Transovarial transmission of Rickettsia spp., Francisella-like endosymbionts, and Spiroplasma spp. in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks

Research on the transovarial transmission of pathogens whose reservoirs and vectors are ticks has led to an understanding of the mechanisms related to the circulation and persistence of selected microorganisms in natural foci. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of trans...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Anna Kloc, Angelina Wójcik-Fatla, Piotr Paprzycki, Lech Panasiuk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-11-01
Series:Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24001146
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850105257123643392
author Anna Kloc
Angelina Wójcik-Fatla
Piotr Paprzycki
Lech Panasiuk
author_facet Anna Kloc
Angelina Wójcik-Fatla
Piotr Paprzycki
Lech Panasiuk
author_sort Anna Kloc
collection DOAJ
description Research on the transovarial transmission of pathogens whose reservoirs and vectors are ticks has led to an understanding of the mechanisms related to the circulation and persistence of selected microorganisms in natural foci. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of transovarial transmission of Rickettsia spp. in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks, and the influence of Francisella-like endosymbionts (FLEs) and Spiroplasma spp. on the efficiency of the egg-laying process and transmission of selected pathogens.In total, 16,600 eggs were obtained under laboratory conditions from 55 females, with an average of 346 eggs per female. Adults, eggs, and hatched larvae were tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of Rickettsia and endosymbionts.DNA fragments of Rickettsia spp. were found in females (56.4 %) and in pools of eggs (72.9 %) and larvae (62.4 %). FLEs and Spiroplasma endosymbionts were confirmed in females (80 % and 14.5 %, respectively), pools of eggs (81.6 % and 26.1 %, respectively), and larvae (82.7 % and 46.2 %, respectively). Transovarial transmission was confirmed in Rickettsia raoultii, FLEs, and Spiroplasma ixodetis. No correlation was observed between the occurrence of individual endosymbionts and the efficiency of egg laying and transovarial transmission in Rickettsia spp.In conclusion, transovarial transmission of Rickettsia spp., FLEs and Spiroplasma spp. in D. reticulatus plays an important role in their persistence and circulation in the environment. However, further research is required on this topic.
format Article
id doaj-art-d009b5c8ea01422984f53658f49c4dc2
institution OA Journals
issn 1877-9603
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases
spelling doaj-art-d009b5c8ea01422984f53658f49c4dc22025-08-20T02:39:08ZengElsevierTicks and Tick-Borne Diseases1877-96032024-11-0115610242110.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102421Transovarial transmission of Rickettsia spp., Francisella-like endosymbionts, and Spiroplasma spp. in Dermacentor reticulatus ticksAnna Kloc0Angelina Wójcik-Fatla1Piotr Paprzycki2Lech Panasiuk3Department of Health Biohazards and Parasitology, Institute of Rural Health, Lublin, PolandDepartment of Health Biohazards and Parasitology, Institute of Rural Health, Lublin, Poland; Corresponding author at: Institute of Rural Health, Jaczewskiego 2, 20-090 Lublin, Poland.Department of Medical Diagnostic Research, Institute of Rural Health, Lublin, PolandClinic of Internal Medicine with the Occupational Diseases and the Diagnostics Subunit, Institute of Rural Health, Lublin, PolandResearch on the transovarial transmission of pathogens whose reservoirs and vectors are ticks has led to an understanding of the mechanisms related to the circulation and persistence of selected microorganisms in natural foci. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of transovarial transmission of Rickettsia spp. in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks, and the influence of Francisella-like endosymbionts (FLEs) and Spiroplasma spp. on the efficiency of the egg-laying process and transmission of selected pathogens.In total, 16,600 eggs were obtained under laboratory conditions from 55 females, with an average of 346 eggs per female. Adults, eggs, and hatched larvae were tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of Rickettsia and endosymbionts.DNA fragments of Rickettsia spp. were found in females (56.4 %) and in pools of eggs (72.9 %) and larvae (62.4 %). FLEs and Spiroplasma endosymbionts were confirmed in females (80 % and 14.5 %, respectively), pools of eggs (81.6 % and 26.1 %, respectively), and larvae (82.7 % and 46.2 %, respectively). Transovarial transmission was confirmed in Rickettsia raoultii, FLEs, and Spiroplasma ixodetis. No correlation was observed between the occurrence of individual endosymbionts and the efficiency of egg laying and transovarial transmission in Rickettsia spp.In conclusion, transovarial transmission of Rickettsia spp., FLEs and Spiroplasma spp. in D. reticulatus plays an important role in their persistence and circulation in the environment. However, further research is required on this topic.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24001146Transovarial transmissionDermacentor reticulatusRickettsiaSpiroplasmaFrancisella-like endosymbiont
spellingShingle Anna Kloc
Angelina Wójcik-Fatla
Piotr Paprzycki
Lech Panasiuk
Transovarial transmission of Rickettsia spp., Francisella-like endosymbionts, and Spiroplasma spp. in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks
Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases
Transovarial transmission
Dermacentor reticulatus
Rickettsia
Spiroplasma
Francisella-like endosymbiont
title Transovarial transmission of Rickettsia spp., Francisella-like endosymbionts, and Spiroplasma spp. in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks
title_full Transovarial transmission of Rickettsia spp., Francisella-like endosymbionts, and Spiroplasma spp. in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks
title_fullStr Transovarial transmission of Rickettsia spp., Francisella-like endosymbionts, and Spiroplasma spp. in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks
title_full_unstemmed Transovarial transmission of Rickettsia spp., Francisella-like endosymbionts, and Spiroplasma spp. in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks
title_short Transovarial transmission of Rickettsia spp., Francisella-like endosymbionts, and Spiroplasma spp. in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks
title_sort transovarial transmission of rickettsia spp francisella like endosymbionts and spiroplasma spp in dermacentor reticulatus ticks
topic Transovarial transmission
Dermacentor reticulatus
Rickettsia
Spiroplasma
Francisella-like endosymbiont
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24001146
work_keys_str_mv AT annakloc transovarialtransmissionofrickettsiasppfrancisellalikeendosymbiontsandspiroplasmasppindermacentorreticulatusticks
AT angelinawojcikfatla transovarialtransmissionofrickettsiasppfrancisellalikeendosymbiontsandspiroplasmasppindermacentorreticulatusticks
AT piotrpaprzycki transovarialtransmissionofrickettsiasppfrancisellalikeendosymbiontsandspiroplasmasppindermacentorreticulatusticks
AT lechpanasiuk transovarialtransmissionofrickettsiasppfrancisellalikeendosymbiontsandspiroplasmasppindermacentorreticulatusticks