health Laboratories, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521 Athens, GreeceSchool of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceDiagnostic Department and Public Health Laboratories, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521 Athens, GreeceDiagnostic Department and Public Health Laboratories, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521 Athens, GreeceDepartment of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, 11521 Athens, GreeceSchool of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceDiagnostic Department and Public Health Laboratories, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521 Athens, GreeceTicks are temporary ectoparasites that serve as vectors for a wide range of pathogens affecting both wildlife and humans. In Greece, research on the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in wildlife is limited. This study investigates the presence of pathogens, including <i>Anaplasma</i> spp., <i>Babesia</i> spp., <i>Bartonella</i> spp., <i>Rickettsia</i> spp., as well as tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), and Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) viruses, in ticks collected from 28 wild animals across 10 different animal species. Ticks were manually harvested and identified using molecular methods, with sequencing confirming the presence of <i>Hyalomma aegyptium</i>, <i>H. marginatum</i>, <i>H. anatolicum</i>, <i>Ixodes frontalis</i>, and <i>I. ventalloi</i>. Among the pathogens detected, <i>R. aeschlimannii</i> was the most prevalent, particularly in <i>H. aegyptium</i> ticks from tortoises. Additionally, <i>R. africae</i> was identified in <i>H. aegyptium</i> from tortoises, marking the first report of this pathogen in this tick species in Greece. <i>Hemolivia mauritanica</i>, an apicomplexan parasite commonly found in <i>Testudo</i> tortoises, was also detected. No evidence of <i>Babesia</i> spp., <i>Anaplasma</i> spp., <i>Bartonella</i> spp., or viral nucleic acid was found. Phylogenetic analysis revealed close genetic relationships between the detected <i>Rickettsia</i> species and those previously reported in neighboring regions. These findings underscore the role of wildlife in the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens in Greece and highlight the need for comprehensive surveillance to prevent future outbreaks.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/1/9tick-borne pathogenswildlifeGreece<i>Rickettsia</i> spp.<i>Anaplasma</i> spp.parasites |
| spellingShingle | Dimitrios Vourvidis Georgia Tzouganatou Sokratis Perdikaris Evangelia Kofidou Beatriz Martinez-Gonzalez Mary Emmanouil Emmanouil Papadogiannakis Anastasia Komnenou Emmanouil Angelakis Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Wild Animals and Birds from Two Rehabilitation Facilities in Greece Pathogens tick-borne pathogens wildlife Greece <i>Rickettsia</i> spp. <i>Anaplasma</i> spp. parasites |
| title | Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Wild Animals and Birds from Two Rehabilitation Facilities in Greece |
| title_full | Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Wild Animals and Birds from Two Rehabilitation Facilities in Greece |
| title_fullStr | Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Wild Animals and Birds from Two Rehabilitation Facilities in Greece |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Wild Animals and Birds from Two Rehabilitation Facilities in Greece |
| title_short | Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Wild Animals and Birds from Two Rehabilitation Facilities in Greece |
| title_sort | ticks and tick borne pathogens in wild animals and birds from two rehabilitation facilities in greece |
| topic | tick-borne pathogens wildlife Greece <i>Rickettsia</i> spp. <i>Anaplasma</i> spp. parasites |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/1/9 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dimitriosvourvidis ticksandtickbornepathogensinwildanimalsandbirdsfromtworehabilitationfacilitiesingreece AT georgiatzouganatou ticksandtickbornepathogensinwildanimalsandbirdsfromtworehabilitationfacilitiesingreece AT sokratisperdikaris ticksandtickbornepathogensinwildanimalsandbirdsfromtworehabilitationfacilitiesingreece AT evangeliakofidou ticksandtickbornepathogensinwildanimalsandbirdsfromtworehabilitationfacilitiesingreece AT beatrizmartinezgonzalez ticksandtickbornepathogensinwildanimalsandbirdsfromtworehabilitationfacilitiesingreece AT maryemmanouil ticksandtickbornepathogensinwildanimalsandbirdsfromtworehabilitationfacilitiesingreece AT emmanouilpapadogiannakis ticksandtickbornepathogensinwildanimalsandbirdsfromtworehabilitationfacilitiesingreece AT anastasiakomnenou ticksandtickbornepathogensinwildanimalsandbirdsfromtworehabilitationfacilitiesingreece AT emmanouilangelakis ticksandtickbornepathogensinwildanimalsandbirdsfromtworehabilitationfacilitiesingreece |