Ehrlichia ruminantium (Ehrlichiaceae) infection rates and genotyping in Amblyomma species from southern Africa
Ticks are haematophagous ectoparasites of domestic and wild animals. With their vast geographical distribution and aptitude as vectors of a large variety of pathogens, they are ranked amongst the top two arthropod families of veterinary and medical concern. Amblyomma, the third largest genus in the...
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X25000263 |
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| author | Andeliza Smit Fernando C. Mulandane Stephane H. Wójcik Choolwe Malabwa Gourgelia Sili Stephen Mandara Kaïssa Plaisir Pineau Sylvie Lecollinet Antoni Exbrayat Valérie Rodrigues Hannah Rose Vineer Zinathi Dlamkile Wilhelm H. Stoltsz Damien F. Meyer Darshana Morar-Leather Benjamin L. Makepeace Luis Neves |
| author_facet | Andeliza Smit Fernando C. Mulandane Stephane H. Wójcik Choolwe Malabwa Gourgelia Sili Stephen Mandara Kaïssa Plaisir Pineau Sylvie Lecollinet Antoni Exbrayat Valérie Rodrigues Hannah Rose Vineer Zinathi Dlamkile Wilhelm H. Stoltsz Damien F. Meyer Darshana Morar-Leather Benjamin L. Makepeace Luis Neves |
| author_sort | Andeliza Smit |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ticks are haematophagous ectoparasites of domestic and wild animals. With their vast geographical distribution and aptitude as vectors of a large variety of pathogens, they are ranked amongst the top two arthropod families of veterinary and medical concern. Amblyomma, the third largest genus in the Ixodidae, is important in southern Africa due to its vector competence for Ehrlichia ruminantium and other pathogens. Ehrlichia ruminantium, the causative agent of heartwater, a potentially lethal disease in ruminants, is classified as a notifiable disease by the World Organisation for Animal Health. Amblyomma species ticks were collected in five southern African countries from livestock and wildlife. They were morphologically identified to species level with taxonomic keys, and species identity was confirmed with molecular assays. Preliminary screening for E. ruminantium was conducted by targeting the pCS20 gene fragment. Genotyping of 39 E. ruminantium positives was obtained using Ampliseq technology. In total, 7,734 Amblyomma ticks were collected and identified as belonging to four species: Amblyomma eburneum, Amblyomma hebraeum, Amblyomma pomposum and Amblyomma variegatum. Ehrlichia ruminantium infection rates per country ranged from 7.1 % to 34.1 %. The genotyping analysis indicated the clustering of our sequences with strains Gardel, Welgevonden, Um Banein, Springbokfontein 4 and 2, Kwanyanga, and Blaauwkrans. The Ampliseq analysis was not effective in differentiating between strains found in southern Africa. This large study documents the genetic diversity and prevalence of E. ruminantium in ticks across southern Africa, highlighting implications for disease control and vaccine development. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-aeefd9c149044674b3fc0762d1bd1786 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1877-9603 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases |
| spelling | doaj-art-aeefd9c149044674b3fc0762d1bd17862025-08-20T02:02:17ZengElsevierTicks and Tick-Borne Diseases1877-96032025-05-0116310246210.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102462Ehrlichia ruminantium (Ehrlichiaceae) infection rates and genotyping in Amblyomma species from southern AfricaAndeliza Smit0Fernando C. Mulandane1Stephane H. Wójcik2Choolwe Malabwa3Gourgelia Sili4Stephen Mandara5Kaïssa Plaisir Pineau6Sylvie Lecollinet7Antoni Exbrayat8Valérie Rodrigues9Hannah Rose Vineer10Zinathi Dlamkile11Wilhelm H. Stoltsz12Damien F. Meyer13Darshana Morar-Leather14Benjamin L. Makepeace15Luis Neves16Tick Research Group, Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa; Corresponding author.Biotechnology Centre, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, MozambiqueTick Research Group, Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South AfricaCentral Veterinary Research Institute, Lusaka, ZambiaDepartment of Basic Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Huambo, AngolaDepartment of Animal Production Sciences, Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Marondera, ZimbabweCIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe F-97170, France; ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, FranceCIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe F-97170, France; ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, FranceASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, FranceCIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe F-97170, France; ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, FranceDepartment of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary & Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United KingdomTick Research Group, Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South AfricaTick Research Group, Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South AfricaCIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe F-97170, France; ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France; Corresponding author at: CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe F-97170, France.Tick Research Group, Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South AfricaDepartment of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary & Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United KingdomTick Research Group, Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa; Biotechnology Centre, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, MozambiqueTicks are haematophagous ectoparasites of domestic and wild animals. With their vast geographical distribution and aptitude as vectors of a large variety of pathogens, they are ranked amongst the top two arthropod families of veterinary and medical concern. Amblyomma, the third largest genus in the Ixodidae, is important in southern Africa due to its vector competence for Ehrlichia ruminantium and other pathogens. Ehrlichia ruminantium, the causative agent of heartwater, a potentially lethal disease in ruminants, is classified as a notifiable disease by the World Organisation for Animal Health. Amblyomma species ticks were collected in five southern African countries from livestock and wildlife. They were morphologically identified to species level with taxonomic keys, and species identity was confirmed with molecular assays. Preliminary screening for E. ruminantium was conducted by targeting the pCS20 gene fragment. Genotyping of 39 E. ruminantium positives was obtained using Ampliseq technology. In total, 7,734 Amblyomma ticks were collected and identified as belonging to four species: Amblyomma eburneum, Amblyomma hebraeum, Amblyomma pomposum and Amblyomma variegatum. Ehrlichia ruminantium infection rates per country ranged from 7.1 % to 34.1 %. The genotyping analysis indicated the clustering of our sequences with strains Gardel, Welgevonden, Um Banein, Springbokfontein 4 and 2, Kwanyanga, and Blaauwkrans. The Ampliseq analysis was not effective in differentiating between strains found in southern Africa. This large study documents the genetic diversity and prevalence of E. ruminantium in ticks across southern Africa, highlighting implications for disease control and vaccine development.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X25000263HeartwaterPrevalenceTick-borne pathogensPhylogenetics |
| spellingShingle | Andeliza Smit Fernando C. Mulandane Stephane H. Wójcik Choolwe Malabwa Gourgelia Sili Stephen Mandara Kaïssa Plaisir Pineau Sylvie Lecollinet Antoni Exbrayat Valérie Rodrigues Hannah Rose Vineer Zinathi Dlamkile Wilhelm H. Stoltsz Damien F. Meyer Darshana Morar-Leather Benjamin L. Makepeace Luis Neves Ehrlichia ruminantium (Ehrlichiaceae) infection rates and genotyping in Amblyomma species from southern Africa Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases Heartwater Prevalence Tick-borne pathogens Phylogenetics |
| title | Ehrlichia ruminantium (Ehrlichiaceae) infection rates and genotyping in Amblyomma species from southern Africa |
| title_full | Ehrlichia ruminantium (Ehrlichiaceae) infection rates and genotyping in Amblyomma species from southern Africa |
| title_fullStr | Ehrlichia ruminantium (Ehrlichiaceae) infection rates and genotyping in Amblyomma species from southern Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ehrlichia ruminantium (Ehrlichiaceae) infection rates and genotyping in Amblyomma species from southern Africa |
| title_short | Ehrlichia ruminantium (Ehrlichiaceae) infection rates and genotyping in Amblyomma species from southern Africa |
| title_sort | ehrlichia ruminantium ehrlichiaceae infection rates and genotyping in amblyomma species from southern africa |
| topic | Heartwater Prevalence Tick-borne pathogens Phylogenetics |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X25000263 |
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